Does age matter in learning semantic knowledge of second language acquisition?

“The goal of this research proposal will be to incorporate theory and empirical data by proposing your own developmental experiment. You will find an empirical article published recently (2017 – 2020) on one of the topics discussed in class and propose your own study to further the research endeavor.”
Note: Therefore, I found this empirical article “Children’s Second Language Acquisition of English Complex Syntax: “The younger, the better: Idealized versus situated cognitions of educators about age and instruction of English as a second/foreign language in Pakistan”(please see the attachment).
The final paper has four parts:
3 page literature review of your topic, summarizing the experiments and arguments made in your chosen article as well as other relevant journal articles (3 to 5), and ending with the SPECIFIC RESEARCH QUESTION you’d like to address and an explanation of its connection to the literature. The format should be APA style and comparable to the Introduction/Background of a journal article.

Note: a. I proposed this research question: “ Does age matter in learning semantic knowledge of second language acquisition?”
Please paraphrase this question in a better way. Since there several components of a language, such as phonological (sounds of letter), semantic(grammar and vocabulary) and so on. In this research, I will be focus on the semantic aspect of a language. (Some previous research demonstrated that younger children tend to have better phonological ability than older children; whereas older children tend to have better semantic ability than younger children, this might because that older children have better cognitive functioning or memory or brain maturation.)
b. When find other articles, you can find article about Critical Period Hypothesis, “according to the Critical Period Hypothesis, age is considered that young learners stand the advantage stage in second language learning.” Then, you can find other more evidence that against is age is not the only factor affect children’s second language learning.
c. After the research question, you need to give the specific HYPOTHESIS, is that, “Older children tend to be more efficient than younger children due to the older children’s higher cognitive functioning (memory).” Please clearly state the research question and hypothesis. You can also paraphrase the hypothesis in a better and concise way to express but please keep its meaning. So the focus is that the another factor affect children’s second language learning (semantic) is their better cognitive function, particularly memory. perhaps to compare how maturation of cognitive abilities (like memory) play a role in learning.
3 page description of your proposed experiment. The experiment should specify the population to be tested, the materials and procedure you will use, and the conditions you hope to test. The format should be comparable to the Methods/Procedures section of a journal article.
Note: a. Please give specific method, which means you need to design a study by recruiting the participants, materials you use, and the procedure etc.
b. The context of the background should be in Canada, you might want to find immigrants children whose English is not their first language(when children have different language background, when they all learn the English, it give equal chance and avoid other variables, such as children whose first language is Spanish might tend to learn English faster than others sin Spanish and English have same Latin roots, pleas mention that). So just to test how cognitive abilities (like memory) play a role in learning English.
Its better to design this study in ESL program, by testing the cognitive function and its association with age, you might want to find younger children about 5-7 years old, and older children about 8-10years old. I am giving this age range since Piaget ’s theory of cognitive development is that 2 to 7 years old (Symbolic thought), and 7-11(Operational thought), if you can find journal articles that mentions there is certain age matter their semantic learning, please fell free to give other recruitments of participants. Gender should be half boy and girl.
b. For the materials, you need to go through past standard test that can be used to measure’s child’s semantic/ vocabulary ability and memory capacity, you can also design an activities by your self. PLEASE INCLUDE THE DETAILED PROCEDURE.
c. The method must conclude following three:
1. Cognitive Tasks (memory), there are a lot of way and standard test can be used, or you can just design a study to play a record of something and let both young children and older children repeat.
2. Vocabulary and grammar Task, its better to find a stander test since stander test have better validity and reliable, but if not, you need to design a study by your self, for example, engaging children in a dramatic play and record their sentence and vocabulary use and find a way to decode it…
3. Questionaire for parents and educators, this is important since the questionnaire need to include some variables, such as amount of exposure in both home and ESL program setting, parents’s socioeconomics status, and so on…
3 page discussion section. This section should discuss the conclusions you would draw if your hypothesized results were confirmed. It should also discuss alternative results and conclusions you might draw from those. Please also talk about the limitation of study. Finally, it should anticipate possible objections to your approach and suggest areas for further study. The format and tone should be comparable to the Discussion and General Discussion sections of a journal article. A reference section (APA style; not counted in 10-page limit).
Note: for the discussion section, it’s a research proposal, rather than report, so you don’t have any real results to discuss. Instead, you should discuss what the implications of finding a result that supports your hypothesis would be. The implications should particle which means that can not be challenge any current policy or pedagogy… except literature review section, it seems you do not need other additional resources, except if you want to cite method, if you have to use resources for the discussion section, please no more than 3…
Thank you and let me know if you have any questions…