Language Learning Attitudes: Ingrained Or Shaped In Time?

Year 2017, Volume: 5 Issue: 3, 257 - 275, 30.09.2017

Gökçe Dişlen Dağgöl

Abstract

Language learning constitutes an essential need in today’s world. From academic to social settings, humans need to communicate in a different language to survive in their target community. However, despite this increasing importance of language, it is difficult to say we have learned a foreign language successfully on a large scale since there are a lot of factors in language learning process. Language attitudes, one of these factors, influence this process both positively and negatively, depending on how we view learning a foreign language. Therefore, this study deals with the issue of language attitudes to uncover learners’ language conceptions and probable effects on their learning. Moreover, this study aims to reveal the potential positive or negative role of past learning experiences on the development of language beliefs. Thus, 35 university students in their 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th years constitute the participants of the study. Based on mixed research design, the study is comprised of both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data were gathered through Attitude Scale towards English Course, and the analyses were performed with Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS 17.0 version for Windows). The qualitative data were collected from students’ reports of their own autobiographies regarding their previous language learning experiences in elementary, secondary, high school and university years, and were subjected to the content analysis. The study showed language attitudes from behavioural, cognitive and affective perspectives and found out different factors in shaping students’ learning conceptions.

Keywords

Language learning attitude, Adult education, English Course

Language Learning Attitudes: Ingrained Or Shaped In Time?

Abstract

Keywords

English Course, Language learning attitude, Adult education

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