Odnos in motiviranost mlajsih ucencev do ucenja tujega jezika

This paper focuses on young foreign language learners’ attitudes and motivations. An overview is given of the main issues in this research area, based on key European studies. Approaches to studying these affective learner characteristics are described. Some attention is devoted to data elicitation techniques and the importance of triangulation. Research findings are presented through overviews of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies carried out in different European settings. The latter are presented in more detail, because their findings seem to be more revealing of the early foreign language learning process. The overall conclusion of this review paper is that young foreign language learners’ attitudes and motivations are not stable learner characteristics but change over time, creating layers of complexity that warrant further research. Suggestions about possible future directions in researching young foreign language learner attitudes and motivations, and the application of its findings are also made. (DIPF/Orig.

Learners’ Attitude towards Mathematics, Technology on Their Mathematics Interest: The Mediating Role of Learners’ Mathematics Perception

This research work surveyed inquired into, and scanned carefully, the exhibiting indirect causation of learners’ mathematics perception, a connection jointly engaging learners’ stance towards mathematics and technology on their mathematics interest. This inquest was conducted on 200 Senior High School learners sampled in the Central part of Ghana. The employment of a survey and comprehensive questionnaire was necessitated. Amos Software (v. 23) was instrumental in the Modeling analysis computations (SEM: EFA/CFA), and the paths were tested on the hypotheses. Attitude towards mathematics produced a positive impact on learners’ interest, which in turn impacted positively on learners’ perception of mathematics, and technology yielded a positive impact on how learners perceive mathematics. There was a complete mediation of learners’ perception of mathematics in the association between learners’ attitudes towards mathematics and their interest in mathematics. Further studies could be carried out on the parameters using other methods to inquire about the impact of learners’ attitudes on mathematics and the technology involved in their learning on their mathematics interests. The education system must be mindful of learners’ attitudes, perceptions, and technology in their learning process. Colleges of education must bring up teachers in the light of learners’ attitudes, perceptions, and technology in their learning and the appropriate pedagogy in their delivery of lessons

ASSESSING INTRODUCTORY-LEVEL SPANISH LEARNERS\u27 ATTITUDES TOWARDS FEEDBACK IN THE CLASSROOM

This study examines beginner Spanish learners’ attitudes towards feedback in th

Stosunek polskich uczniów do nauki wymowy języka angielskiego: analizując od nowa

It is widely agreed that acquisition of a sound system of a second language always presents a great challenge for L2 learners (e.g. Rojczyk, 2010). Numerous studies (e.g. Nowacka, 2010; Flege, 1991) prove that L2 learners whose first language has a scarce number of sounds, encounter difficulties in distinguishing L2 sound categories and tend to apply their L1 segments to new contexts. There is abundance of studies examining L2 learners’ successes and failures in production of L1 and L2 sounds, especially vowels (e.g. Flege, 1992; Nowacka, 2010; Rojczyk, 2010). However, the situation becomes more complicated when we consider third language production. While in the case of L2 segmental production the number of factors affecting L2 sounds is rather limited (either interference from learners’ L1 or some kind of L2 intralingual influence), in the case of L3 segmental production we may encounter L1→L3, L2→L3, L1+L2→L3 or L3 intralingual interference. This makes separation of L3 sounds a much more complex process. The aim of this paper is to examine whether speakers of L1 Polish, L2 English and L3 German are able to separate new, L3 vowel categories from their native and L2 categories. The research presented in this article is a part of a larger project assessing production of L3 segments. This time the focus is on German /y/. This vowel was chosen since it is regarded as especially difficult for Polish learners of German and it is frequently substituted with some other sounds. A group of English philology (Polish-English- German translation and interpretation programme) students was chosen to participate in this study. They were native speakers of Polish, advanced speakers of English and upper-intermediate users of German. They had been taught both English and German pronunciation courses during their studies at the University of Silesia. The subjects were asked to produce words containing analysed vowels, namely: P /u/, P /i/, E /uÉ/, E /iÉ/, E /ɪ/ and G /y/. All examined vowels were embedded in a /bVt/ context. The target /bVt/ words were then embedded in carrier sentences: I said /bVt/ this time in English, Ich sag’ /bVt/ diesmal in German and Mówię /bVt/ teraz in Polish, in a non-final position. The sentences were presented to subjects on a computer screen and the produced chunks were stored in a notebook’s memory as .wav files ready for inspection. The Praat 5.3.12 speech-analysis software package (Boersma, 2001) was used to measure and analyse the recordings. The obtained results suggest that L2 affects L3 segmental production to a significant extent. Learners find it difficult to separate all “new” and “old” vowel categories, especially if they are perceived as “similar” to one another and when learners strive to sound “foreign”.Przyswajanie systemu fonetycznego języka drugiego (J2) zawsze jest ogromnym wyzwaniem dla uczących się nowego języka (np. Rojczyk, 2010). Liczne badania (np. Flege, 1991; Nowacka, 2010) udowodniły, że w przypadku, gdy J1 uczących się nowego języka ma raczej ograniczoną liczbę dźwięków, wówczas osoby te mają problemy z odróżnianiem większej liczby nowych głosek i często zastępują je ojczystymi segmentami. Łatwo można znaleźć wiele badań dotyczących sukcesów i porażek w produkcji i percepcji nowych dźwięków przez uczących się J2 (np. Flege, 1992; Nowacka, 2010; Rojczyk, 2010), jednakże sytuacja staje się znacznie bardziej skomplikowana w przypadku przyswajania języka trzeciego (J3). Podczas przyswajania języka drugiego liczba czynników wpływających na proces produkcji poszczególnych segmentów jest raczej ograniczona (może to być wpływ języka pierwszego lub też interferencja językowa wewnątrz J2), natomiast podczas przyswajania języka trzeciego ich liczba jest zdecydowanie większa (J1→J3, J2→L3, J1+J2→L3 lub procesy zachodzące wewnątrz J3). To wszystko sprawia, że przyswajanie systemu fonetycznego języka trzeciego jest procesem wyjątkowo złożonym. Celem niniejszego artykułu było zbadanie czy rodzimi użytkownicy języka polskiego z J2 — angielskim i J3 — niemieckim, są zdolni do oddzielenia nowych, niemieckich kategorii samogłoskowych od tych polskich i angielskich. Badanie tu opisane jest częścią większego projektu mającego na celu ocenę produkcji samogłosek w J3. Tym razem opisana jest produkcja niemieckiego /y/. Samogłoska ta została wybrana ponieważ jest uważana przez uczących się języka niemieckiego za wyjątkowo trudną i często jest zastępowana innymi, podobnymi polskimi dźwiękami. Uczestnikami badania była grupa studentów filologii angielskiej, potrójnego programu tłumaczeniowego: polsko-angielsko-niemieckiego. Byli rodzimymi użytkownikami języka polskiego, zaawansowanymi użytkownikami języka angielskiego i średniozaawansowanymi użytkownikami języka niemieckiego. Przed przystąpieniem do badania, byli oni uczeni wymowy obu obcych języków. W trakcie badania musieli wyprodukować słowa zawierające wszystkie badane dźwięki, mianowicie: P/u/, P/i/, A/uÉ/, A/iÉ/, A /ɪ/ oraz N/y/. Wszystkie badane samogłoski były ukryte w kontekście /bSt/ . Te słowa były następnie ukryte w zdaniach: I said /bVt/ this time po angielsku, Ich sag’ /bVt/ diesmal po niemiecku oraz Mówię /bVt/ teraz po polsku. Wszystkie wypowiedzi zostały nagrane jako pliki .wav, a następnie poddane analizie akustycznej przy użyciu programu Praat (Boersma, 2001). Uzyskane wyniki pokazały jak trudne dla uczących się języków jest rozdzielenie „nowych” i „starych” samogłosek, zwłaszcza, gdy brzmią one podobnie, a mówiący starają się mówić „jak obcokrajowiec”

Investigating the impact of learning conditions on young learners’ attitudes and motivation to learn English as a foreign language

This paper investigates young learners’ attitudes towards learning English as a foreign language (EFL) under different learning conditions. It reports on the findings of a quantitative study conducted between two comparable groups of Greek young learners (N=88), following English instruction, while attending Grade 6 in two primary schools with quite distinct approaches to teaching English. The data was collected with the help of a questionnaire, which explored the learners’ attitudes towards the English language and learning English as well as their motivation to learn English. The results illustrate clearly that favourable learning conditions can spur learners’ positive disposition towards the process of language learning at school

Learners’ attitudes and ideologies towards English : implications for the teaching and learning of English in Malta

The study investigates the attitudes and ideologies held by adults and children towards English in Malta. Questionnaires were distributed to parents (N= 202) and children (N=357), coming from three school sectors (state, church and independent schools). Four age groups were targeted: adults, 14- to 15-year-olds, 11- to 12-year-olds and 8- to 9-year-olds. The self- reports of language use illustrate that Maltese is the prevalent language used in the home domain. Five constructs emerged from the exploratory factor analysis of the language attitude questionnaire. Multiple regression analyses revealed that language spoken to mother and at school are the most influential predictor variables across all language attitude constructs. The data showed that school sector and age group have a significant effect on most language attitude constructs. The findings make an important contribution by highlighting the role of the languages spoken at home, particularly by the mother, in the development of language attitudes. It also illustrates ways in which language attitudes are shaped by age and school sector in Malta. Such factors should be considered in the teaching of English in Malta, in a context where learners are in contact with English not only at school, but also in their everyday lives.peer-reviewe

British or American? Iranian EFL learners’ Perceptions toward English Accents: Exploring possible relationships

Native English accents (British and American) are known as highly favored and accepted varieties compared to other existing accents in English as foreign language (EFL) context. Notwithstanding the research accomplished on EFL learners’ attitudes toward either of the accents (British or American), studies are still scant regarding the investigation of their perspectives in detail toward one of the accents specifically within the context of Iran. The aim of this study is to examine the Iranian EFL learners’ attitudes toward the two major known English accents (British and American. Additionally, the study highlights the major factors contributing to the learners’ preferences toward either of the accents (British or American). To that aim, a developed and validated questionnaire was distributed among 108 EFL learners selected from two of the major EFL contexts (universities and private institutes). The results indicated that the majority of the learners preferred American over British English accent. Besides, factor analysis revealed that American English exposure, lack of guidance, and lack of reinforcement toward British accent were among the mentioned factors accepted by learners for their preference of American. Finally, the study concludes with interpretations regarding the learners’ decision making issues in either of the two major accents, and recommendations are provided for revisiting the EFL learners’ attitudes and insights toward native English accents

VIETNAMESE LEARNERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS AMERICAN AND BRITISH ACCENTS

English possesses different varieties due to its worldwide usage which challenges the tendency of favorite accents among EFL classrooms in non-English speaking countries. However, learners show more positive familiarity and preference for General American English (GA) and British English, Received Pronunciation (RP) which are grouped as the inner-circle of English. This study investigated 53 students in a university in southern part of Vietnam. They were asked to complete an online questionnaire which examined their evaluations of two accents on different traits of status and solidarity, their preference and familiarity. A verbal guise technique is employed with two female native speakers. The data was analyzed by SPSS with different T-tests and ANOVA. The study revealed that the respondents showed greater recognition and evaluations for GA which associated with prestige, familiarity and social attractiveness. Nearly two-thirds of participants revealed a preference to the American speaker although more than half of them did not recognize where she was from

LEARNERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS USING ONLINE RESOURCES IN LEARNING

Unlike in the past nowadays a lot of online resources for learning English have become more accessible and even free.  The advancement of digital technology makes it possible to create user friendly learning applications and various formats of learning materials.  The users of these online resources are not only limited to learners but also teachers. Teachers can choose and adjust the materials for their students without having to create them from the scratch themselves. Learners can also benefit from these free resources; with some guidance and recommendation from teachers they can make use of these learning materials. However, learners can also choose the resources to their need as well as pace their own learning. This descriptive study investigated the students’ perception towards learning English using online resources. There were 25 final year students participating in this study. A survey was conducted to glean the subjects’ opinions on their learning process using the online resources. The e-resources assigned were chosen from various websites related to the main and sub skills for iBT TOEFL tests since they took the iBT TOEFL Preparation class.  The online exercises on the subskills such as vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar were also assigned to support their main skills. Aside from the survey, a group-focused interview was also conducted to confirm the subjects’ responses in the survey. The result indicates a positive attitude among the learners towards the use of online resources during their learning in that semester. Convenience and flexibility of using online resources are the strong points for this positive perception. However, the instability of internet connection sometimes hampered the smooth learning in accessing the resources. Another finding indicates that only self-study using online resources is found to be insufficient; the combination of independent learning and teachers or tutors’ guidance seems necessary if they are to take the official iBT TOEFL tes