Ego boundaries and attainments in FL pronunciation

The paper reports on a study designed to examine the relationship between the thickness of ego boundaries and attainments in FL pronunciation after a clearly structured form-focused practical course of phonetics. The research involved 45 first-year students of the Institute of English Studies in Wroclaw, Poland, who had attended around thirty 90-minute classes in phonetics. To measure the thickness of their ego boundaries, the Hartmann Boundary Questionnaire (HBQ) was administered. This permitted an examination of which particular types of ego boundaries are related to accuracy in foreign language (FL) pronunciation. The basis for comparing the pronunciation levels of the participants was the Pronunciation Attainment Test consisting of three parts: reading a passage and two vocabulary lists. Attest demonstrated that the differences between the pronunciation levels of the thick and thin ego boundary learners were nonsignificant. However, further statistical analysis (Pearson correlation) showed a positive weak correlation between 3 types of boundaries (represented by Categories 7, 8 and 12 of the HBQ) and attainments in pronunciation. More specifically, the less organized the direct environment (e.g., the working place) of the subjects was and the more preference the participants showed for perceiving and accepting blurred borders between constructs, the better their pronunciation was. A closer look at particular students revealed the importance of boundaries between thoughts and feelings, and boundaries related to defensive mechanisms and to sensitivity in FL pronunciation learning.

"A Stressful Unknown" or "an Oasis"? : Undergraduate Students' Perceptions of Assessment in an In-Class and Online English Phonetics Course

The sudden need to switch from traditional in-class instruction to online teaching and assessment due to the covid-19 pandemic has posed considerable challenges to teachers, but also to learners. The mixed method study reported in this article compared Polish undergraduate students' cognitive, affective, and behavioural re-sponses to assessment provided in two practical English phonetics courses taught during an in-class fall semester and online spring semester. The quantitative data were collected by means of an online questionnaire, which consisted of three categories of semantic differential scales referring to the cognitive, affective, and behavioural responses. The qualitative data consisted of drawings, open-ended surveys, and individual interviews with the students. The t-test results showed sig-nificant differences in students' perceptions in terms of cognitive and behavioural aspects. The qualitative data revealed that although the students highly valued formative assessment in the course, the online mode weakened their engagement and interest in receiving feedback. It was also observed that students' perceptions of in-class and online assessment were shaped largely by their individual dif-ferences and learning preferences. The study underlies the importance of using anxiety-lowering techniques in both in-class and online classes, and the need for fostering undergraduate students' autonomous learning skills

Personality as a Correlate of Accentedness: The Case of Formal Setting Without Pronunciation-Focused Instruction

The main goal of the study reported in this paper was to verify whether the Big Five personality traits can be considered correlates of accentedness in a setting deprived of pronunciation-focused instruction. Each trait was measured among 58 English majors in Poland, who were just beginning their education at the university, by the means of the Polish version of Goldberg’s measure, i.e. IPIP-BFM-50. The levels of the traits were correlated with the participants’ degree of accentedness assessed by 2 judges on a 9-point Likert scale with the use of a reading task. The quantitative data were supplemented by interviews with 10 participants representing high and low levels of accentedness, which allowed to diagnose their motivation, attitudes towards the sound of English, pronunciation self-perceptions, and strategies applied in autonomous learning. The quantitative data showed a weak correlation only between Openness to experience and accentedness, which was further moderated by the other above-mentioned individual learner differences. Additionally, the qualitative outcomes suggested the importance of Agreeableness, which was found to be very high or high among learners with the lowest levels of accentedness

The relationship between language anxiety and the actual and perceived levels of foreign language pronunciation

The construct of anxiety has been captivating the interest of SLA researchers for a long time. Numerous observations show that most individuals experience anxiety when learning a foreign language (FL) and using it, both in classroom and real-life contexts, though to a different extent. An analysis of studies conducted on language anxiety (LA) throughout several decades (Horwitz, 2010) shows that researchers have focused, first and foremost, on examining the nature, symptoms and consequences of being anxious, proving its detrimental effect on FL and L2 learning and performance. However, the causes of LA seem to have been less thoroughly explored. The paper reports on a study investigating whether the actual level of FL learners’ pronunciation and the pronunciation level perceived by students can be considered significant sources of anxiety. It is hypothesized that both pronunciation levels are related to LA, with the latter being a more important determinant of LA than the former. To measure the subjects’ degree of anxiety, the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986) was applied. The actual level of pronunciation was diagnosed with the use of a Pronunciation Test, consisting of a Perception Test and two Production Tests (word and passage reading). The perceived pronunciation level of the participants was measured with a questionnaire designed for the purpose of this research. The Pearson moment-correlation proved LA to be significantly correlated with both levels of pronunciation, with the relationship being more meaningful in the case of the perceived FL pronunciation level

Phonetics Learning Anxiety – Results of a Preliminary Study

The Phonetics Learning Anxiety Scale, a 44-item questionnaire based on a 6-point Likert scale, designed for the purpose of the research sheds light on the nature of this peculiar type of apprehension experienced by advanced FL learners in a specific educational context (i.e. a traditional classroom, rather than a language or computer laboratory), in which the major focus is on pronunciation practice. The obtained quantitative data imply that such factors as fear of negative evaluation (represented by general oral performance apprehension and concern over pronunciation mistakes, pronunciation self-image, pronunciation self-efficacy and self-assessment) and beliefs about the nature of FL pronunciation learning are significant sources of PhLA. Anxiety about the transcription test (IPA Test Anxiety) - one of the other hypothetical determinants of PhLA - did not prove to be correlated with the general level of Phonetics Learning Anxiet

Perfectionism and Language Anxiety

The paper is of theoretical nature. Its main objective is to suggest whether and how the constructs of perfectionism and language anxiety may be related to each other. The introduction of perfectionism its models, types, sources and language anxiety its definition, components, sources and the discussion on their common grounds are supported by brief reports and a critical look at a few studies examining the connection between the two concepts Gregersen and Horwitz 2002; Toth 2007; Pishghadam and Akhondpoor 2011. Finally, further research directions with a few practical implications are offered. The paper forwards that while unhealthy perfectionism, particularly socially prescribed perfectionism, can result in high levels of language anxiety, healthy perfectionism may lead to low facilitative language anxiety.The paper is of theoretical nature. Its main objective is to suggest whether and how the constructs of perfectionism and language anxiety may be related to each other. The introduction of perfectionism its models, types, sources and language anxiety its definition, components, sources and the discussion on their common grounds are supported by brief reports and a critical look at a few studies examining the connection between the two concepts Gregersen and Horwitz 2002; Toth 2007; Pishghadam and Akhondpoor 2011. Finally, further research directions with a few practical implications are offered. The paper forwards that while unhealthy perfectionism, particularly socially prescribed perfectionism, can result in high levels of language anxiety, healthy perfectionism may lead to low facilitative language anxiety

Motivation to learn English in the second grade of primary school

The main aim of this paper is to report the outcomes of a questionnaire study diagnosing children’s level of motivation to master English and its potential correlates, conducted among 78 primary school second graders attending one of the biggest public primary schools in Wrocław, Poland. The presentation of results is preceded by a brief overview of motivation models in SLA and analysis of earlier theoretical discussions and research in this area. The data suggest that the motivation level of the participants was high. Interestingly, the internal factors were found to be stronger correlates of motivation intensity (r = .68) than external factors (r = .40/ r = .42). More specifically, the factors most strongly related to motivation were as follows: integrative motives (r = .67), L2 user self-perception (r = .58) and aesthetic assessment of the target language (r = .54)