Are Enjoyment, Anxiety and Attitudes/Motivation Different in English Foreign Language Classes Compared to LOTE Classes?
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| Title: | Are Enjoyment, Anxiety and Attitudes/Motivation Different in English Foreign Language Classes Compared to LOTE Classes? |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Jean-Marc Dewaele (ORCID |
| Source: | Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching. 2024 14(1):171-191. |
| Availability: | Adam Mickiewicz University Department of English Studies. Faculty of Pedagogy and Fine Arts, Ul. Nowy Swiat 28-30, 62-800 Kailsz, Poland. e-mail: ssllt@amu.edu.pll; Web site: http://pressto.amu.edu.pl/index.php/ssllt |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 21 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Learner Engagement, Learning Motivation, Language Attitudes, Language of Instruction, College Students, Student Attitudes, Anxiety, German, French, Language Enrollment, Foreign Countries |
| Geographic Terms: | Kuwait |
| ISSN: | 2083-5205 2084-1965 |
| Abstract: | The current study focuses on the effect of the target language on learner emotions and attitudes/motivation. More specifically, it investigates whether the status and prestige of English results in more positive learner emotions and attitudes/motivation compared to less prestigious languages other than English (LOTE). Statistical analyses of a database of 360 students in an English-speaking university in Kuwait enrolled in English, German, Spanish and French as foreign language classes revealed that the LOTE learners (who also knew English) reported significantly more foreign language enjoyment (FLE), equal levels of foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) and--surprisingly--lower levels of attitudes/motivation than their peers studying English. Due to confounding variables, it is impossible to establish the cause of the difference with certainty, but this outcome does show that a stronger motivation to study English does not necessarily translate into more enjoyment in class. In other words, while FLE and attitudes/motivation typically correlate, they are independent concepts. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1422334 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | The current study focuses on the effect of the target language on learner emotions and attitudes/motivation. More specifically, it investigates whether the status and prestige of English results in more positive learner emotions and attitudes/motivation compared to less prestigious languages other than English (LOTE). Statistical analyses of a database of 360 students in an English-speaking university in Kuwait enrolled in English, German, Spanish and French as foreign language classes revealed that the LOTE learners (who also knew English) reported significantly more foreign language enjoyment (FLE), equal levels of foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) and--surprisingly--lower levels of attitudes/motivation than their peers studying English. Due to confounding variables, it is impossible to establish the cause of the difference with certainty, but this outcome does show that a stronger motivation to study English does not necessarily translate into more enjoyment in class. In other words, while FLE and attitudes/motivation typically correlate, they are independent concepts. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2083-5205 2084-1965 |
