alexander nikolaou phd [email protected] hellenic american university
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Attitudes and motivation of Greek Upper Secondary School Pupils toward Learning English - Gardner Revisited. Alexander Nikolaou PhD [email protected] Hellenic American University. 14rth International GALA Conference, Thessaloniki, 14-16 Deember 2007. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Attitudes and motivation of Greek Attitudes and motivation of Greek Upper Secondary School Pupils Upper Secondary School Pupils
toward Learning English - toward Learning English - Gardner Revisited.Gardner Revisited.
Alexander Nikolaou PhDAlexander Nikolaou PhD
[email protected]@hau.gr
Hellenic American UniversityHellenic American University
14rth International GALA Conference, Thessaloniki, 14-16 Deember 2007
Schematic illustration of Gardner’s motivational construct
desire motivational intensity
Goal
“Learning French is Important to me
because….”
Attitudes toward learning French
(after Gardner 1985)
SOCIAL MILIEU
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
LANGUAGEACQUISITIONCONTEXTS
OUTCOMES
Cultural beliefs
Integrativeness
Attitudes toward the learning situation
Motivation
Formal
Language aptitude
Informal
Linguistic
Non-linguisticGardner’s Socio-
educational model
Main hypothesisMain hypothesis
EFL learning in Greek upper secondary schools has an EFL learning in Greek upper secondary schools has an attitudinal and motivational dimension that is underpinned attitudinal and motivational dimension that is underpinned by micro factors (the learning situation) and macro factors by micro factors (the learning situation) and macro factors
(ideological and affective aspects of the TLCs)(ideological and affective aspects of the TLCs)
Private Lykeio 1 a US-affiliated school
Private Lykeio 2 a large uptown school
Private Lykeio 3 a small suburban school
Sample Size
State schools = 170
Private schools = 144
Total sample = 311
Male pupils = 141 (45%)
Female pupils = 170 (54%)
Total 311
Sections Total number of items 1. Respondents ’ Profile 22 2. Attitude scales 9 scales attitudes to ward the English lesson at school 20 items attitudes toward the English lesson at the FL school 20 items attitudes toward the school EFL teacher 25 items attitudes toward the FL school EFL teacher 25 items attitudes to classroom activities 17 items attitudes to the British people 16 items attitudes to the American people 16 items attitudes to British English 4 items attitudes to American English 4 items 3. Orientation index 13-item scale Integrative orientation 4 items Instrumental orientation 7 items Coercive reasons 2 items 4. Parental encouragement 4 items 5. Motivational Index 4 scales Motivational intensity 10 items Motivational desire 6 items Desire to learn English 6 items Desire to learn FLs 6 items 6. Ideological Index 11-item scale
The Questionnaire
AttitudesAttitudes
Incoming attitudesIncoming attitudes learning Englishlearning English foreign language learning foreign language learning the TLCthe TLC Ideological affinity with the TLCIdeological affinity with the TLC Parental supportParental support
Outgoing attitudesOutgoing attitudes The learning situation (the EFL lesson, the EFL teacher, the EFL The learning situation (the EFL lesson, the EFL teacher, the EFL
textbook, classroom activities/topics, textbook, classroom activities/topics, British/American English). British/American English).
MY ENGLISH LESSON AT SCHOOL HAS BEEN: strongly
disagree disagree I am not
sure agree strongly
agree monotonous awful interesting dull good educational simple useful organized tedious progressive elementary adequate necessary pleasant difficult satisfying confusing important unacceptable
Attitudes toward the English lesson
304 20 100 59.2 15.47
206 20 100 71.1 17.93
204
my school lesson
my FL school lesson
N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation
Mean scores on the attitude to the English lesson
Attitudes toward the English Attitudes toward the English teacherteacher
I HAVE FOUND MY SCHOOL/ LANGUAGE SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHERS strongly
disagree probably disagree
I am not sure
probably agree
strongly agree
efficient methodical competent knowledgeable able to get things over to pupils organized inexperienced enthusiastic sincere industrious pleasant unapproachable tedious polite good boring Impatient unreliable inconsiderate unimaginative trustworthy sensitive monotonous helpful friendly
Mean scores of pupils’ attitudes to their EFL teacher at school and FL school
Mean scores of pupils’ attitudes to their EFL teacher at school and FL school
303 25 125 80.4 23.4
196 25 125 92.3 22.7
my school teacher
my FL school teacher
N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation
Classroom activities I find useful % I like % Grammar 68 20 Listening exercises 65 47 Reading 57 44 Audiovisuals 63 68 Pair/group work 43 42 Free conversations 75 64 Writing stories, poems, descriptions 40 26 Drills/repetition 39 23 Writing on set topics 66 38 Role-play activities/games 36 46 Reading aloud 37 31 Doing pronunciation drills 53 40 Translation 63 42 Learning dialogues 31 22 Copying from the board 24 20 Memorising new words, experessions 52 29 Having structured class discussions 52 37
Attitudes toward classroom activities
r= 0.85
p< 0.01correlation of the two types of ratings
Mean score of pupils’ attitudes to the EFL
textbooks
Mean score of pupils’ attitudes to the EFL
textbooks
305 4 20 10.9 3.7
305
EFL textbookN Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation
Percentage distribution of pupil’s attitudes to the EFL textbook
Percentage distribution of pupil’s attitudes to the EFL textbook
0102030405060
stateschoolpupils
privateschoolpupils
difficult
enjoyable
interesting
unacceptable
Attitudes towards the EFL textbook
Percentage distribution of responses to items measuring attitudes to learning English
Percentage distribution of responses to items measuring attitudes to learning English
%
1. I love learning English 54
2. I'd rather spend my time on subjects other than English 49
3. I think learning English is dull 26
4. I plan to learn English as much as possible 66
5. English is an important part of the school curriculum 44
6. Learning English is a waste of time 14
Attitudes toward learning English
Mean score on the attitudes to learning English index
Mean score on the attitudes to learning English index
Attitudes toward learning English
293 6 30 19.4 4.8
293
Attitudes tolearning English
N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation
One-way ANOVA: Attitudes to learning English
98 20.2 4.09 .4136 19.46 21.10 6 30112 19.8 4.72 .4467 18.98 20.76 6 3083 17.9 5.58 .6135 16.73 19.17 6 30
grade Agrade Bgrade C
N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Lower Bound Upper Bound
95% Confidence Interval For Mean
Minimum Maximum
F=5,97-df 2 p<0.02
Attitudes to the British and AmericansAttitudes to the British and Americans
Mean scores of pupils’ responsesMean scores of pupils’ responses
267 16 80 44.8 13.2265 16 80 45.6 14.2
262
The BritishThe AmericansValid N (listwise)
N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation
The British were perceived as being more:The British were perceived as being more: honesthonest smartsmart kindkind sinceresincere dependabledependable politepolite hardworkinghardworking
The Americans were perceived as being more:The Americans were perceived as being more: interestinginteresting unprejudicedunprejudiced handsomehandsome friendlyfriendly happyhappy successfulsuccessful permissivepermissive ambitiousambitious popularpopular
Percentage distribution of responses to items Measuring attitudes to British & American English
Percentage distribution of responses to items Measuring attitudes to British & American English
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
clear elegant soft rich
British English
American English
270 4 20 13.7 4.3
270 4 20 10.8 4.5
267
British English
American English
Valid N (listwise)
N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation
Attitudes toward British and American English
Ideological Proximity to the two TL CulturesIdeological Proximity to the two TL Cultures
Mean scores on the ideological index Mean scores on the ideological index
292 11 55 26.8 7.0
290 6 30 13.2 4.7
288 5 25 13.8 3.6
ideological index
American index
British index
N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation
American ideological index: percentage distributionAmerican ideological index: percentage distribution
%1. America is the greatest symbol of progress 222. I have a high regard for Americans 123. The American attitude to competition is a good thing 154. American foreign policy is, in general, correct 135. American influence on Greek culture is not threatening 166. Americans think only of money 61
British ideological index: percentage distributionBritish ideological index: percentage distribution
%7. I have a high regard for the British 188. British influence on Greek culture is not threatening 35
9. I prefer the British to Americans 3210. Greece has more in common with Britain than the US 2711. Britain is one of the most liberal countries in the world 19
Orientation IndexOrientation Index
Reasons for studying English
%
1. Useful in getting a good job 92
2. Will help me meet varied people 86
3. I want to get an EFL qualification 78
4. I like English 72
4. Studying English will make me a more knowledgeable person
65
5. I want to understand the lyrics of pop/rock music
58
6. Be better informed about the attitudes of other countries towardGreece
55
7. Fluency in English is a sign of good education
51
8. Will help better understand English-speaking people
50
9. English is the language of progress 50
10. Study in an English-speaking country
31
Instrumental index
Integrative index
FACTORS
Variables 1 2 3 4
English is the language of progress .643 .03148 .386 -.225
Studying English will make me a more knowledgeable person
.643 -.240 .329 -.419
Fluency in English is a sign of good education
.588 .06447 .237 -.296
I like English .533 -.237 .503 -.301
Study in an English-speaking country .384 -.117 .306 -.110
It is part of the school curriculum -.170 .530 -242. .136
My parents want me to .0308 .505 -.100 .01324
I want to understand the lyrics of pop/rock music
.179 .365 .188 -.325
Will help me better understand English-speaking people
.349 -.111 .747 -.341
Will help me meet varied people .326 -.137 .610 -.168
Be better informed about the attitudes of other countries toward Greece
.381 -.106 .589 -.302
I want to get an EFL qualification .323 .04225 .294 -.801.
Useful in getting a good job .320 -.136 .312 .-.447
Factor Analysis of Orientations
Factor I: Instrumental Orientation
Factor II: Coercive Orientation
Factor III:
Integrative Orientation
Factor IV:
Career Orientation
Mean scores on the orientation index Mean scores on the orientation index
303 7 35 24.3 5.7300 4 20 14.3 3.3
Instrumental orientationIntegrative orientation
N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation
1. Useful in getting a good job
2. Will help me meet varied people
3. I want to get an EFL qualification
4. I like English
5 Studying English will make me a more knowledgeable person
6. I want to understand the lyrics of pop/rock music
7. Be better informed about the attitudes of other countries toward Greece
8. Fluency in English is a sign of good education
9. English is the language of progress
10. Study in an English-speaking country
11. Will help better understand English-speaking people
92%
86%
78%
65%
72%
58%
55%
51%
50%
31%
50%12. It’s part of the school curriculum
13. My parents want me to26%31%
Mean scores on the parental encouragement index
Mean scores on the parental encouragement index
Parental Encouragement
308 5 25 15.8 3.3parental supportN Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation
Percentage distribution of responses to itemsmeasuring parental encouragement
Percentage distribution of responses to itemsmeasuring parental encouragement
0
10
20
30
40
1
My parents try to help me with my English
not at all
a little
fairly
very much 0
50
100
1
My parents feel that I should really try to learn English
not at all
a little
fairly
very much
0
100
1
My parents have stressed the importance English will have for me
when I leave school
not at all
a little
fairly
very much
0
50
1
My parents show considerable interest in anything to do with my English lessons
not at all
a little
fairly
very much
0
50
100
1
My parents really encourage me to study English
not at all
a little
fairly
very much
301 9 26 16.95 3.75
301
motivational intensityN Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation
Mean scores on the motivational intensity index Mean scores on the motivational intensity index
Motivational intensity index mean score differences:
GenderFemale pupils: 17.65Male pupils: 16.08p ≤ 0.001
School typeState schools: 16.36Private schools: 17.65p ≤ 0.003
Grade Grade A: 17.59Grade B: 17.03Grade C: 16.09F=5.97-df 2 p ≤ 0.02
Motivational Intensity
300 6 20 14.73 3.41motivational desireN Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation
Mean scores on the motivational desire index
Mean scores on the motivational desire index
Motivational desire index mean score differences::
GenderFemale pupils:15.43Male pupils: 13.85p ≤ 0.001
School typeState schools: 14.04Private schools: 15.53p ≤ 0.001
Motivational desire
Multiple Regression – variables examined
1. gender1. age 2. type of school 3. the English lesson at school4. the English lesson at the FL school 5. the school EFL teacher6. the FL school EFL teacher7. the EFL textbook 8. usefulness of EFL activities9. preference for EFL activities10. instrumental orientation 11. integrative orientation12. motivational desire13. motivational intensity14. attitudes to learning English15. attitudes to learning foreign languages16. the British17. the Americans18. American ideology19. British ideology20. parental support
term
rep
ort
mark
Parental support
Integrative orientation
Motivational intensity
Age when started learning English
Multiple Regression (test variable: term report mark)
Multiple Regression (test variable: term report mark)
0.28
0.22
0.20
-0.14
R2 = .30
Attitudes to learning English
Motivational intensity
Motivational desire
MOTIVATION
Moti
vati
on
F
attitudes to FL learning
0.28
school lesson
0.28
school EFL teacher0.19
instrumental orientation
0.18
FL school teacher
0.13usefulness of EFL activities
0.13
Multiple Regression(test variable: motivation)
Multiple Regression(test variable: motivation)
R2 = .56
General Conclusions General Conclusions
1.1. The respondents were shown to have positive attitudes both to The respondents were shown to have positive attitudes both to FLL in general and learning English.FLL in general and learning English.
2.2. Attitudes toward the two TLCs were found to be neutral although Attitudes toward the two TLCs were found to be neutral although on the British ideological index responses were slightly positive. on the British ideological index responses were slightly positive.
3.3. Pupils were found to be both integratively and instrumentally Pupils were found to be both integratively and instrumentally oriented in the English-language learning task.oriented in the English-language learning task.
4.4. attitudes to the school learning situation are not negative as attitudes to the school learning situation are not negative as initially postulated but are less positive compared to the FL initially postulated but are less positive compared to the FL school. On the other hand the FL school emerged as the most school. On the other hand the FL school emerged as the most important factor facilitating language learning.important factor facilitating language learning.
5.5. There is a positive and significant correlation between parental There is a positive and significant correlation between parental encouragement, school grades, and the two motivation encouragement, school grades, and the two motivation dimensions.dimensions.
6.6. Consistent differences were found between the two sexes. Consistent differences were found between the two sexes.
Female pupils registered higher levels of positive affect towards Female pupils registered higher levels of positive affect towards
learning FLs and English specifically, they are more motivated learning FLs and English specifically, they are more motivated learners, have better marks and are more favourably disposedlearners, have better marks and are more favourably disposed
to the two TLCs than male pupils. to the two TLCs than male pupils.
Consistent differences were also found across school grades. Consistent differences were also found across school grades. Grade C pupils appear to be the least motivated learners, and Grade C pupils appear to be the least motivated learners, and registered the least positive attitudes toward learning English as registered the least positive attitudes toward learning English as well as the learning situationwell as the learning situation
8.8. Private school pupils reported higher levels of self-confidence than Private school pupils reported higher levels of self-confidence than state school pupils, and also registered higher levels of state school pupils, and also registered higher levels of satisfaction with their school EFL lesson, motivation and positive satisfaction with their school EFL lesson, motivation and positive affect.affect.
9.9. motivation levels were revealed to be high. The study showed motivation levels were revealed to be high. The study showed significant correlations between motivation and almost all the significant correlations between motivation and almost all the attitude and achievement variables. the study showed significant attitude and achievement variables. the study showed significant correlations between motivation and almost all the attitude and correlations between motivation and almost all the attitude and achievement variables. achievement variables.
Noticeably absent is also the hypothesised impact of the two TLCsNoticeably absent is also the hypothesised impact of the two TLCs and their ideological salience on the model, which seems to and their ideological salience on the model, which seems to support the major tenet of the criticism of the socio-educational support the major tenet of the criticism of the socio-educational model that in FLL contexts ideological and affective aspects of model that in FLL contexts ideological and affective aspects of the TLC are not as relevant as in SLL contexts . the TLC are not as relevant as in SLL contexts .