Alexander Nikolaou PhD [email protected] Hellenic American University

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


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


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)


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)


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


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


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 .

Alexander Nikolaou PhD [email protected] Hellenic American University

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