Original title: Factors affecting the attitudes of students towards learning English as a foreign language
Researchers asked Grade 10 students in one Ethiopian secondary school how they felt about learning English. They used questionnaires, group discussions, and teacher interviews. Students generally felt positive, and they described peers, parents, English speakers, and their textbook as positive influences. They viewed teachers and classroom conditions negatively, so the study recommends improving the physical learning environment.
Imagine trying to finish homework at a shared table. Your family and friends encourage you, and the book is useful, but a cramped, uncomfortable space and an unhelpful tutor make the work harder. In this paper, that table, encouragement, book, and tutor stand for the classroom, social influences, textbook, and teachers shaping students’ feelings about learning English.
Students’ attitudes can be shaped by more than the language textbook: this study found positive effects from social influences and the textbook, but negative effects linked to teachers and the physical learning setting. Improving those conditions may help students feel more able to learn English.
The abstract describes one study at one secondary school, focused on Grade 10 students. It does not establish that the same influences apply in other schools or groups, or that changing classroom conditions will directly improve language learning. It reports students’ attitudes, not measured changes in English ability.
Ask anything about this paper. Answers come from its abstract, and say so when the abstract doesn't cover your question.
Factors affecting the attitudes of students towards learning English as a foreign language — Addisu Sewbihon Getie — Cogent Education — doi:10.1080/2331186x.2020.1738184
Abstract licence: CC BY
Explanation generated by Synthesis from the abstract — it is not the original paper.