Exploring Male and Female Iranian EFL Learners’ Attitude towards Native and Non-native Varieties of English
Subject Areas : آموزش زبان انگلیسیهدی طالبی حبیب آبادی 1 , Laya Heidary Darani 2
1 - Department of Foreign Languages, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
2 - Department of English, Falavarjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
Keywords: gender, World Englishes, Standard English, English varieties, language learning attitude,
Abstract :
This study investigated whether Iranian EFL learners are aware of different varieties of English spoken throughout the world and whether they have tendency towards a particular variety of English. Likewise, it explored the attitudes of Iranian EFL learners towards the native and non-native varieties of English. Moreover, it made an attempt to investigate whether such attitudes are gender-oriented. To this end, 30 intermediate male and female Iranian EFL learners whose age ranged from 22 to 30 formed the sample population of this study. They responded to three questionnaires. Then, the collected data were subjected to a one-way repeated measure ANOVA, Fisher's LSD post hoc test, and independent-samples t-tests. The main conclusion of this study was that Iranian EFL learners do not believe in a single world English anymore; instead, they gradually believe in "world Englishes". They are indeed receding from that perfect English accent and are accepting other Englishes for their communication with people around the world. In addition, although the participants accepted non-native varieties, having tendency towards American and British accents reveals the fact that they have positive attitudes towards language learning.
Ajzen I. (2005). Attitude, personality and behavior. New York: Open University Press.
Bachman, L. F. (1990). Fundamental considerations in language testing. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Berns, M. (2006). World Englishes and communicative competence. In B. B. Kachru, Y. Kachru, & C. L. Nelson (Eds.), The handbook of world Englishes (pp. 718-730). Oxford: Blackwell.
Bhatt, R. M. (2001). World Englishes. Annual Reviews, 30, 527-550.
Bolton, K. (2004). World Englishes. In A. Davis, & C. Elder (Eds.). The handbook of applied linguistics (pp.367-396). Oxford: Blackwell.
Brown, H. D. (2007). Principles of language learning and teaching (5th ed.). White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
Clark, A. & Trafford, J. (1995). Boys into modern languages: an investigation of the discrepancy in attitudes and performance between boys and girls in modern languages. Gender and Education, 7(3), 315–325.
Crookes, G., & Schmidt, R. (1991). Motivation: reopening the research agenda. Language Learning, 41, 469-512.
Davis, A. (2004). The native speaker in applied linguistics. In A. Davis, & C. Elder (Eds.), The handbook of applied linguistics (pp.431-450). Oxford: Blackwell.
Dörnyei, Z. (2010). Questionnaires in second language research: Construction, administration, and processing (2nd ed.). London: Routledge.
Dörnyei, Z. (1994). Motivation and motivating in the foreign classroom. Modern Language Journal, 78, 273-284.
Dörnyei, Z., & Csizér, K. (2002). Some dynamics of language attitudes and motivation: Results of a longitudinal nationwide survey. Applied Linguistics, 23,421-462.
Ellis, R. (1994). The study of second language acquisitions. Oxford: OUP.
Erling, E. J. (2004). Globalization, English and the German university classroom: A sociolinguistic profile of students of English at the Freie Universitat Berlin. Unpublished PhD thesis, The University of Edinburgh.
Fakeye D. (2010). Students’ Personal Variables as Correlates of Academic Achievement in English as a Second Language in Nigeria. Journal of Social Sciences. 22(3): 205-211.
Flaitz, J.（1988）. The ideology of English : French perceptions of English as a world language. Berlin : Mouton de Gruyter.
Gagnon, M. (1974). Quelques facteurs determinant l’attitude vis-à-vis l’anglais, language second. In R. Darnell (Eds.). Linguistic diversity in Canadian society (Vol. II). Edmonton: Linguistic Research Inc.
Gibb, M. (1999). A comparative study of attitudes towards varieties of English held by professionals and tertiary level students in Korea. The Korea TESOL Journal, 2 (1), 31-42. Online at <http://www.kotesol.org/?q=KTJ>
Gardner, R. C., & Lambert W. E. (1972). Attitudes and motivation in second language learning. Rowley, MA: Newbury House.
Gardner, R. C. (1985). Social psychology and second language learning: The role of attitudes and motivation. London: Edward Arnold.
Han, S.-H. (2005). Kukjaeŏrosŏe yŏngŏ kyoyukgwa talinŭrosŏe yŏngŏ kyosa [Teaching English as an international language and English teacher as Dharma]. English Language Teaching, 17 (2), 225-244.
Jenkins, J. (2003). World Englishes: A resource book for students. New York, NY: Routledge.
Jordan, D. (1941). The attitude of central schools pupils to certain school subjects, and the correlation between attitude and attainment. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 11, 28-44.
Kachru, B. B. (1992). Teaching world Englishes. In B. B. Kachru (Ed.), The other tongue: English across cultures (pp. 355-365). Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
Kachru, B. B. (1985). Standards, codification and sociolinguistic realism: The English language in the Outer Circle. In R. Quirk, & H. Kachru, B. B., & Nelson, C. L. (1996). World Englishes (pp.71-102). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kachru, B. B. (Ed.) (1982). The oher tongue: English across cultures. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.
Kang, A. (2004). Exploring the possibilities of nonnative English teacher in EIL perspective. English Teaching, 59 (1), 207-233.
Karahan, F. (2007). Language attitudes of Turkish students towards the English language and its use in Turkish context. Journal of Arts and Sciences, 7, 73-87.
Kim, J.-K. (2007). Yŏngŏ andoenŭn Yŏngŏ kyosa kyodan mossŏnda [Korean teachers of English should be qualified to teach spoken English]. The Hankook Ilbo, 3 November. Online <http://news.hankooki.com/lpage/society/200611/h2006110317353022020.htm>.
Kim, Y-S. (2003). Korean adults' attitudes towards varieties of English. Unpublished master thesis. University of Edinburgh.
Kirkpatrick, A. (2007). World Englishes: Implications for international communication and English language teaching. TESL-EJ,12 (2).
Krashen, S. (1997). Foreign language education: The easy way. Calver City, CA: Language Education Associates.
Lambert, W. E., Hudgson, R. C., Gardner, R. C. and Fillenbaum, S. (1960). Evaluation reactions to spoken language. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 60(1), 44-51.
Masgoret, A. M., & R. C. Gardner. (2003). Attitudes, motivation and second language learning: A meta-analysis of studies conducted by Gardner and Associates. Language Learning, 53, 123-163.
Matsuura, H., Chiba, R., & Yamamoto, A. (1994) Japanese college students' attitudes towards nonnative varieties of English. In D. Graddol and J. Swann (Eds.) Evaluating language (pp.52-61). Clevedon: BAAL/Multilingual Matters.
Mckay, S. L. (2002). Teaching English as an international language: Rethinking goals and approaches. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
McKenzie, R. M. (2006). A quantitative study of the attitudes of Japanese learners towards varieties of English speech: Aspects of the sociolinguistics of English in Japan. Unpublished PhD thesis, The University of Edinburgh.
Nikolove,. (2001). Intrinsic motivation in Saudi learners of English as a foreign language. The Open Applied Linguistics Journal, 2, 1-10.
Nunan D. 2000. Language teaching methodology (2nd impression). Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd.
Oxford, R.L & Shearin, J. (1994), Language learning motivation: expanding the theoretical framework. The Modern Language Journal, 12.
Peny, F. R. (2005). Research in applied linguistics: Becoming a discerning consumer. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Robert C. Powell & Julia D. Batters (1985). Pupils' perceptions of foreign language learning at 12+: Some gender differences. Educational Studies, 11 (1):11-23.
Shim, R. J. 2002. Changing attitudes towards TEWOL in Korea. Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 12 (1), 143-158.
Sung, H. & Padilla, A. M. (1998). Student motivation, parental attitudes, and involvement in the learning of Asian languages in elementary and secondary schools. The Modern Language Journal, 82(2): 205-216. DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-4781.1998.tb01193.x.
Timmis, I. (2007). The attitudes of language learners towards target varieties of the language. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.), Language Acquisition and Development (pp.122-139).
UCLES (2001). University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate.
Wenden A. (1991). Learner strategies for learner autonomy. London: Prentice Hall.
Widdowson, H. D. (2003). Defining issues in English language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Zainol Abidin M.J, Pour-Mohammadi M, Alzwari H. (2012). EFL students’ attitudes towards learning English language: The Case of Libyan secondary school students. Asian Social Science. 8(2): 119-134.