INTENSIVE SECOND LANGUAGE STUDY: EFFECTS ON ATTITUDES, MOTIVATION AND FRENCH ACHIEVEMENT¹

Abstract

This study examined changes in students' attitudes, motivation and French achievement during a five‐week, residential, summer program. Sixty‐two students were administered a battery of attitude and motivation tests as well as a test of oral French proficiency prior to, and upon completion of the course. In addition, both teacher‐ratings and self‐ratings of French language skills were collected at several time periods during the course. Data were analysed across the various testings for three groupings of students (i.e., beginning, intermediate, or advanced). Changes in attitudes, motivation and French proficiency were observed and the course was particularly effective in increasing student motivation to learn French and in promoting a rather rapid improve‐ ment in oral/aural skills. The pattern of attitude changes was more complex as both positive and negative shifts were observed. Possible implications of these findings for similar programs are discussed.

Foreign language anxiety of students studying English Language and Literature: A Sample from Turkey

“…Reverse scored items are indicated by an asterisk (*). Desrochers and Gardner 1981;Elkhafaifi, 2005;Gardner et al, 1977;Gardner et al,1979;Gardner et al, 1997;Hismanoglu, 2013;Liu, 2006;Samimy, 1994). For the gender differences in foreign language anxiety levels, the analyses indicated that foreign language anxiety among male participants was higher than among their female counterparts.…”

The Time Factor in EFL Classroom Practice

“…The majority of the studies investigating time distribution have examined the performance of students at the beginning or intermediate proficiency level; studies comparing advanced learners—the equivalent to B2/C1 in the Common Reference Levels from the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages—in intensive and regular foreign language classes are practically nonexistent. However, Gardner, Smythe, and Brunet (1977) examined language gains in intensive courses for learners who started at different language proficiency levels. These authors reported that L2 performance improved more in the case of students whose initial proficiency level was lower.…”

The Impact of Field Dependence/Independence Cognitive Styles and Gender Differences on Lexical Knowledge: The Case of Iranian Academic EFL Learners

“…In the same vein, some researchers have attempted to isolate particular learner variables which might enhance or hinder progress in learning a foreign or second language (Chapelle & Roberts, 1986;Reid, 1987;Wenden & Rubin, 1987; O'Malley & Chamot, 1990; Oxford, 1990;Skehan, 1991). As cited in Dreyer and Vander Walt (1994), various research identified a number of variables that account for some of the differences in how students learn, including attitude and motivation (Gardner & Lambert, 1972;Gardner & Smythe, 1975;Gardner, Smythe, & Brunet, 1977), personality type/traits (Chastain, 1975;Guiora et al, 1975;Brodkey & Shore, 1976;Busch, 1982), learning styles (especially the field dependence/independence distinction) (Witkin et al, 1977a(Witkin et al, , 1977bBirckbichler & Omaggio, 1978;Hosenfeld, 1979;Hansen & Stansfield, 1981, 1982Chapelle & Roberts, 1986;Ried, 1987), and language learning strategies (Bialystok & Frö hlich, 1978;Bialystok, 1981;Wenden, 1983Wenden, , 1986aWenden, , 1986b; O'Malley, Chamot, Stewner-Manzanares, Kupper, & Russo, 1985a, 1985bWenden & Rubin, 1987;Oxford, 1989; O'Malley & Chamot, 1990; Oxford, 1990). By the same token, in recent years there has been an increasing awareness of the necessity in second or foreign language research and teaching to investigate cognitive aspects and gender differences that have undeniable effects on language learning and teaching.…”