Date
12-19-2023
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)
Chair
Constance Pearson
Keywords
attitudes, second language learning, self-determination theory, target language, university students
Disciplines
Education
Recommended Citation
Chinea Barreto, Jazmin Marielis, "University Student Choice and Attitudes Toward Second Language Learning: A Causal-Comparative Study" (2023). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5088.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5088
Abstract
The purpose of this quantitative, causal comparative study was to determine if student language choice at the university level affects their attitudes toward second language learning. Current literature in second language acquisition primarily focuses on English as a second language; additionally, studies that address languages other than English are primarily conducted in the United Kingdom. This study addressed this gap in the literature and added to the existing body of knowledge to ascertain student attitudes toward L2 learning based on the language of study. Participants included 190 monolingual speakers of English enrolled in a first-semester language course in a North Texas university. Data collection methods included a valid and reliable 17-question, five-point Likert-type questionnaire related to valuing multilingualism and cognitive effects to measure student attitudes. Language choice was determined by student enrollment across the eight languages offered. Statistical analysis of data involved two one-way ANOVA’s to compare statistical significance of cause-and-effect relationships between the variables. Results demonstrate that student attitudes toward valuing multilingualism were statistically significantly different for different language groups. There was a significant difference between the Spanish group and the ASL group. Student attitudes toward cognitive effects were also statistically significantly different for different language groups. There was a significant difference between the Spanish group and the ASL group, and between the Spanish group and the Korean group. In conclusion, the researcher rejected the null hypothesis for both valuing multilingualism and cognitive effects. Further research is needed to address generalizability to different regions, age groups, and language levels.
