LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 10 : 10 October 2010
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         K. Karunakaran, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.

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The Influence of Learning Environment on
Learners' Attitude in a Foreign Language Setting

Muhammad Athar Hussain, Ph.D. Scholar

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate whether there was relationship of classroom learning environment with attitude of secondary school students, gender differences and location-wise differences in Pakistani context in which English is taught as a foreign language. Data were collected from 720 secondary school students in 06 districts of the Punjab Province. Two questionnaires were used, one for learning environment and second for measuring students attitude towards English language.

After the instruments were found to be reliable and valid, Data were analyzed statistically. Mean score of each item of the two questionnaires was calculated to find central tendency of responses. Gender differences were analyzed by using t-test and Pearson Correlation was calculated to find out relationship between learning environment and attitude towards English.

Analysis showed that significant differences were found between male and female students on classroom learning environment and attitude towards English. It is further concluded that female students were more favorable on classroom learning environment and had more positive attitude towards the learning of English.

Significant positive correlation was found between classroom learning environment and attitude towards the learning of English. Results showed that learning environment may be made favorable by fostering better pupil-teacher relationship in order to develop positive attitude to learn a foreign language.

Keywords: Learning Environment; Attitude; Foreign Language Learning; Classroom Settings.

Introduction

The task and challenge of foreign language teaching and learning is often associated with Classroom dynamics which involves various dimensions of classroom learning environment. The field of learning environment has become an area of interest for language teachers because what happens in the classroom affects the learner's attitude in one or the other way.

Coleman (1990) states participation in classroom activities are related with feelings of personal worth and related to greater peer approval and satisfaction with one' role. Traditional classroom requires pupils to work in the class on the same subject at the same time as instructed by the teacher and interaction between the teacher and the students usually occur in groups and in a very structured manner. On the contrary the open classroom environment is more flexible where students feel more freedom and can move around the building. This environment is individualized in which students work on their own speed. Classroom learning environment plays a vital role in determining the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of teaching and learning in English in Pakistan. English, being a foreign language is considered to be a cause of anxiety due to classroom psychosocial environmental factors among the students.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

English Loanwords in Meiteiron A Linguistic and Sociolinguistic Analysis | A Report on the State of Urdu Literacy in India, 2010 | More Than Meets the Eye Reasons Behind Asian Students' Perceived Passivity in the ESL/EFL Classroom | English for Medical Students of Hodeidah University, Yemen - A Pre-sessional Course | Education as an Indicator for Human Resource Development | Representation of Malaysian Women in Politics | A Modern Approach to Application of Abbreviation and Acronym Strategy for Vocabulary Learning in Second/Foreign Language Learning Procedure | Causes of Social Acceptance of "O" and "A" Level Education System in Pakistan | Pronounce Foreign Words the English way! | Dubhashi and the Colonial Port in Madras Presidency | An Investigation of Davis' Translation of SHAHNAMEH - Rostam and Sohrab Story in Focus | Feminine, Female and Feminist - A Critical Spectrum on Selected Novels by Kamala Markandaya, Shahsi Deshpande and Arundhati Roy | Four-letter Words and the Urdu Learner's Dictionaries in Pakistan | Margaret Atwood's The Blind Assassin - A Study of the Impact of War on Historical and Economic Aspects of the Society | Was Gandhi a True Mahatma? | Omani Women
Are Their Language Skills Good Enough for the Workplace? | Spread of English Globalisation Threatens English Language Teaching (ELT) in Pakistan | Multiple Intelligences, Blended Learning and the English Teacher | A Micro-Case Study of Vocabulary Acquisition among First Year Engineering Students | Imagery of Wilderness in Margaret Hollingsworth's Islands | The Influence of Learning Environment on Learners' Attitude in a Foreign Language Setting | Caste - Gender Ideology in Gundert's Malayalam-English Dictionary | Development of a Hindi to Punjabi Machine Translation System - A Doctoral Dissertation | A PRINT VERSION OF ALL THE PAPERS OF OCTOBER, 2010 ISSUE IN BOOK FORMAT. | HOME PAGE of October 2010 Issue | HOME PAGE | CONTACT EDITOR languageinindiaUSA@gmail.com

Muhammad Athar Hussain, Ph.D. Scholar
Department of Education
International Islamic University
Islamabad
Pakistan
athar_iiu@yahoo.com

 
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