Relationships between foreign language aptitude, attitudes, motivations and the attained Englis language

Abstract

ABSTRACT RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN FOREIGN-LANGUAGE APTITUDE, ATTITUDES, MOTIVATIONS, AND THE ATTAINED ENGLISH LANGUAGE Mustafa Zülküf Altan, Ph. D. OCTOBER, 1994 ÇUKUROVA UNIVERSITY ADANA, TURKEY Supervising Professor: F. Özden Ekmekçi Extensive research into learner's foreign-language aptitude, broadly defined, has attempted to identify those characteristics most helpful in acquiring a foreign language. Results suggest that several general factors, in relation to the learner are influential in foreign language classroom achievement. Among these factors are the student's cognitive aptitude, attitude toward the target language and culture, motivation to learn, and level of English-class anxiety. Patterns of relationships between these predictors and proficiency criteria in different learning contexts have not been consistent, however. The aim of this study is to identify the factors, which prove to be the most helpful to learners studying English at Turkish universities. The IXstudy also sought to compare these findings with results of studies conducted elsewhere. Two hundred ninety-seven students attending the preparatory school of Erciyes University, Turkey look tests on aptitude, attitudes, and motivations. The analysis of the lest results revealed different aptitude profiles for successful female and male learners. While both samples showed significant correlations between the criterion and several attitudes/motivation variables, there were also gender differences on attitudes/motivation variables and on subtest scores of aptitude. Regression analyses revealed partly distinct profiles. The successful female has a high level of cognitive aptitude (total score), specific grammar cognition aptitude (WIS), and low English-class anxiety. In contrast, the successful male is intensely motivated to learn the language, has a specific grammar cognition aptitude, and low English-class anxiety. The variables investigated in this study accounted for 45 percent of the variance in achievement for females, but only 20 percent for males. Analysis of the learning context suggests reasons for these disparities in aptitude profiles and for differences between these findings and results of studies conducted elsewhere.