'People Can Be Smarter with Two Languages': Changing Anglophone Students' Attitudes to Language Learning through Teaching Linguistics

Autor/inn/en	Lanvers, Ursula; Hultgren, Kristina; Gayton, Angela Mary
Titel	'People Can Be Smarter with Two Languages': Changing Anglophone Students' Attitudes to Language Learning through Teaching Linguistics
Quelle	In: Language Learning Journal, 47 (2019) 1, S.88-104 (17 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0957-1736
DOI	10.1080/09571736.2016.1196384
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Educational Policy; English; Native Language; Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; Intervention; Student Attitudes; Attitude Change; Multilingualism; English (Second Language); Metalinguistics; Language Role; Secondary School Students; Educational Benefits; Cognitive Ability; Teaching Methods; Learning Motivation; United Kingdom (England); United Kingdom (Scotland) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; English language; Englisch; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Fremdsprachenunterricht; Schülerverhalten; Attitudinal change; Einstellungsänderung; Mehrsprachigkeit; Multilingualismus; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Metalanguage; Metasprache; Sekundarschüler; Bildungsertrag; Denkfähigkeit; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Motivation for studies; Lernmotivation
Abstract	With English as an undisputed global lingua franca, there is long-standing concern in anglophone countries over the lack of interest in language learning. In the UK, significant changes in language education policy, a mentality of insularity and the global spread of English have all contributed to a drop in language learning uptake beyond the compulsory stage. While the UK has seen many initiatives aiming to foster language learning, no interventions so far have aimed to change learner attitudes by raising students' language awareness of (a) the spread of English globally, and (b) cognitive benefits of mulitilingualism, and the ubiquity of multilingualism, globally and in the UK. A teaching intervention designed for this purpose was delivered to 97 students aged 12-13 in three different state schools in England and Scotland. The effect of the intervention was measured by a pre- and post-questionnaire, with questions closely tailored to the content of the intervention. In addition, qualitative student feedback was gathered after the intervention. Results show significant changes, across the cohort, in two out of three constructs studied, and effects on students' attitude towards language learning. Thus, we conclude that raising anglophone students' awareness of language through raising awareness of cognitive benefits of multilingualism, and the spread of English globally, has the potential to change the attitudes of learners otherwise not interested in language learning. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01