| This research project investigated attitude towards bilingualism using a multi-part survey instrument. Participants were Japanese students studying at an English-language-medium American university in Tokyo. The study had a dual purpose: to assess the psychometric properties of an original scale of attitude to bilingualism and to investigate the degree to which Japanese learners hold holistic attitudes to bilingualism, positive images of bilingualism, and perceive themselves to have had a choice in the matter of becoming bilingual. In addition, the effect of overseas residence on their responses is investigated. Discovering the attitudes that bilingual learners have towards their own bilingualism and toward their learning can help researchers, educators, language planners, and learners themselves to understand what it means to become bilingual and may help them to create a more productive environment for the development of bilingualism. |
