A Study On The Correlation Between English Learners’ Attitudes Toward English Culture Learning And Achievements

In terms of the relationship between English learners’ attitudes toward Englishculture learning and their ultimate achievements, there are many hypotheses andtheories. Morgan (1993:63) proposes that “pupils’ attitudes to the foreign language thatthey are learning or to the foreign culture(s) with which it is associated are recognizedas crucial to language learning success.” Ellis (1994:200), former Professor and Headof Department in the School of Language Studies at Ealing College of Higher Education,states that “in general, positive attitudes toward second language, its speaker, and itsculture can be expected to enhance learning and negative attitudes to impede learning.”Of course, other scholars such as Su Dingfang (1996) have also put forward similartheories and hypotheses.However, very few of the hypotheses and theories have been proved to be truthfulby conducting empirical researches. Therefore, the present research is made by theauthor with the first purpose to explore the relationship between English learners’attitudes toward English culture learning and their achievements; and the secondpurpose is to find out an answer to the question that how English learners’ attitudestoward English culture learning affect their ultimate achievements.Based on Stern’s (1983) and Ellis’s (1994) classification of attitude, the author ofthe present research holds that English learners’ attitudes toward English culturelearning are made up of three elements: attitudes toward British/Americans, attitudestoward English culture and attitudes toward English culture learning, which are also thethree independent variables of this research. In the present study, the dependent variableis English learners’ achievements.This research was carried out by employing the questionnaire, English cultureachievements test, English language achievements test and semi-structured face-to-faceinterview. Firstly, the items of the category-based questionnaire employed in the studyhad been chosen from Gardner and Lambert’s (1972)“Attitudinal and Motivational Scales on Language and Culture” which was a research instrument developed to assessthe major affective components shown to be involved in second language learning, andfrom Schmidt and Watanabe’s (2001)“Questionnaire Items on Language and Culture”.Secondly, on the basis of a test designed by Wang Zhenya in1990for the measurementof English learners’ British/American intercultural communicative competence, Englishculture achievements test paper was formed. Thirdly, items of English languageachievements test were chosen from CET-4test papers of recent years. Finally,interviews were carried out with two high-score achievers and two low-score achieversof the English culture achievements test and English language achievements test.The internal consistency of the three above-mentioned variables has beendemonstrated by employing Reliability analysis. Through the Pearson correlationanalysis, the results derived in the study have shown that there exists positive andsignificant connection between the dependent variable (English learners’ achievements)and the three independent variables. With the adoption of Stepwise regression analysis,the three independent variables have been demonstrated to contribute to the predictionof the dependent variable (English learners’ achievements). In addition, results ofsemi-structured face-to-face interviews show that English learners’ respect to andappreciation of English culture and their eagerness to learn English culture can beexpected to promote their English learning and their ultimate achievements; whilenarrow nationalism, prejudice against English culture and negative attitudes towards thelearning of English culture are proved to impede their English learning and theirultimate achievements. Morgan’s (1993) and Ellis’(1994) hypotheses are proved to betrue.From the perspectives of cultural syllabus design, teaching materials and teachingmethods, this research has provided pedagogical suggestions as well. In addition,recommendations for future studies are presented at the end of the thesis.