Naslov
Attitudes to English and Motivation to Continue Learning English in a Tertiary Education Setting.

Autori
Kabalin Borenić, Višnja

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
UZRT 2018 – Empirical studies in applied linguistics. Zagreb, Croatia / Geld, Renata ; Čengić, Jasenka ; Letica Krevelj, Stela - Zagreb : Odsjek anglistike, Filozofski fakultet, Zagreb, 2018, 8-8

Skup
UZRT 2018: Empirical studies in applied linguistics

Mjesto i datum
Zagreb, Hrvatska, 15.06.2018

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
language attitudes, motivation, Business English, university education

Sažetak
With English being the primary language of international (business) communication and an academic lingua franca, it is surprising that Croatian students in tertiary education generally demonstrate low levels of motivation to continue developing their (professional) English competence. Aiming to improve our understanding of the situation in tertiary and ESP contexts, the study investigates attitudes toward English and the motivation of intermediate and advanced speakers who are required to pursue Business English as a compulsory part of their university studies. Approximately 700 Croatian students of business and economics responded to a questionnaire based on earlier sociolinguistic and L2 motivation research in the sociopsychological tradition. Invested effort, a measure related to motivated behaviour, was used as a criterion. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed to identify the attitudes and types of motivation present in the sample, as well as their correlations and predictive strength. The study produced several interesting findings. For example, the results of correlation and hierarchical analyses revealed that attitudes to English did not make a significant contribution to effort, while instrumental motivation reflecting past/present benefits most strongly predicted motivated behaviour. Generally speaking, the findings provide insights into attitudes and motivation of learners of English for specific purposes in the contexts where opportunities to use English for academic and professional purposes are somewhat limited. Based on the findings, we finally outline several implications for teaching English in tertiary education settings.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

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