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Getting Inside Their Heads
IH ELT Conference
Barcelona, 4 Feb 2012
Jessica Mackay
EIM, University of Barcelona
bored?
frustrated?
suspicious?
insecure?
defensive?
uncomfortable?
unhappy?
tired?
shy?anxious?
ATTITUDE PROBLEM?
ATTITUDES..to the TargetLanguage
itself.
..to the Target Language Community.
..to the language learning process
aesthetics
difficulty
experiences
stereotypes
(lack of) success
teacher
peers
materials
classroom
TARGET LANGUAGE
- Do you like the language?- Do you think it is difficult to learn?- What exactly is ‘language’ for you?
Q: If you could choose, which 3 language(s) would you most like to study? (2010, n = 98)
1. ……………….2. ……………….3. ……………….4. ……………….5. ……………….
ItalianFrenchEnglishJapaneseGerman
Q: Do you think English is an easy language to learn? (2009 n = 826)
YES ……………
NO …………….45.8%
54.2%
GRAMMAR SPEAKING ACCURATELY
SPEAKING FLUENTLY
READING
WRITING PRONUNCIATION
LISTENINGVOCABULARY
1. British English is more correct than American English.2. The earlier you start to learn a foreign language, the easier
it is.3. It doesn’t help me to speak to other students in English, I’m
just learning their mistakes.4. Your ability to learn a language is directly related to your
IQ.5. You should never translate into your own language.6. The only way to learn a language really well is to live in the
country where it is spoken.7. Writing compositions is a waste of time, as it’s something I
would never do in real life.8. Studying grammar is always boring but necessary to learn
a language.
In groups, decide if you agree or disagree with the following statements. If you disagree, then modify the statement so that it represents the group’s opinion.
THE TARGET LANGUAGE COMMUNITY / CULTURE
Stereotypes Integrative motivation v Ideal L2 Self
(Dörnyei 2005) Individual experience / preferences
HEAVEN is where ….
The chefs are ….
The mechanics are ….
The police are ….
The lovers are ….
And it’s all organized by the ….
French
German
British
Italian
Swiss
HELL is where ….
The chefs are ….
The mechanics are ….
The police are ….
The lovers are ….
And it’s all organized by the ….
British
French
German
Swiss
Italians
(10) Making friends Attractive? 1)…2)…3)…4)…5) Useful? 1)…2)…3)…4)…5) Possible? 1)…2)…3)…4)…5)
How will you be using your English in the future?Look at the situations below where people are using English in different contexts.
AUSTRALIACANADAENGLANDIRELANDSCOTLANDTHE UNITED STATES
13
True or False?1. Catalan students believe that the US accent is the
least ‘correct’.
2. Australia is thought to have the most ‘Mediterranean’ culture.
3. The ‘better’ language learners are more likely to put Ireland as their first-choice destination.
4. Catalan students think people in Canada are friendly.
5. They think the worst thing about England is the food.
6. The most common reason for placing Scotland last was the accent.
FALSE Australia
TRUE
TRUE
TRUE
FALSE Weather
FALSE Weather
THE LANGUAGE LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Group dynamics Experiences at school Success (Attribution theory) Motivation Objectives
Menorca
39 Green
Sense and La Vilella Baixa Sensibility
ENGLISH & MEExperiences with English
ENGLISH AT SCHOOL
EASY? ENJOYABLE?
HOW MANY YEARS? TEACHERS?
STUDY PERIODSABROAD?
EXTRA CLASSES?
ENGLISH NOW
WHY? DIFFERENTFROM SCHOOL?
FRIENDS WHO SPEAK
ENGLISHFLUENTLY?
OUTSIDE CLASS?
FAMOUS PEOPLEWHO SPEAK
ENGLISHFLUENTLY?
TRAVEL?
HOMEWORK?
FUTUREENGLISH
LEVEL? EXAMS?
THINGS YOU’DLIKE TO DO
ROLE MODELS?
HOW MUCH TIME?
All of Most of us Some of those interviewed A few of the students in the
class Hardly any of English students None of the participants …..% of
ENGLISH AND ME PAST
school extra classes study abroad
PRESENT motives / reasons pleasure or necessity? contact outside class
FUTURE objectives / plans role models
ENGLISH AND ME: ANALYSISEIM Students N: 363 Mean age 22.7
..... % of students found English classes at school repetitive.
….. % enjoyed English at school.
….. % have done one or more study periods abroad before starting university
….. % have English-speaking friends.
….. % feel they have to study English.
….. % would like to live and work / study abroad in the future. But NOT permanently.
93
57
29
89
11
82
Learning another language is…
A journey?
Learning another language is…
A holiday?
Learning another language is…
A struggle?
Learning another language is…
A race?
Learning another language is…
WHY?
Learning another language is…
50%
A journey
…because you learn something with every step.
It never ends, but you see interesting places on the route.
It’s about visiting new cultures. It makes you a
different person.
Learning another language is…
A holiday
3%
It’s a way to escape from my daily routine.
Learning another language is…
A struggle
8%…because I have to study and for me it’s
not easy.
…because I have studied for many years and I don’t
notice the progress.
…because I don’t like English but it is
necessary to learn it.
Learning another language is…
A race
25%I have an objective
but I have to get over obstacles.
If I don’t learn it, (English) I will lose.
Sometimes I feel very tired, but I rest and then I continue.
People who have more skills get better things.
Learning another language is…
14%A plane taking off. It’s scary at first then you
start to relax and enjoy it
A open door … because you can enter places
you didn’t know before.
A passport
A window
Moving house, difficult at first but then you discover
new things
interesting (53%)
difficult / hard (47%)
fun (22%)
gratifying (19%)
necessary (17%)
challenging (8%)
useful (8%)
Learning another language is…
THANK YOU!
Referenceshttp://scottthornbury.wordpress.comCutting Edge Advanced
