The role of attitudes and motivation in foreign language learning

First and second/foreign language learning differ substantially in the degree of proficiency attained by the learners. Many factors have been proposed to account for this variation, foremost among which aptitude, attitudes and motivation.

The present study primarily explored the possible interaction between attitudes, motivation and students' performance in English in two distinct settings. It was hypothesized that an integrative orientation and favourable attitudes are powerful incentives that can determine success in language learning.

The hypothesis was tested both in the second and foreign language settings with two different populations of Greek students.

The subjects for the first study were 51 Greek young adults from the University of Kent, while the subjects for the study in the foreign language context comrpised 470 Greek secondary school students, drawn from language schools in Athens.

The study in Greece further examined the effect that gender and socioeconomic background could have on the students' attitudes and motivation and investigated the influence of parents on their children's attitudes and motivational orientations.