Enhancing EFL learning in students with negative attitudes towards the English class.

Viviana Arcila Lenny Campuzano

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference” Winston Churchill

What is an attitude?

•A "readiness of the psyche to act or react in a certain way“. (Jung) •A mental or neural state of readiness organized through experience”. Allport (1935) •A " psychological construction towards a target” Crystal (1992) •Attitudes are judgments. They represent an individual's degree of like or dislike towards a subject matter.

The genesis of attitudes

     Some of the main influences on attitude formation are: teacher (it depends on the teacher) friends/peer group parents (my mother likes it) teaching method (it is fun) the language itself (I like how it sounds)

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Common learners ’ attitudes in the classroom

How have we tackled learners’ attitudes?

How does a positive attitude influences English learning?

Succesful learning Positive attitude Learners gain motivation Lessons Become more stimulating

How does a negative attitude influences English learning?

Hindered learning Negative attitude Learners lose motivation Lessons Become boring & difficult

NEGATIVE ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE ENGLISH CLASS

Internal factors External factors

learning rythm motivation Learning styles Learning preferences Teacher’s role pressure Teaching method family

English Learning is hindered

friends

Research objectives

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To discover new strategies to deal with learners ’ negative attitudes and generate a positive engagement with the English class.

Population

    35 EFL teenage learners Elementary-early intermediate English competence 13-15 years old From Pereira, Colombia.

Research instrument: A students’ survey about their attitudes in the English class

Encuesta: El rol de algunas situaciones afectivas en el aprendizaje del inglés.

Proyecto de Investigación. Team teaching group. Teens 3A, 3B Y 3C

Por favor contesta sinceramente y de manera individual la siguiente encuesta relacionada con algunas situaciones emocionales en el aprendizaje del inglés en el Colombo. Califica con una X el nivel de tu respuesta de la siguiente forma: 1=No 2=Un poco 3=Mas o menos 4=Mucho 5=Demasiado 1.

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Mi rendimiento en inglés depende de la actitud del profesor hacia mi 2.Tengo confianza en mi mismo (a) a la hora de realizar un trabajo oral o escrito en inglés 3.Estoy calmado (a) y tranquilo(a) a la hora de realizar ejercicios durante la clase 4.El que tenga un problema con alguien de mi familia o amigos hace que me desconcentre durante la clase de ingles 5. Me intimida hablar en público 6. Si alguna vez tengo un conflicto con un profesor, creo que soy capaz de seguir en clase como si nada hubiera pasado 7. la forma en cómo me siento afecta mi desempeño en la clase   8. ¿Te gusta la clase de ingles? ¿Por qué?

9. Describe cómo sería el ambiente de clase ideal para que aprendas inglés.

 10. Describe cómo sería el profesor ideal para que aprendas inglés.

11. ¿Cómo te sientes emocionalmente durante la mayoría de las clases de inglés? bien ______regular______ mal _____¿Por qué crees que esto sucede?

RESULTS Learners’ attitudes in the English class 100 80 60 mucho demasiado 40 20 mas o menos un poco 0

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Preguntas 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

 1. Mi rendimiento en inglés depende de la actitud del profesor hacia mi  2.Tengo confianza en mi mismo (a) a la hora de realizar un trabajo oral o escrito en inglés  3.Estoy calmado(a) y tranquilo(a) a la hora de realizar ejercicios durante la clase  4.El que tenga un problema con alguien de mi familia o amigos hace que me desconcentre  durante la clase de ingles  5. Me intimida hablar en público  6. Si alguna vez tengo un conflicto con un profesor, creo que soy capaz de seguir en clase   como si nada hubiera pasado 7. la forma en cómo me siento afecta mi desempeño en la clase

Ideal English teacher

Ideal learning environment

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Steps to effectively handle learners’ negative attitudes

Display a cheerful, optimistic and enthusiastic attitude towards the class, the students and the lesson activities as teachers attitudes are replicated by learners.

Identify the specific student’s emotional situation.

Approach the student without previous judgments. he/she Wait for the student’s response (whether his situation or reserve it.

wants to talk about Listen and orient the student but avoiding only becoming into his therapist.

Try to get the student involved in the class by telling him/her that being in the class can help him/her to forget about any complex emotional situation.

If the situation is critical, invite the student to write or draw on a piece of paper all the negative things he/she is feeling and thinking of. Then, the student burns the paper as a symbol of destroying all the negative factors that are affecting him negatively. This exercise leads learners to reflect upon themselves.

Try to get parents and children closer maybe through a talk.

What things you need to do to change negative attitudes to more positive attitudes?

Sequence the steps you should follow to make your attitudes more positive:  (1) recognize the bad attitudes and say the feelings you have with them (categorize the feeling),  (2) ask yourself "What can I do about it?"    (3) identify the situations that are associated with the attitude or feeling (4) decide what you were saying to yourself when you had the negative feeling in the situation, (5) decide more useful, functional things that you could say about the situation.

Strategies to effectively handle learners’ negative attitudes BEHAVIOR: Shyness, silence and lack of participation. • • •

Strategies:

• Change teaching strategies from group discussion to individual written exercises or a videotape • Give strong positive reinforcement for any contribution. Involve by directly asking him/her a question. Make eye contact. Appoint to be small group leader.

BEHAVIOR:

Talkativeness -- knowing everything, manipulation, chronic whining.

Strategies:

 Acknowledge comments made.     Give limited time to express viewpoint or feelings, and then move on. Make eye contact with another participant and move toward that person. Give the person individual attention during breaks. Say: "That's an interesting point. Now let's see what other other people think."

BEHAVIOR:

Heckling/Arguing -- disagreeing with everything you say; making personal attacks. Strategies:     Redirect question to group or supportive individuals. Recognize participant's feelings and move one. Acknowledge positive points. Say: "I appreciate your comments, but I'd like to hear from others," or "It looks like we disagree."

BEHAVIOR:

Hostility/ Resistance, angry, belligerent, combative behavior.            

Strategies:

Hostility can be a mask for fear. Reframe hostility as fear to depersonalize it. Respond to fear, not hostility. Remain calm and polite. Keep your temper in check. Don't disagree, but build on or around what has been said. Move closer to the hostile person, maintain eye contact. Always allow him or her a way to gracefully retreat from the confrontation. Say: "You seem really angry. Does anyone else feel this way?" Solicit peer pressure. Do not accept the premise or underlying assumption, if it is false or prejudicial, e.g., "If by "queer" you mean homosexual..." Allow individual to solve the problem being addressed. He or she may not be able to offer solutions and will sometimes undermine his or her own position. Ignore behavior. Talk to him or her privately during a break. As a last resort, privately ask the individual to leave class for the good of the group.

BEHAVIOR:

Griping -- maybe legitimate complaining.

Strategies:

  Point out that we can't change policy here. Validate his/her point.   Indicate you'll discuss the problem with the participant privately. Indicate time pressure.

BEHAVIOR:

Side Conversations -- may be related to subject or personal. Distracts group members and you.

Strategies:

        Don't embarrass talkers. Ask their opinion on topic being discussed. Ask talkers if they would like to share their ideas. Casually move toward those talking. Make eye contact with them. Comment on the group (but don't look at them "one-at-a-time"). Standing near the talkers, ask a near-by participant a question so that the new discussion is near the talkers. As a last resort, stop and wait.

Bibliography

1. Jung’s definition of attitude.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attitude_(psychology) . 2. Children’s attitudes to learning English.

http://www.the-bus-stop.net/Training/ChildAtti.pdf

3. Psychology of Exceptional Learning. Learning Attitudes. John Munro.

http://www.edfac.unimelb.edu.au/eldi/selage/documents/PELAttit udelearning.pdf

4.