ERIC Number: EJ1436351
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Sep
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1056-7941
EISSN: EISSN-1949-3533
The Relationships between Learner-Related Variables and Attitudes towards Standard Accents and Pronunciation Assessment: A Large-Scale Study of Secondary-Level EFL Learners in Hong Kong
Art Tsang
TESOL Journal, v15 n3 e796 2024
Despite scholars' advocacy of intelligibility over nativelikeness in the EFL education context, many learners still seem to favour standard British and American accents. However, comparisons across studies have shown some changes in learners' perceptions, suggesting a move away from standard accent orientation. This article reports part of a larger study that examined the relationships between four learner-related predictor variables (self-rated proficiency, previous exposure to different accents, attitude towards [spoken] English, and attitude towards accuracy) and two outcome variables (learners' attitudes towards standard accents, and attitudes towards pronunciation in speaking proficiency assessment). A questionnaire was completed by 1,300 EFL secondary-school students in Hong Kong. The four predictors were generally found to correlate significantly with the two outcomes (Pearson's "rs" ranging approximately from 0.10 to 0.50). Specifically, learners' attitudes towards accuracy and (spoken) English had the strongest positive relationships with the outcomes. In the multiple regression models, these two predictors together explained 32% and 11% of the variance in attitudes towards standard accents and pronunciation assessment respectively.
Descriptors: Student Attitudes, Dialects, Pronunciation, Student Evaluation, Secondary School Students, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Foreign Countries, Language Attitudes, Language Proficiency, Accuracy, Language Tests
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2191/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Hong Kong
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A