Foreign Language Learning Aptitudes, Attitudes, Attributions, and Achievement of Postsecondary Students Identified as Gifted

Abstract

We investigated the aptitudes, attitudes, attributions, and achievement of undergraduates identified as gifted who were taking a beginning Spanish course, and compared these characteristics to undergraduates in the same cohort group who had not been identified as gifted. There were differences in the aptitudes, attitudes, and achievement of post-secondary introductory Spanish students who had been identified as gifted and their nongifted peers. Gifted students had higher scores than nongifted students on the aptitude scale. The gifted group displayed a more positive attitude toward learning a foreign language than the nongifted group. Based on their performances on the attribution scale, the students identified as gifted and their nongifted peers did not differ in their attributions for ability, effort, teacher impact (context), or chance as explanations for their success in foreign language learning. Our findings seem to lead to suggestions for foreign language instructors to increase their focus on developing positive attitudes in all students, and on developing greater knowledge about native language skills (in this case, English) to enhance foreign language learning. However, research investigating the efficacy of such instruction is notably lacking. Therefore, studies investigating both of these areas would be welcome.

The Construct Validity of Language Aptitude

“…The coding of L2 attainment, the criterion variable, is based on three sets of measures tapping into (1) general proficiency, (2) knowledge of specific aspects of the L2 such as grammar and vocabulary, and (3) language skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The criterion variable was coded as general proficiency if it was assessed through course or exam grades (e.g., Bain, McCallum, Bell, Cochran, & Sawyer, 2010; Sparks et al, 2009), standardized proficiency tests such as TOEFL (Ross, Yoshinaga, & Sasaki, 2002), and cloze tests (Harley & Hart, 1997). 4 As with general proficiency, L2 knowledge and skills were gauged through a variety of measures in the included studies, and the overarching principle followed in coding these measures was to retain the original labels for the constructs reported in the included studies.…”

Motivation and Attitude: Two Important Non-Intelligence Factors to Arouse Students’ Potentialities in Learning English

“…This explains why throughout history the role of the teacher has shifted from a being a stringent disciplinarian to a facilitator (Bain et al, 2010). Being a facilitator entails accepting mistakes as integral elements of the language learning process.…”

“…Each of these stimuli can result in a positive or negative attitude (Bain et al, 2010). It is therefore important for language educators to recognize the fact that language learning is considerably characterized by the interaction of personalities, and that students are humans as well, with likes and dislikes.…”

“…These beliefs play a critical role in the learning process. There is general consensus that a positive attitude lays the foundation for learning, and vice versa (Mantle-Bromley, 1995;Kuhlemeier, Van Den Bergh, & Melse;1997;Bain et al, 2010). Motivated and de-motivated students hold varying perceptions about their teacher, class, and curriculum.…”

Contributions of Working Conditions on Teachers’ Attitude in School Settings of Nepal

“…Attitude is developed through a pattern of beliefs over a certain period. These beliefs are generated as we gain experience, knowledge, and a person generates two types of attitude, i.e., positive and negative attitude (Bain et al, 2010). Positive attitude in teachers forms a foundation for teaching and learning, whereas negative attitude hinders them (Mantle-Bromley, 1995).…”