Understanding University Students’ Foreign Language Learning Attitudes: An Analysis Based on Stereotypes

Selime Güntaş Işık, Fatma Aslantürk Altıntuğ, Sibel Süzek Birkollu and Ahmet Güneyli ()
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Selime Güntaş Işık: Educational Sciences, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Faculty of Education, Ankara Social Sciences University Northern Cyprus Campus, Haspolat 99010, Northern Cyprus, Mersin 10, Türkiye
Fatma Aslantürk Altıntuğ: Faculty of Education, European University of Lefke, Lefke 99728, Northern Cyprus, Mersin 10, Türkiye
Sibel Süzek Birkollu: Educational Sciences, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Faculty of Education, Ankara Social Sciences University Northern Cyprus Campus, Haspolat 99010, Northern Cyprus, Mersin 10, Türkiye
Ahmet Güneyli: Faculty of Education, European University of Lefke, Lefke 99728, Northern Cyprus, Mersin 10, Türkiye

Societies, 2024, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-22

Abstract: The study aims to understand university students’ perceptions of stereotypes in foreign language learning in Cyprus, a multilingual and multicultural island. The goal is to comprehend how stereotypes impact foreign language education, enabling educators to tailor teaching environments and methodologies accordingly. The research question probes the extent and the influencing variables of stereotypes held by students in Cyprus during their language learning journey. This quantitative descriptive study involved 832 students from various faculties of a private North Cyprus university during the 2021–2022 academic year. A sample of 550 students, comprising 269 males and 281 females, was randomly selected. The stereotyped thought scale for a foreign language, a tool developed by Ünal in 2015 with 42 items across 8 sub-dimensions, was employed to gauge students’ stereotypical thoughts. The study’s results revealed an average score of 2.99 out of 5 on the scale, indicating that students’ stereotyped thinking falls within the average range. Notably, several variables, including gender, age, education, family, and language proficiency, significantly influence the stereotypes students hold during their language learning process.

Keywords: stereotypes; foreign language learning; Cyprus; stereotyped thought scale; quantitative research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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