Positive Attitude Change

Interactive/Reflective Learner Journals

Study Aims
This study encouraged students to investigate their perceptions of:
their attitudes to learning, their language-learning skills, their affect (confidence, motivation, anxiety, etc.),

The aim was:

to promote positive, realistic modification of these perceptions, in order to:
help students become more successful learners (short term) help them become more effective teachers (long term).

The Study: Logistics (1)

Where? Kyungpook National University, Republic of Korea When? Who?
March 2002 to June 2003 (3 semesters) Mostly Department of English Education students. A small number of students attended more than one class in one semester, or 1 class(es) for more than one semester. These students typically showing heightened awareness of the learning process and greater depth of reflection in their individual reflections.

The Study: Logistics (2)

Age? Sophomores to Seniors (22 to 24) Number? n = 224 over 3 semesters The research was conducted in two or three credit What?

courses each semester, using Reflections (an interactive learning journal) and pre/post-course questionnaires. Reflections was used once a week, for one of the three 50-minute weekly sessions. Students discussed issues and performed group activities during the lesson, reflecting on these individually, in their own time.

Courses and Instruments

Sem
2002/1

Course title
ELT Methodology (n = 37) Teaching Prose Writing (n = 30)

Attitudinal instruments
learner journal, self/peerassessment learner journal, portfolios

2002/2:

Comparative ELT Methodology learner journal, self/peer(n = 23) assessment, Teaching English through Literature (n = learner journal, self/peer12) assessment, portfolios Multimedia English (n = 17) learner journal, self/peerassessment, portfolios ELT Methodology (n = 27) Composition (n = 39) Textbook Design and Analysis (n = 39) learner journal, self/peerassessment, portfolios personal diary, self/peerassessment, portfolios self/peer-assessment, portfolios
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2003/1

Attitudes and Learning

Learning is the process of changing behaviour in a positive direction.
Rogers, C.R. (1951). On Becoming a Person. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Attitudes to learning and the perceptions and beliefs which determine them, have a profound influence on learning behaviour. Cotterall, S.
(1995b). Readiness for autonomy: investigating learner beliefs. System 23/2, pp. 195-205.

Mistaken Beliefs
Mistaken or uninformed beliefs about language learning may lead to dependence on less effective strategies, resulting in:
indifference toward learning, poor cognitive performance, classroom anxiety a negative attitude to autonomy (Victori & Lockhart, 1995, p. 225).
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Attitude Gaps
Beliefs (and attitudes) differing from those of the teacher can lead to:
frustration, dissatisfaction with the course, unwillingness to perform communicative activities, lack of confidence in the teacher, impeded achievement
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Belief = Reality

Bp p;

BBp p

Every learner has a self-schemata of self-confirming truths about his/her learning. I believe that I am a poor learner English is too difficult I cannot speak English
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 Teachers therefore need to:

acknowledge and respect students attitudes, beliefs, and expectations help them overcome any harmful perceptions and blocks, enhance students awareness of their personal weaknesses and strengths and of their task/strategic knowledge.
(Mantle-Bromley 1995, pp.:381-383; Peacock, 1998, p. 125).
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Teacher Beliefs and Attitudes

Not until we have taken a hard critical look at the attitudes and motivation of teachers, both individually and as a profession, will we be ready to determine what obstacles lie in the way of creating the kinds of learning environments which would be most helpful to our students. (Sauvignon, 1976, p. 296)
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The Study: Methods

In view of the ideas examined so far, the study:
set up a non-threatening learning environment promoted self-directed group-based participation used ongoing, alternative assessment used a reflective-interactive journal:
group-based discussion and activities in class time TEFL-related activities as reflective content individual reflection teacher feedback twice during the semester
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