Crossnation Differences in Attitudes of Secondary English Learners

Abstract

Learning a second language (L2) is part of the skills required for many citizens in today’s cross-national world; in some cases as a strict matter of survival in a non-native context, in others as a prerequisite for promotion and professional climbing. In both cases the emotional, motivational and attitudinal states of the language learner play a crucial role in the learning process. In this article we explore the impact of attitudinal variables related to the context of teaching and learning a second language with two samples of students from different geographical areas, conditioned by varying language needs. A set of hypothesis on variables such as age, sex, social class or systematic formal training complete the analysis included in both samples: Mexican American students residing in California and Spanish students residing on the Southern coast of Spain.