Prepared and Presented by :

Pedro Ximenes

Flinders University, 16 October 2014

Research Proposal (EdD):“Student attitudes towards and uses

of multiple languages in Timor Leste“

Presentation outline :

1.Background and Rationale

2.Literature Review

3.Objective and research questions Objectives Research Questions

4.Research Design

I. Background (fact sheet about Timor-Leste)

Gained Independence in 2002

Area : 14,874 sq km (160 )

Population : 1,201,542 (160)

Age structure :

0-14 years: 42.4%

15-24 years: 19.8%

25-54 years: 29.3%

55-64 years: 4.8%

65 years and over: 3.6%

(CIA world factbook Timor-Leste, 2014)

Adult literacy rate : 58.3%

Languages : Tetum (official), Portuguese (official),

Indonesian, English (Working languages)

16 indigenous languages

(CIA world factbook Timor-Leste, 2014)

Languages of Timor-Leste

(MoF Timor-Leste, 2014)

I.1 Background and rationaleMultilingual country

The use of 3 international languages (Portuguese, Indonesia/Melayu, English )

16 Indigenous languagesTetum as the Iingua franca and is spoken by almost

43% of population (MoF Timor-Leste, 2010)

Language Policy also adopts multilingual approach (the same approach is adopted in education sector)

Gap between policy planning and the grassroots language practice. (Taylor-leech, 2011)

Poor education quality and language in education policy

1.2.Rationale

Study in attitude toward language can provide indicators of changing beliefs, preferences and desires and these indicators are very important inputs to be considered in the implementation of a language policy (Lewis, 1981)

Research in the area on language specifically language in education context Timor-Leste is still scarce

The aim is to understand the attitudes of students toward the multiple languages used in Timor-Leste’s education system

2. Literature Review2.1. Attitude as a construct

An attitude is defined as disposition to approach an object, a person, an institution or an event favorably or unfavorably (Sarnoff, 1970; Baker, 1988)

Attitude toward a language is very important in the language learning (Gardner, 1985, 2001; Ingram, 1989).

If students have positive attitude, they might be more motivated to learn a language (Edwards, 1985; Lasagabaster, 2003)

speakers tend to have different attitudes to each of the languages in their repertoire by favouring some more than others (Batibo, 2005)

"An individual's attitude is an evaluative reaction to some referent or attitude object, inferred on the basis of the individual's beliefs or opinions about the referent (Gardner,1985, p. 9)"

The dimensions of attitudes are grounded in the area of social psychology, which have been identified by researchers as cognition, affect, and behaviour (Rosenberg & Hovland, 1960; Garret, Coupland & Williams, 2003)

2.2. Studies in Attitudes toward language.Dornyei and Csizér (2005) Large scale,

longitudinal survey in Hungary with 5 target languages (English, German, French, Italian and Russian ).

Dornyei (2009) proposed a second language acquisition motivational theory that he called ” Second language (L2) Motivational self system” .

Lasagabaster and Huguet (2007) carried out a large-scale survey using questionnaire on language attitudes of pre-service teachers toward multilingual acquisition in a number of bilingual contexts in Europe such as Ireland, Malta, Wales, Fiesland

3. Objective and Research Question

Objective

1. To investigate students’ attitudes toward the uses of multiple languages in education.

2. To explore what factors might influence student attitudes toward the uses of multiple languages in education.

3. To gain insights into students’ attitudes toward multiple language uses that may inform the development of language policy in the future.

Research Question

1. What are the uses and preferences of students’ multiple languages in their education?

2. What are students’ attitudes toward different languages in Timor-Leste education?

3. What socio educational factors might influence students’ attitudes toward the uses of different languages in education ?

4.1 Research DesignConcurrent mixed methods design (Creswell, 2009)

QUANTITATIVE QUALITATIVE

Instrument:Questionnaire

Target Sample : Senior secondary first year university studentParticipant Number :

550Sample selection Procedure : Stratified random Sampling 

 

Instrument :Semi Structure Interview

Target sample : Senior secondary first year university student.Participant Number:

12Sample Selection Procedure : Stratified Random

Sampling 

Data Analysis : 

Descriptive StatisticsInferential Statistics

 

Data Analysis :TranscribingThematic Analysis

 

Mixed Method Data Analysis :integrating and converging to expand and

enrich the result

    

   

 

Interpretation

 

4.2. Questionnaire

• Age• Gender• Tye of school current• Type of school (past)• Parental occupation• Student Localization• Mother tongue• Language background

Socio Demographic and Language background

• General Language attitude• Instrumental• Integrative

Attitude toward Multiple languages

• Language ability

Self Rated Language Proficiency

Youth Culture

5. Scheduled time frame

“Those who know many languages live as many lives as the

languages they know.” (Czech

proverb)

Thank you

References : Baker, C., (1992), Attitudes and language. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Batibo, H.M. 2005. Language decline and death in Africa: Causes, consequences

and challenges. Dornyei, Z., & Csizér, K. (2006). Motivation, language attitudes and globalisation: A

Hungarian perspective (Vol. 18). Multilingual Matters. Dörnyei, Z. (2009). The L2 motivational self system. In Z. Dörnyei, & E. Ushioda

(Eds.), Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (pp. 9-42). Clevedon, England: Edwards, J., (1985), Language, Society and Identity. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. Gardner, R.C. (1985). Social psychology and second language learning : The role of

attitudes and motivation. Bungay, Suffolk : Edward Arnold. Ingram, D.E. (1989). Language-in-education planning. Annual Review of Applied

Linguistics 10: 53-78. Garret, P., Coupland, N. & Williams, A. 2003. Investigating language attitudes: social

meanings of dialect, ethnicity and performance. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. Lasagabaster, D. & Huguet, A. (eds). (2007). Multilingualism in European countries.

Clevedon :Multilingual Matter. Rosenberg, M.J., & Hovland, C.I. (1960). Cognitive, affective and behavioural

components of attitudes. In C.I. Hoveland & M.J. Rosenberg (Eds.), Attitude organization and change. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Sarnoff, I. (1970) Social Attitudes and the Resolution of Motivational Conflict. Harmondsworth: Penguin.