A Comparative Study of Foreign Language Learning Factors: Motivation, Attitudes, and Perceptions in Kosova and Slovenia

The main aim of the article is to identify Slovenian children’s attitudes towards foreign languages (FL), their motivation for learning languages, the influence of different significant others (teachers, parents, peers) on their language attitudes, and the ways they perceive languages which they are exposed to. The focus is on FLs in general rather than on a particular FL. The study is linked to the project ‘Languages Matter’ whose principal goal is to determine which factors support the creation of a supportive learning environment for the development of plurilingualism in the Slovenian school context. The article presents the results of a survey conducted in different primary schools in Slovenia on a population of 472 pupils aged 8/9 (n = 472). The survey questionnaire consists of two parts. The first part uses the LANGattMini scale (Bratož et al., 2021) to investigate the following factors: FL learning motivation, FL attitudes, and importance of significant others. The second part uses a qualitative paradigm and aims to gain an insight into the respondents’ perceptions of FLs. The results of the study indicate that children‘s attitudes towards FLs are generally positive but at the same time build a complex picture of interdependence between attitudes, motivation, and significant others.

This study examined the reflected appraisal process with college athletes (N = 325). Specifically, the study tested: (a) the relative influence of the reflected appraisals of mothers, fathers, coaches, and teammates (i. e., how athletes perceive these others view their ability) on athletes' self-perceptions of competence, and (b) whether the importance placed on these significant others as sources of competence information moderated the relationship. Based on a factor analysis, composite variables were formed representing the reflected appraisals of the athletes'parents (i.e., father, mother) and the reflected appraisals of sport-others (i.e., coach, teammates). Regression analyses revealed that the reflected appraisals of parents (P = .21) and sport-others (/3 = .55) predicted self-perceptions of competence fp < . 05, R2 =. 45). Follow-up analyses determined that the reflected appraisal of sport-others was a significantly stronger predictor. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that the interaction of reflected appraisals and the importance of significant others did not significantly add to the prediction of self-perceptions of competence fp > . 05, A R2 = .01) beyond the independent effects of these constructs. Results are discussed in terms of the reflected appraisal process and the influence of significant others on athletes' self-perceptions.

This study explored the psychosocial influence of tobacco smoking among secondary school adolescents in Ilala district, Dar es Salam region. Specifically, the study sought to explore the influence of significant others and motives on tobacco smoking among secondary school adolescents. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 400 secondary school adolescents aged between 12 and 22. The findings revealed that the major motive that drives adolescents to smoke tobacco was experimentation. Other motives include; the desire to reduce frustration, pleasure, persuaded to smoke, a way of solving problem, and the habit of being sent to light up cigarette. It was further revealed that smoking cigarette as a way of keeping busy had little influence on secondary schools’ adolescents in Ilala district while the influence of close friends and brothers made a strong contribution to secondary school adolescents in Ilala district to smoke tobacco. Significant others like sister, mother and father were found to have little influence on secondary schools’ adolescents’ tobacco smoking behavior.Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that factors such as motives and the influence of significant others need to be taken into account when considering psycho-educational intervention programs to preventing smoking.

The influence of significant others in complementary and alternative medicine decisions by cancer patients

BackgroundNowadays, wechat applications are very popular in China. Through the text, pictures, sound and video on the wechat official account platform, all-round communication between individuals and between individuals and the media has been realized. Wechat official account platform is an important functional module of wechat application. On this platform, enterprises and individuals can create an official account to communicate and interact with specific users. Its forms of communication and interaction are very diverse, including text, sound, pictures, pictures, text messages and videos. This paper applies the wechat official account platform to foreign language (English) teaching for primary school students. Developed foreign language (English) learning resources suitable for wechat official account platform.Subjects and Methods330 public primary school teachers were investigated by stratified sampling, including the experimental primary school in F City, the First Affiliated Primary School of s Normal University and the experimental primary school in district a of F City. From the deep understanding of the wechat official account platform, the strong support for the wechat official account platform, the diverse forms of the wechat official account platform, the diverse contents of the wechat official account platform, and the diversity of the wechat official account platform, we conducted a questionnaire survey, and realized the implementation of the wechat official account and the practical teaching resource platform from the perspective of psychology. In addition, the study also found that foreign language anxiety was negatively correlated with foreign language achievement. Similarly, there is a significant negative correlation between foreign language anxiety and self-efficacy. State anxiety, trait anxiety and foreign language learning anxiety are all positively correlated. The “anxiety” component of learners' personality characteristics plays a great role in the generation of foreign language learning anxiety. The correlation coefficient between LCAS and trait anxiety was 0.408, while the correlation coefficient between LCAS and state anxiety was 0.395. Both reached a significant level (P < 0.01). Self efficacy is positively correlated with foreign language achievement. Research shows that foreign language anxiety, gender and self-efficacy can be used as comprehensive variables to measure foreign language learning achievement.ResultsBased on the teaching concept of “teacher led and student-centered”, the traditional classroom teaching and network assisted learning were combined. Through the primary school foreign language (English) learning resource platform based on wechat official account platform \\ primary school foreign language (English) reading resource platform based on wechat official account platform \\ primary school foreign language (English) counseling and Q & a platform based on wechat official account platform, Let students realize resource-based autonomous learning in order to achieve the best effect of foreign language learning.ConclusionFrom the survey data, the teachers of the surveyed schools have realized the advantages of oral English teaching on wechat public platform. Wechat public platform has built a bridge for communication between teachers and students and realized free dialogue between teachers and students. Therefore, the platform has become an oral English training base. Carry out students' English teaching and develop English learning resources suitable for wechat public platform. Based on the concept of “double master”, these two teaching methods are combined with traditional classroom teaching and network assisted learning. Based on wechat public primary school English learning resource platform, wechat public primary school English reading resource platform or wechat public primary school English counseling platform, let primary school students realize autonomous learning and optimize primary school English learning.AcknowledgementsThis project is supported by Zhejiang Industry-Education Integration Engineering Base (Zhejiang Development and Reform Commission society [2020] No. 319).

Learning a language through another language is trivialto any type of language learning, whether it is the learning of a local or a foreign language. South Africa’s language policy for higher education recommends the study of foreign languages (FLs) and indigenous languages.A decade after its adoption, the learning of a foreign or indigenous language in that foreign or that indigenous language, respectively, at universities has been overlooked. In essence, the learning of foreign languages at the country’s universities dates back to the 19th century, when the first higher education institution,the South African College was established. At that College a Department of General Literature that offered Dutch, English, Latin and Ancient languages was established. English and Dutch teachers provided instruction in the English and Dutch language, respectively. The instructions involved theory, history and practice of English grammar and literature or Dutch grammar and literature. The learning of indigenous languages at the country’s universities began in the 20th century under the departments of Bantu Studies. They were learnt through English, and then later through English andAfrikaans. The instructions involved theory, history and practice of English grammar and literature. The aim of this study is to gain knowledge on the different approaches that may be used to learn a foreign language and an indigenous language. The study focuses on the complex challenges facing the country’s universities to adopt new, different and best models for the teaching of foreign and indigenous languages after many decades of using English and Afrikaans mediums. A case study method is used for this study. The emphasis is on the learning of foreign versus indigenous languages in South African universities (SAUs). The paper consists of an introduction, the theory of Grammar Translation Method (GTM), a case study on the learning of foreign versus South African indigenous languages (SAILs) at the SAUs, and a conclusion. Keywords: foreign language, indigenous language, learning, English, Afrikaans

The negative influence of significant others on high academic achieving school pupils' choice of nursing as a career

Introduction. The formation of professional plans by student youth is going on under the influence of significant others. The circle of significant others is suffering profound transformations in the conditions of changing cyber-technological paradigm, overflowing traditional family circle, friends, school masters (mentors), and needs clarification. The orientation and intensity of the impact of significant others on the modern educated youth’s professional planning are not sufficiently studied. Solving the task of staff renewal in the Russian scientific sphere shows the necessity to reveal the roles of significant others in Russian students’ and postgraduates’ readiness to build a scientific career.Aim. In this research, the significant other is a really existing or imaginary person, who significantly influences student professional path planning, when a student identifies himself/herself with the significant other. The present research aims to reveal significant others, who influence professional plans of Russian students and postgraduates, and to establish the nature of its impact; to elicit the role of significant others in the students’ and postgraduates’ readiness to build a scientific career.Methodology and research methods. A three-part questionnaire was applied to collect data. In the first part, general information about the respondents was collected. The second part included three stages, which allowed the authors to identify three significant others, who influenced the respondents’ professional plans, as well as to discover the nature of this influence. In the third part, the respondents reported about their readiness to build a scientific career. Primary data processing was carried out with the help of content-analysis. Secondary data processing involved descriptive statistics methods, non-parametric Pearson test, χ2, qualitative analysis. 1026 young people aged from 17 to 35, whose average age was 21, took part in the investigation. There were 951 students and 75 postgraduates from 10 Russian universities.Results. It was established that significant others influence the respondents’ professional plans positively, neutrally and negatively. The positive impact prevails sharply over the neutral and negative ones. Over one-third of the students and postgraduates find it difficult to identify significant others. Among the significant others, there are both real people, who live now or have lived in the past, and imaginary characters. The real significant others can be subdivided into two groups: distant and close community. The role of significant other from distant community predominates over the influence of close community representatives.Scientific novelty. The authors designed the empirical model of significant others influencing the professional path planning. It was revealed that the students and postgraduates, who are not ready to become scientists, less often plan their professional paths under the influence of significant others from scientists and discoverers, than the other respondents. The hierarchical structures of students’ and postgraduates’ significant others have different readiness levels (from five to seven) to build a scientific career and have various component composition. In addition, a higher rank of scientists and discoverers as significant others in the sampling of future scientists should be noted.Practical significance. The obtained results, which deepen the understanding of the mechanism of professional identification and career decision-making, can be used in the practice of professional orientation and career counselling for young people. Since most students and postgraduates have difficulties in building professional plans or identify themselves with fictional characters or people involved in the public spheres like culture, art and mass media, the right choice of content and channels of professional propaganda can encourage young people to get a higher education and choose educational areas that are socially significant for the country.

Informed choice has become an integral part of healthcare provision. We investigated the extent to which informed choice in the context of prenatal testing is universally valued. The value attached to parental choice in prenatal testing and the perceived importance of significant others' views when making test decisions were assessed in a cross-sectional, descriptive study. Male and female participants from general population samples in six countries: the UK (n = 210), the Netherlands (n = 197), Italy (n = 200), Greece (n = 200), China (n = 200) and India (n = 199). The questionnaires assessed values attached to parental involvement and the perceived importance of the views of significant others when making prenatal test decisions. Attitudes towards parental choice and attitudes towards the importance of others' views were analysed by age, gender and education using Chi-squared tests, Analysis of Variances and multiple logistic regression. The majority of respondents from Northern European countries believed that undergoing prenatal tests should reflect parental choice. Conversely, only a minority of respondents from Southern European and Asian countries advocated parental choice, with most expressing the belief that all pregnant women should have the procedure. The perceived importance of significant others' views when making test decisions also varied across countries: those in favour of parental choice perceived others' views as less important in the test decision. A preference for prenatal testing decisions to reflect an informed choice was predicted by (i) country and (ii) the perceived importance of significant others' views. Education, age and gender did not predict decisions. The implications of these findings for policy and practice depend upon whether placing a low value on parental choice, but a high value on the others' views regarding prenatal testing is considered an informed choice. Further research is needed to determine whether cultural variation in values remains significant in a multicultural society.

The article deals with the issues of students’ motivation for foreign language learning in non-linguistic universities. Motivation is regarded as a factor giving focus to educational activities, dynamic character and determinant of its success. The paper presents a theoretical analysis of methods to improve students’ motivation in learning foreign languages and results of the research carried out at the medical university. During the research we studied students’ foreign language level: knowledge and skills, willingness to learn a professional foreign language with the use of an interview and a placement computer test. A survey of the 1st year students in order to find out the motives for learning foreign languages with the help of a special questionnaire developed by us was conducted. Such diagnostics made it possible to obtain information about students’ level of motivation in foreign language learning, their initial level of proficiency, and understanding the purpose of learning foreign languages. To improve students’ motivation a model of professional foreign language communicative competence development in e-learning environment was designed and introduced into the educational process of the medical university. The content-procedural module of the presented model includes technologies of foreign language virtual communication: e-mail, webinars, videoconferencing, an LMS Moodle. The authors believe that the students’ motivation in foreign language learning is associated with the prospective personality development, namely the formation and development of professional competencies, mastering new knowledge and skills, getting experience.

This study investigated Taiwanese elementary school students' status in terms of body size, body satisfaction and disturbed eating tendencies. In a cross-sectional survey, 1,261 elementary school children from grades four to six participated in this study. We used an anonymous selfreported questionnaire, which included: demographics and body satisfaction; Children's Eating Attitude Test -26 (ChEAT-26); Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale; and Influence of Significant Others Scale and Media Impact Scale. We found that 58.4% of the children were of normal weight, and 32.7% of the boys and 22.2% of the girls were over-weight or obese. Moreover, 39% of the children wanted to be thinner. The mean ChEAT-26 score was 8.71±8.35, and 10.5% of the children were at high risk for disturbed eating tendencies (ChEAT-26≥20), including 8.4% of the boys and 12.6% of the girls. Scores on the ChEAT-26, Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale, Influence of Significant Others Scale and Media Impact Scale were positively correlated. The level of external control and the influence of significant others and the media were significantly higher in children with disturbed eating attitudes than in those without them. Multivariable logistic regressions showed that disturbed eating attitudes were associated with body satisfaction, locus of control, and the level of influence of significant others and the media. Disturbed eating behaviors exist among elementary school students in Taiwan. This survey highlights the need for education in acquiring healthy mental attitudes and eating behaviors by elementary school students.

Significant others like partners, family members and friends can play an important role in recovery and re-integration of workers with chronic diseases. We investigated how significant others can influence work outcomes and how occupational health care may benefit from involving significant others. The research shows that illness perceptions and return to work expectations of workers and their significant others are associated with the sick leave duration of these workers. Furthermore, it shows that occupational health physicians usually pay little attention to the influence of significant others. The main reasons for this are lack of time and not seeing the need for this. Important reasons for involving significant others are gaining more insight into for example the worker’s coping and improving support. Group interviews showed that workers generally have positive views about involving significant others in occupational health care. They do indicate, however, that the decision must lie with the worker. Furthermore, they warn for unwanted consequences like too much interference or burdening of significant others. With these findings, we developed the e-learning “Training for Occupational Health Physicians to Involve Significant Others”. In this e-learning, occupational health physicians learn how to explore the influence of significant others and how they can respond to this to facilitate recovery and re-integration. The evaluation of the e-learning shows that the knowledge, attitudes and self-efficacy of occupational health physicians with regard to involving significant others improved, as well as their awareness of the role of significant others and their intention to pay more attention to this topic in their daily practice.

Foreword

This paper analyzes the role of motivation in language learning, especially foreign language acquisition. It compares two different subjects who are learning English yet they have various background of family, language learning experience, and interests. They were provided pre-, post-tests to testify their knowledge; moreover, they were interviewed to know how they are encouraged to learn a language. The paper indicates the importance of intrinsic motivation for second language learners.

Although there is extensive documentation of the damaging psychological consequences of self-objectification, more research is needed to explain its antecedents. With the present study we (a) investigated the correlates of self-objectification by analyzing biological (age and body-mass index), psychological (self-esteem), and sociocultural dimensions (influence of mass media and significant others) in women and men; (b) examined the role of culture in self-objectification processes; and (c) tested the effect of gender as a moderator in the relationship between both psychological and sociocultural dimensions and self-objectification. A total of 770 heterosexual adults residing in Italy and Romania completed a self-reported questionnaire. Self-objectification was operationalized as Body Surveillance (BS) and Body Shame (BSH); however, because the the BS subscale was not satisfactorily reliable, our focus was restricted to BSH. The correlates of self-objectification for BSH were analyzed separately by nationality in regression models. Overall, BSH emerged as a process influenced by agents rooted in biological and psychological domains, as well as in social and cultural domains. High educational level and high self-esteem (this last particularly in men) correlated with reduced body shame for the Romanian sample, whereas within the Italian sample, the internalization of media standards and influence of significant others emerged as risk factors for body shame. Taken together, these findings underline the need to identify cross-cultural constants of self-objectification, as well as differences across contexts, in order to better understand self-objectification and to promote protective factors in specific culturally situated interventions.