Abstract
The purposes of the present study are two-fold: (1) To examine whether social psychological variables, such as attitude and subjective norm, can predict South Korean English as a foreign language high school students’ intention to learn English, and (2) to identify the best social psychological model for sustainable second language learning in the context of South Korean English as a foreign language (EFL) learning. A total of 614 South Korean high school learners of English participated in the present study. Data collected from a survey questionnaire were analyzed using a structural equation modeling procedure. Results of the present study indicate that South Korean high school students’ attitudes toward learning English and subjective norms made a significant and independent contribution to the variance in their intention to study English. Among the three competing social psychological models examined in the current study, the theory of Planned Behavior and an expanded model of Gardner’s Socio-educational Model proved to be the most effective in terms of the strength of path coefficients and explanatory power. Theoretical and pedagogical implications are provided.
Highlights
Sustainability and sustainable development are critical for well-being and quality of life
Social psychological theories have rarely been utilized to examine South Korean learners’ English as a foreign language (EFL) learning, EFL learning in South Korea is a matter of academic activity based on cognitive functioning and a social behavior co-constructed by the learner and the environment
The results of the present study indicate that South Korean high school students’ attitudes toward learning English and the perceptions of their significant others’ opinions in reference to English learning made a significant and independent contribution to the variance in students’ intention to study English, verifying that the two key variables in Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) work in the context of South Korean EFL learning
Summary
Sustainability and sustainable development are critical for well-being and quality of life. As seen by the fact that a majority of the sustainable development goals proposed by the United Nations pertain to economic and ecological domains, it is evident that the issues of sustainability and sustainable development in psychological and sociocultural dimensions both at the level of individuals and at the society are underrepresented in the literature of sustainability [2]. Language learning is an important avenue of investigation in the psychological and sociocultural understanding of sustainable development, since sustainable development would be impossible without effective communication among people, and language plays a crucial role in mediating the relationships between people, society, and the environment For these reasons, the process of learning a language has received intense attention from educators and psychologists. Being able to communicate with other people using a language allows access to education, which helps people to come up with innovative solutions to the world’s problems
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
