How Much Do Emotional, Behavioral, and Cognitive Factors Actually Impact College Student Attitudes towards English Language Learning? A Quantitative and Qualitative Study

Abstract

Researchers have proposed many multidimensional frameworks to identify significant and potential factors, e.g., educational background, positive feelings and career aspirations, that impact English learning attitude in second language acquisition. Yet, there is still very little research to graphically describe the interactions between these factors and how these factors directly or indirectly impact learning attitude. To this end, a questionnaire survey was conducted in Changchun University of Technology. Statistical measures and Bayesian network analysis were introduced to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze the collected data. Furthermore, the significant attitudinal differences between students majoring in the Liberal Arts or Sciences were investigated for the case study. Studying the interaction between these factors can help explain how they positively affect students’ attitudes toward English language learning. To stimulate interest, teachers may take targeted pedagogical approaches or strategies.