A comparative study of students' attitudes toward learning English as a foreign language according to their instructional strategies preferences at Gateway Learning Center, Hpa-an Township, Karen State, Myanmar

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate if there was a significant difference between students’ attitudes toward learning EFL according to their preferences for instructional strategies at Gateway Learning Center, Hpa-an Township, Karen State, Myanmar. This research was a quantitative comparative design utilizing two questionnaires: Attitudes Toward Learning English as a Foreign Language Questionnaire (ATLEFLQ) and Instructional Strategies Preferences Questionnaire (ISPQ) to collect data. The data were collected from 203 students in November and December, 2017. The researcher analyzed the data using descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, frequencies and percentages) and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for statistical hypothesis testing. The findings indicated that the students had positive attitudes toward learning English as a foreign language and the most preferred instructional strategy for learning EFL was mixed instructional strategy, followed by experiential learning, interactive instruction, indirect instruction, direct instruction and finally independent study. There was no significant difference between students’ attitudes toward learning EFL according to their preferences for instructional strategies. Recommendations for students, teachers, administrators and future researchers are provided.