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2.
A method of training new cognitive processes .
By learning another language, students acquire methods of learning or new perspectives on themselves and
their societies. 3.
A Way-in to the mother-tongue
.
The students awareness of their first language is enhanced by learning a second language.
4.
An entrée to another culture.
Students can come to understand other groups in the world and to appreciate the music and art of other cultures.
5
. A form of religious observance
. For many people a second language is part of their religion, whether Hebrew for the Jewish religion, Arabic for
Muslims, or indeed English for Christians in some parts of the world.
6. A means of communicating with those who speak another language.
We all need to cope with people from other parts of the world, whether for business
or pleasure.
7. The promotion of intercultural understanding and peace
. For some the highest goals of language teaching are to foster negotiation rather than war or
changes in the society outside the classroom.
C.The Nature of Attitude 1. Definition of Attitude
Understanding what attitude means represents an important part of this study. Attitudes are part of an individual’s whole psychological functioning. The
view that human behaviors and actions are better understood through their attitudes is also valid in la
nguage teaching. It can be hypothesized that teachers’ attitudes affect the way they teach and what they teach. According to Richards
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and Lockhart 1994: 29, ” … what teachers do is a reflection of what they know
and believe, and that ‘teacher knowledge’ and ‘teacher thinking’ provide the underlying framework or schema which guides the teacher
’s classroom actions”. Attitude to something cannot be directly observed. The reason is that a person’s
thoughts, feelings or beliefs are hidden, it is latent, and can only be inferred from the direction and persistence of external behavior.
Gardner 1985:8 reveals that ‘attitude’ is complex and many definitions have been proposed to describe its essence. The term ‘attitude’ may include such
things as personality, beliefs, values, behaviors, and motivation. Allport 1935 defines ‘Attitude as a mental or neural state of readiness, organized through
experience, exerting a directive or dynamic influence on the individual’s response to all
objects and situations to which it is related’. Eagly and Chiken 1993: 582 describe “attitude as a psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a
particular entity with some degree of favor or disfavor.”Good 1973 also defines ‘attitude’ as a predisposition or tendency to react specifically towards an object,
situation, or value, usually accompanied by feelings and emotions; attitudes cannot be directly observed but must be inferred from overt behavior, both verbal
and nonverbal’. Attitude isthe held belief which causes people to behave in a certain way, positively or negatively, in favor or disfavor of objects, people, issue,
events or phenomenon. It tends to look at the degree of positive and negative effects associated with a certain behavior or phenomenon. The idea that attitude
can be positive or negative was expounded by Thurstone 1929. Every normal individual has a variety of attitudes, which might be positive or negative and can
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vary according to their favorability and un-favorability for various attitudinal objects. Attitude is not a static trait rather marked by changes as experience
accumulates.
1. Characteristics of Attitudes
