Attitudes of Public and Private Schools’ Students towards Learning EFL

Abstract

This study aimed at exploring attitudes of public and private schools' students towards learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and investigating factors affecting the students' attitudes towards learning EFL.

The study attempted to answer the following questions:
1-What are the overall attitudes of public and private schools’ students towards learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL)?
2- Is there a statistically significant difference between the overall mean of attitudes of public and private schools' students towards learning EFL according to the type of school (public or private)?
3- What are the main factors affecting students' attitudes towards learning EFL?
The sample of the study consisted of 144 ninth grade students chosen randomly from Amman public and private schools. The students were distributed into four sections, each section comprised 36 students.
To conduct the study, the researcher used a 20-item questionnaire to reveal attitudes of the students towards learning EFL. In addition, the researcher also carried out semi-structured interviews so as to explore factors affecting students' attitudes towards learning EFL.
Findings of the study showed that the overall mean of attitudes of public and private schools' students towards learning in EFL is positive; however, the results indicated that students of private schools have more positive attitudes towards learning EFL than students of public schools.
The findings showed that methods of teaching, the physical environment and the educational setting of schools were the main factors that affected students’ attitudes towards learning EFL.