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Home Background Characteristics and Second Language Learning

University of Western Ontario

Anne-Marie Masgoret

University of Western Ontario

Paul F. Tremblay

Research Psychologists Press

Some researchers investigating second language acquisition argue that the sociocultural milieu of the learner influences individual difference variables involved in learning a second language. This study investigated this link by assessing the linguistic nature of the home community, respondents’ recollections of early experiences in second language learning, and their current attitudes and beliefs about language learning and bilingualism. The sample consisted of 109 1st-year university students enrolled in an introductory psychology course. Support was found for a causal model that indicated that early sociocultural experiences, as reflected in respondents’ recollections, influence their current cultural attitudes, motivation to learn a second language, and self-perceptions of second language proficiency.

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