Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-m9kch Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-01T09:13:38.441Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Social Psychological Factors Related to the Study of Arabic Among Israeli High School Students

A Test of Gardner's Socioeducational Model

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2008

Roberta Kraemer
Roberta Kraemer
Affiliation:
Tel Aviv University
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This study investigated the generalizability of Gardner's socioeducational model for second language learning to a highly different social context from that in which the model was developed. Specifically, the study examined Jewish high school students in Israel learning Arabic as a foreign language in a setting characterized by a high degree of intergroup conflict. Four tenets were identified as forming the essential core of Gardner's theory. These we would expect to apply across widely differing contexts in order to support the generalizability of the model. Other elements in the model, as well as the degree of relationship between variables, may be specific to the social context. The main hypothesis posited an expanded version of Gardner's model that included additional constructs—both general and context specific.

The subjects for this study were 484 pupils studying Arabic in the 10th grade in regular high school programs. The instruments consisted of written questionnaires that were administered during two regular class periods. Teachers' marks were collected at the end of the school year. The hypothesis was tested using linear structural relations (or LISREL) causal modeling techniques. Regarding each of the four core elements in Gardner's theory, we concluded that the model was indeed generalizable to the context of this study. Other relationships between variables in the model are interpreted in light of the specific language learning context.

Type
Articles
Information
Studies in Second Language Acquisition , Volume 15 , Issue 1 , March 1993 , pp. 83 - 105
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Atzmon, N. (1985). Hora'at ha-'aravit be-bate sefer ‘ivriyyim [Teaching Arabic in Israeli Jewish schools]. Unpublished report to the Israeli Ministry of Education and Culture.Google Scholar
Bentler, P. M., & Bonett, D. G. (1980). Significance tests and goodness of fit in the analysis of covariance structures. Psychological Bulletin, 88, 588–606.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bentler, P. M., & Chou, C.-P. (1987). Practical issues in structural modeling. Sociological Methods and Re-search, 16, 78–117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bourhis, R. Y., Giles, H., & Rosenthal, D. (1981). Notes on the construction of a ‘Subjective Vitality Questionnaire’ for ethnolinguistic groups. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 2, 145–155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bourhis, R. Y., & Sachdev, I. (1984). Vitality perceptions and language attitudes: Some Canadian data. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 3, 97–126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Central Bureau of Statistics. (1983). Statistical abstract of Israel (Vol. 33). Jerusalem: Author.Google Scholar
Central Bureau of Statistics. (1988). Statistical abstract of Israel (Vol. 39). Jerusalem: Author.Google Scholar
Gardner, R. C. (1982). Language attitudes and language learning. In Ryan, E. B. & Giles, H. (Eds.), Attitudes towards language variation (pp. 132–147). London: Arnold.Google Scholar
Gardner, R. C. (1985). Social psychology and second language learning: The role of attitudes and motivation. London: Arnold.Google Scholar
Giles, H., Bourhis, R. Y., & Taylor, D. M. (1977). Towards a theory of language in ethnic group relations. In Giles, H. (Ed.), Language, ethnicity and intergroup relations (pp. 307–348). New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Giles, H., & Byrne, J. L. (1982). An intergroup approach to second language acquisition. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 3, 17–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Giles, H., Rosenthal, D., & Young, L. (1985). Perceived ethnolinguistic vitality: The Anglo- and Greek-Australian setting. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 6, 253–269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hayduk, L. A. (1987). Structural equation modeling with LISREL. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.Google Scholar
Hoelter, J. W. (1983). The analysis of covariance structures: Goodness-of-fit indices. Sociological Methods and Research, 11, 325–344.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Joreskog, K. G., & Sorbom, D. (1986). LISREL VI: Analysis of linear structural relationships by maximum likelihood, instrumental variables and least squares methods. Mooresville, IN: Scientific Software.Google Scholar
Kraemer, R. (1990). Social psychological factors related to the study of Arabic among Israeli Jewish high school students. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv.Google Scholar
Kraemer, R., & Olshtain, E. (1989). Perceived ethnolinguistic vitality and language attitudes: The Israeli setting. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 10, 197–212.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Landau, J. (Ed.). (1961). Hora'at ha-'aravit ke-safah zarah [Teaching of Arabic as a foreign language]. Jerusalem: Hebrew University School of Education and Ministry of Education and Culture.Google Scholar
Powell, R., & Littlewood, P. (1982). Foreign languages: The avoidable options. The British Journal of Language Teaching, 20, 153–159.Google Scholar
Seliktar, O. (1984). Ethnic stratification and foreign policy in Israel: The attitudes of Oriental Jews towards Arabs and the Arab–Israeli conflict. The Middle East Journal, 38, 34–50.Google Scholar
Tajfel, H. (1978). Social categorization, social identity and social comparison. In Tajfel, H. (Ed.), Differentiation between social groups (pp. 61–75). London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Wheaton, B. (1987). Assessment of fit in overidentified models with latent variables. Sociological Methods and Research, 16, 118–154.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yafeh, I. (1977). Qawim le-hora'at ha-'aravit be-bate sefer ha-'ivriyyim [Guidelines for teaching Arabic in Hebrew schools] (Piamenta Committee Report). Jerusalem: Ministry of Education and Culture and Pedagogic Secretariat.Google Scholar