Attitudes towards EFL Education in Norway and the Netherlands

Abstract

The teaching of English as a foreign language in primary and secondary schools and the question of how students become proficient in English has been the topic of much research. Both Dutch and Norwegian governments have instituted an English Foreign Language curriculum in primary and secondary schools. Several scholars have concluded that pupils in Norway are currently more proficient in English than in the Netherlands. There are many factors which may contribute to this gap in knowing and producing the English foreign language. This study focuses on whether language attitude could contribute to proficiency in English. Attitudes have been shown to have an influence on language acquisition. In this study, a questionnaire was conducted among a sample group of Norwegian and Dutch pupils to assess whether there is a difference in attitude towards English foreign language learning. The questionnaire focused on retrieving data concerning attitude, instrumental, and integrative motivation towards the EFL. Based on the results of the survey, suggestions were made for the Dutch English foreign language curriculum. The results reveal that there is no considerable difference in Norwegian and Dutch pupils’ answers. Implications of the results and future research directions were also presented.