The relationships between learner‐related variables and attitudes towards standard accents and pronunciation assessment: A large‐scale study of secondary‐level EFL learners in Hong Kong

Abstract

Despite scholars' advocacy of intelligibility over nativelikeness in the EFL education context, many learners still seem to favour standard British and American accents. However, comparisons across studies have shown some changes in learners' perceptions, suggesting a move away from standard accent orientation. This article reports part of a larger study that examined the relationships between four learner‐related predictor variables (self‐rated proficiency, previous exposure to different accents, attitude towards [spoken] English, and attitude towards accuracy) and two outcome variables (learners' attitudes towards standard accents, and attitudes towards pronunciation in speaking proficiency assessment). A questionnaire was completed by 1,300 EFL secondary‐school students in Hong Kong. The four predictors were generally found to correlate significantly with the two outcomes (Pearson's rs ranging approximately from .10 to .50). Specifically, learners' attitudes towards accuracy and (spoken) English had the strongest positive relationships with the outcomes. In the multiple regression models, these two predictors together explained 32% and 11% of the variance in attitudes towards standard accents and pronunciation assessment respectively.