Syrian-Refugees Secondary School Students' Attitudes towards Learning English Language in Al-Mafraq Governorate

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the Syrian-refugees secondary school students' attitudes towards learning English language with regard to behavioral, cognitive, and emotional aspects. It also explored if there are any significant differences in the students' attitudes towards the English language according to their demographic factors, such as gender, year of study, Grade Point Average, and interest in immigrating abroad. A quantitative research design was employed within an attitude survey that focuses on attitudes regarding learning English using the instrument of Attitude and Motivation Test Battery (AMTB). The study participants consisted of 297 students in four secondary schools in Za'atary Camp in the north of Jordan. Software of the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS), ANOVA, and multiple comparisons were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that the participants had a positive attitude towards learning English. Regarding the demographic factors, there were statistically significant differences in the students' year of study and interest in immigrating abroad; however, these differences were not the same for gender in the behavioral, cognitive, and emotional aspects or for GPA in the cognitive aspect alone.