The Impact of Openness and Ambiguity Tolerance on Learning English as a Foreign Language (Second Language Learning and Teaching)

✍ Scribed by Brygida Lika

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 2024
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 187
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This book highlights the importance of individual learner differences in learning English as a foreign language and reports the findings of a study which investigated the impact of two personality traits, which are, openness to experience and ambiguity tolerance, on target language attainment among Polish secondary school students. The book provides an exhaustive overview of the theoretical issues and existing research related to personality, emphasizing the two traits under investigation, openness, and ambiguity tolerance, which are the focus of the empirical study reported later in the book. The empirical investigation explored relationships between openness to experience and ambiguity tolerance, as well as their impact on attainment in learning English as a foreign language. Moreover, it also aimed to shed light on the link between these traits and students’ assessments (i.e., self-assessment and school grades). The findings of the study provide a basis for proposing specific profiles of foreign language learners with different levels of openness and ambiguity tolerance.

✦ Table of Contents

Preface
Reference
Contents
Abbreviations
List of Figures
List of Tables
1 Introduction
References
2 Personality and Openness to Experience: Theoretical Background
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Personality
2.2.1 What is Personality?
2.2.2 History of Personality Research
2.2.3 The Big Five Model
2.3 Openness to Experience
2.3.1 History of Research on Openness to Experience
2.3.2 Definitions of Openness to Experience
2.3.3 Facets of Openness to Experience and Their Role
2.3.4 The Importance of Openness to Experience in Everyday Life and Education
2.3.5 The Role of Openness to Experience in Second Language Acquisition
2.4 Conclusion
References
3 The Characteristics of Ambiguity Tolerance
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Ambiguity Tolerance
3.2.1 What is Ambiguity Tolerance?
3.2.2 The Characteristics of Ambiguity Tolerance
3.2.3 Tolerance Versus Intolerance of Ambiguity
3.3 The Importance of Ambiguity Tolerance
3.3.1 Ambiguity Tolerance in Everyday Life
3.3.2 Ambiguity Tolerance in Education
3.3.3 Ambiguity Tolerance in Second Language Acquisition
3.4 The Connections Between Openness to Experience and Ambiguity Tolerance
3.5 Conclusion
References
4 Selected Empirical Research on Openness to Experience and Ambiguity Tolerance
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Empirical Research on Openness to Experience
4.2.1 Openness to Experience in General Functioning
4.2.2 Openness to Experience in Education
4.2.3 Openness to Experience in Second Language Acquisition
4.3 Empirical Research on Ambiguity Tolerance
4.3.1 Ambiguity Tolerance in General Functioning
4.3.2 Ambiguity Tolerance in Education
4.3.3 Ambiguity Tolerance in Second Language Acquisition
4.4 Empirical Research on Openness to Experience and Ambiguity Tolerance
4.4.1 Openness to Experience and Ambiguity Tolerance/Intolerance During the Transition to Academic Life and in Different Social Groups
4.4.2 Openness to Experience and Ambiguity Tolerance in Second Language Acquisition
4.5 Conclusion
References
5 The Study
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Research Rationale, Hypothesis and Research Question
5.3 Method
5.3.1 Participants
5.3.2 Instruments
5.3.3 Procedure
5.3.4 Analyses
5.4 Results
5.4.1 Descriptive Results of the Research Variables
5.4.2 Inferential Statistics
5.4.3 Qualitative Results—Interviews with Selected Students
5.5 Conclusion
References
6 Discussion
6.1 Introduction
6.2 The Links Between Openness to Experience and Ambiguity Tolerance
6.3 The Profiles of Foreign Language Learners with Different Levels of Openness to Experience and Ambiguity Tolerance
6.4 Limitations of the Study
6.5 Conclusion
References
7 Summary of Findings, Implications, and Recommendations for the Foreign Language Classroom
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Summary of Findings
7.3 Implications for Further Research
7.4 Recommendations for the Foreign Language Classroom
7.5 Conclusion
References
Appendix A Questionnaire 1—Research on Openness to Experience and Ambiguity Tolerance
Appendix B Questionnaire 2—Summary of the Research on Openness to Experience and Ambiguity Tolerace
Appendix C Students’ Interview
References
Bibliography