ATTITUDES OF STUDENTS, TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATORS AND PARENTS REGARDING MODERN LANGUAGE STUDY IN THE EDMONTON SEPARATE SCHOOL DISTRICT

Enrollment data for the ten-year period 1969-1979 obtained from the Alberta (Canada) Department of Education and the Edmonton Separate School District reveal that even though a considerable number of senior high school students engage in modern language study, there is a high rate of attrition from one level of such study to the next. Concerned with this situation, the author, a former modern language teacher, undertook a study for the following purposes: (1) To identify the general attitudes of students, modern language teachers, administrators, and parents toward modern language study in the senior high schools of the Edmonton Separate School District (Grades 10-12). (2) To identify the factors influencing students to enroll or not to enroll in modern language study. (3) To identify the factors influencing students who enroll in modern language study to continue or discontinue such study.;Study findings included the following: (1) The majority of respondents in each group sampled was of the opinion that modern language study was important and beneficial, and that such study should begin at the kindergarten or elementary school level. Half of the teacher group but a majority of parents and administrators were of the opinion that such study should be undertaken only by those students who elect it. (2) Among the three groups of students, the majority in each case perceived conversational ability, letter writing, and ability to read current literature in the language as the most important skills to be obtained from such study. The majority of each of these groups rated "getting a good job," the "importance of the language in today's world," and the "value of the language in their chosen field of study" as the most important reasons for studying language. (3) The principal reason cited by students for discontinuing language study was loss of interest, with failure to learn the spoken language and difficulty of course work as the next most important reasons for discontinuing study. (4) The majority of language students were of the opinion that there was insufficient opportunity to practice the language skills outside the classroom. (5) Girls generally reported a more favorable attitude toward language study than boys. (6) Teachers and administrators did not agree on their ratings of relative importance of reasons for language study drop out but reasons cited included overall decline in school enrollment, student feelings of irrelevancy of language study, and changes in college admission requirements. (7) Teachers and administrators were more satisfied with the quality of current language programs than were parents, and tended to rate the programs at their own schools as of higher quality than those in the rest of the district.;Study data were obtained by sampling students (approximately 330), language teachers, administrators and parents by means of survey instruments designed for each group. Student respondents were classified into three categories: those previously enrolled in language study, those currently enrolled and those never enrolled.