A Study of College Students in Iran: Attitudes and Perceptions toward English

In its history, English is a language which has undergone lengthy processes from colonialism to globalization which triggers off a wave of various relationships between English language and the community in which English is spoken. This reflects the considerable significance of the current studies directed towards perceptions of English in Iran. Data were collected from a random sample of 140 college students from universities in Iran. In addition, the attitudes of participants were examined in terms of effect of proficiency level. Reflecting data gathering instruments, concurrent embedded strategy of mixed methods design (questionnaire and interview) were employed in this study. Nvivo software was utilized for qualitative data while descriptive statistics and Mixed between within ANOVA were employed for quantitative analysis. The research findings revealed that majority of the college students put a high value on the leading role of English in their life. In addition, English was accepted as an international language which is not peculiar to any specific country or culture. Moreover, there was a tendency for the participants to be taught both standard varieties of English (American English and British English) and out circle verities of English (World Englishes). Finally, it was deemed to exist a harmonious relationship between English and their Iranian identity

کلیدواژه ها:

colonialism ، globalization ، attitudes