AN INVESTIGATION INTO TURKISH EFL LEARNERS’ STEREOTYPED THOUGHTS AND EXPOSURE TO ENGLISH: A CORRELATIONAL STUDY

Abstract

This study aims to investigate tertiary EFL learners’ stereotyped thoughts about foreignlanguages, the extent of their exposure to English, and the potential relationships betweenthese variables, also in relation to their proficiency level. 124 EFL students in the preparatoryschool of a state university in Turkey participated in the study. Two quantitative datacollection instruments were distributed to the participants: Stereotyped Thoughts AboutForeign Languages Scale (Ünal, 2015) and Exposure to English Scale (Gökcan &Çobanoğlu-Aktan, 2016). Descriptive statistics and correlations were used to analyze thedata. The results showed that the participants held a moderate level of stereotyped thoughtsand exposure to English. Moreover, significant and positive relationships were revealedbetween L2 exposure and (1) proficiency level and (2) the two dimensions of stereotypedthoughts: collectivity at a weak level and trying to change people at a moderate level.However, L2 exposure correlated significantly and negatively with taking it personally andexaggerated generalization at a weak level. Concerning the relationships between proficiencylevel and the dimensions of stereotyping, the “Must” rule, taking it personally andexcessively self-sacrificing showed significant and negative relationships with proficiencylevel weakly, while exaggerated generalization correlated with proficiency at a moderatelevel.