Language motivation and ethnic attitude of high‐ability students who attended ethnically homogeneous secondary schools

Abstract

The effects of attendance at linguistically and ethnically homogeneous schools on language motivation and ethnic attitude among high‐ability pre‐univer‐sity students learning English and Chinese (Mandarin) in Singapore were investigated. With reference to ethnolinguistic identity theory, results show no perceivable defect in motivation to learn the ancestral language though some effect on motivation to learn English. Contrary to expectation, students from homogeneous secondary schools tended to be more positive in their ethnic attitude. Factor analysis shows ethnic attitude and language motivation to be independent and that, for learning the ancestral language, emphasis on examination is antagonistic to language identity.