The attitude–proficiency association is strongest for attitudes toward the language itself and weakest for attitudes toward speakers¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r3 · q3
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Attitude object significantly moderated the association (F(3, 128) = 4.18, p = .007); attitudes toward the language yielded r = .36 while attitudes toward speakers yielded r = .15 with a CI spanning zero under RVE. → Maria Adelina Ianos 2026

Evidence¶

Maria Adelina Ianos 2026¶

Maria Adelina Ianos, Andrei Rusu, Ramona Paloş, Cristina Petreñas, Clara Sansó. (2026). Linking Language Attitudes to Proficiency Across Learning Contexts: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Correlational Evidence. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-026-10193-w

q3 · i? · quant-synthesis · r3

Three-level moderator analysis across four attitude objects. Attitudes toward the language (k = 93, r = .36, CI [.32, .40]); language learning (k = 19, r = .27); speakers (k = 17, r = .15, CI [−.06, .34], RVE p = .099); learning situation had only three effects from two clusters, precluding reliable inference.

"The omnibus test for attitude object was statistically significant in the primary three-level analysis, F(3, 128) = 4.18, p =.007, indicating that the four attitude objects do not share a common true effect size."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Language attitudes show a significant small-to-medium positive correlation with language proficiency (r = .34) — a broader claim this one bears on
• Local participants learning a foreign language show the strongest attitude–proficiency association; immigrant participants learning a local language the weakest — related
• Attitude–proficiency correlations are stronger for foreign languages than for local languages — related
• Participant background (local vs. immigrant) did not significantly moderate the attitude–proficiency association — related