Attitude–proficiency correlations are stronger for foreign languages than for local languages¶

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? Language status significantly moderated the association (F(1, 128) = 9.86, p = .002): foreign-language contexts r = .38 versus local-language contexts r = .28, supporting H3b. → 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 of language status, confirmed by RVE (t(29) = −2.29, p = .030). The foreign-language subgroup showed "meaningfully larger asso - ciations" than the local-language subgroup, consistent with H3b.

"Studies conducted in foreign lan - guage contexts (k = 50, r =.38, 95% CI [.34, .42]) showed meaningfully larger asso - ciations than those in local language contexts (k = 80, r =.28, 95% CI [.20, .37])."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• The attitude–proficiency association is strongest for attitudes toward the language itself and weakest for attitudes toward speakers — related
• Local participants learning a foreign language show the strongest attitude–proficiency association; immigrant participants learning a local language the weakest — a broader claim this one bears on
• Participant background (local vs. immigrant) did not significantly moderate the attitude–proficiency association — related
• Language attitudes show a significant small-to-medium positive correlation with language proficiency (r = .34) — a broader claim this one bears on
• Self-assessed proficiency correlates more strongly with language attitudes than externally scored proficiency — related