Attitude of Students towards English Language Learning At University Level

Abstract

This study maps the attitudinal terrain of 60 master’s students at the University of the Punjab toward English as a second language. Using a 20-item, Gardner-derived Likert questionnaire, four belief domains societal, cultural, personal, and pedagogical were probed. SPSS descriptive analysis reveals an additive majority: 58.35 % embrace English as cultural capital layered atop Urdu identity, 24.1 % fear subtractive erosion (“English makes me less Pakistani”), and 17 % remain neutral. Personal ambition (71.88 % positive) and societal prestige (64.62 %) propel the additive wave; cultural insecurity and rote pedagogy fuel the subtractive minority. Females lean integrative, males instrumental mirroring Karahan (2007). Lambert’s (1981–1990) bilingual typology is affirmed: additive orientation predicts engagement, subtractive anxiety predicts withdrawal. Neutral respondents await identity-safe, task-rich classrooms. Findings align with global cohorts (Buschenhofen, 1998; Kwofie, 2001) yet spotlight a uniquely Pakistani fault-line: fluency versus heritage. Ten recommendations follow: credit-bearing proficiency modules, co-curricular immersion, translanguaging pedagogy, and campus campaigns proving bilingualism amplifies Pakistani-ness. The verdict is clear: Punjab University postgraduates stand ready to speak the world provided classrooms reassure them they never stop speaking themselves.

Keywords: English as Second Language, Additive Bilingualism, Subtractive Bilingualism, Language Attitude, Master’s Students, Pakistan, Identity, Pedagogy, Motivation, Lambert