Affective Attributes and Second Language Performance of Maritime Students: A Teacher’s Compass

Abstract

Learning a second language calls for a total commitment from the learner because his/her
response is necessary to successfully send and receive linguistic messages inextricably bound up with
virtually every aspect of human behaviour.
This study aimed to investigate the effect of affective attributes namely; attitude, motivation, anxiety and
self-confidence, to the second language performance (writing and speaking) of the randomly selected
third year maritime students. Descriptive-correlational design was employed with survey questionnaires
used to generate data on affective attributes while English language profile was extracted from the
respondents’ entrance tests results while composition writing and IELTS-based interview were
conducted to establish the English language performance. Average means and pearson-r were the
statistical treatment utilized with the aid of Microsoft excel.
Results revealed that respondents exuded positive attitude, were motivated, and confident, however
anxious in learning the second language. Notably, significant relationship among the variables were
evident like, writing to attitude having a moderate positive degree of correlation while confidence and
motivation with low positive degree of correlation. Further, speaking performance has a moderate
degree of positive correlation with attitude while moderate negative correlation with confidence and
only low degree of positive correlation with anxiety.
Thus, results implied that affective domains, attitude, motivation and confidence, could affect positively
on the English language learning among L2 users while anxiety may create an affective block and may
deter better second language performance, especially in oral communication, if not facilitated well.
It is then recommended that a review and evaluation of the maritime English courses be done and
interactive module for English language courses/subjects shall be developed to enhance the affective
attributes of maritime students be crafted in facilitating anxiety and enhancing other affective domains in
second language learning.