Attitudes, Prejudices and Stereotypes of Turkish High School Students towards the German Language

Abstract

In the last quarter of the 20th century, it has become quite important to research about the factors affecting learning and learning process by taking the student-centered education to the forefront. Three of these factors, namely attitude, prejudice and stereotype, are among the factors which can complicate learning by influencing the individual psychologically and mentally. These three terms cannot be precisely separated from one another; they are closely related and hence they are researched by scientists in an interrelated way. As breaking down prejudice and stereotypes enhances positive opinions towards other cultures and also reveals attention and sympathy towards the foreign language, dealing with prejudice and stereotypes in course has a really significant function in developing and enhancing foreign language courses of these days. Through this study, it is examined whether Turkish high school students have prejudice and stereotypes towards the German language, what their attitudes are and how these attitudes affect their prejudice and stereotypes. In this sense, different variables which might affect students' attitudes, prejudices and stereotypes towards Germans and the German language are dealt with in the study.