The Impact of Accent among Non-Native English-speaking Biology Lecturers on Student Comprehension and Attitudes

Authors:
Alexandra Kolesnikova, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
Alina Liubimova, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
Elena Muromtseva, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
Anton Muromtsev, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
Email: alex_wd@mail.ru
Published: June 11, 2021
https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.9.3.02

Citation: Kolesnikova, A., Liubimova, A., Muromtseva, E., & Muromtsev, A. (2021). The Impact of Accent among Non-Native English-speaking Biology Lecturers on Student Comprehension and Attitudes. IAFOR Journal of Education: Language Learning in Education, 9(3). https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.9.3.02


Abstract

This study examined the attitudes of postgraduate biology students of three top-ranked Russian universities towards the foreign accents of non-native English-speaking lecturers. Fifty participants responded to a questionnaire, the main purpose of which was to explore the listeners’ perceptions of professors’ accents and their influence on students’ ability to concentrate on and comprehend the lecture material. The research included a quantitative analysis of gathered descriptive data. The results of the study show Russian students’ tolerant attitudes to foreign accents of non-native lecturers and demonstrate their readiness to comprehend non-standard English-medium speech of non-native representatives of the international natural sciences academic community.

Keywords

accent perception, foreign accent, non-linguistic professional discourse, Russian-speaking students, sociolinguistics, students’ attitudes