On the Relationship among Hemispheric Dominance, Attitude towards L1     and L2, Gender, and Learning Suprasegmental Features in Iranian EFL                                                                  Learners

Table of Contents

   Approval Page. .…I

    Dedication. …III

    Acknowledgments………………………………………………………………………….…………….IV

    Abstract……………………………………………………………………….……………….…V

    Table of Contents…………………………………………………………….……….……….…VI

    List of Tables……………………..…………………………………………………….………….…….IX

    List of Figures……………………………………………………………………………….….X

    List of Abbreviation……………………………………………………….….…………….….XI

1. Chapter One: Introduction

    1.1 Preliminaries. 3

    1.2 Statement of the Problem.. 5

    1.3. Significance of the Study. 6

    1.4. Research Questions. 7

    1.5. Null Hypotheses. 8

    1.6. Limitations of the Study. 8

    1.7. Definition of the Key Terms. 9

2. Chapter Two: Review of the Related Literature

      2.1 Theoretical Framework of the Study. 12

       2.1.1 Suprasegmental Features. 12

      2.1.1.1 Intonation. 12

      2.1.1.2 Stress. 15

   2.1.1.3 Assimilation. 15

   2.1.2. Hemispheric Dominance. 17

   2.1.3 Attitude. 18

   2.1.4. Gender and Brain Function. 20

   2.2. Previous Research Findings. 21

      2.2.1. Studies Conducted on Hemispheric Dominance. 21

   2.2.2 Studies Conducted on Attitude. 31

   2.2.3. Studies Conducted on Gender 41

3. Chapter Three: Methodology

      3.1. Design of the Study. 54

      3.2. Participants. 54

      3.3. Instruments and Materials. 54

      3.3.1. Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (EHI) 55

      3.3.2. Attitude Towards English Language Questionnaire. 55

      3.3.3 Attitude Towards Persian Language Questionnaire. 55

      3.3.4. Speech Analyzer Software. 56

      3.3.5. Oxford Placement Test 56

   3.3.6. Suprasegmental Features Test 57

3.4. Data Collection Procedure. 58

3.5. Data Analysis. 59

4. Chapter Four: Results

4.1. Overview.. 61

4.2. Results……………………………………………………………………………………….64

5. Chapter Five: Conclusion

5.1. Overview: 70

5.2. Restatement of the Problem.. 70

5.3. Summary of the Research Findings. 71

5.4. Discussion. 72

5.5 Conclusion. 78

5.6. Implications of the Study. 79

5.7. Suggestions for Further Studies. 80

6. Reference…………………….…………………………………………………………………82

7. Appendices……………………………………………………………………………………102

List of Tables

Table 3.1: Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability Test for L1Questionnaire………………………………56

Table 3.2: Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability Test for SLT………………..…………………………57

Table 3.3: Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability Test for SLT Sections…………………………………57

Table 4.1: Test of Normality……………………..……………………………………….………61

Table 4.2: Descriptive Statistics for SLT Scores of Right and Left Brained Participants……….62

Table 4.3: Independent Samples t-test for SLT Scores of Right and Left Brained Participants..63

Table 4.4: Descriptive Statistics for SLT Scores of Males and Females………..……………..…64

Table 4.5: Independent Samples t-test for SLT Scores of Males and Females……………….……65

Table 4.6: Descriptive Statistics for SLT Scores and Attitude towards L1………………..…….66

Table 4.7: Pearson Correlation between Attitude towards L1 and SLT Scores………………..…66

Table 4.8: Descriptive Statistics for SLT Scores and Attitude towards L2…..….……………….67

Table 4.9: Pearson Correlation between Attitude towards L2 and SLT Scores…………………….67

List of Figures

Figure 1: Girls’ Network of Interactive Variables in FLL.…………………….………..…………51

Figure2: Screenshot of Speech Analyzer Software………………………….…………….………56

Figure 3: Scatterplot of Correlation between Attitude towards L1 and SLT Scores………..……66

Figure 4: Scatterplot of Correlation between Attitude towards L2 and SLT Scores…….………68