HOW MUCH DID I LEARN IN HIGH SCHOOL? FIRST YEAR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' ATTITUDES IN RELATION TO THE TEACHING-LEARNING PROCESS IN A SECOND LANGUAGE IN HIGH SCHOOL IN THREE INTERNATIONAL CONTEXTS

The ultimate goal of this study is to observe and gather information on the students' perceptions on the factual constraints during their high school studies in three different contexts: Valencia (Spain), Flandes (Belgium) and Valdosta (USA). The participants in this study were 82 first year college students enrolled in the Polytechnic University of Valencia, the University of Amres and the State University of Valdosta. Data were gathered by means of questionnaires and preceded by a focus group and a careful design of the questionnaire at three levels: researchers, teachers and a small sample of students. Because the sample is rather limited, the findings cannot be over generalized but they show some light for further studies in the field of high school language instruction. Analysis of data indicated that the three groups share common problems such as the limited use of out of class language learning materials or learning opportunities, the high school teachers' methodology and the students' attitudes towards the target language. These findings stress the importance of using global methodologies that appropriately lead the students in their use of in and out of the classroom resources. The results also indicate that high school language learners may not be so different despite their original cultures and mother tongue.