The Importance of Personal Tolerance in Learning a Foreign
Language
Ziyoda Abidova
1
and Uktam Djalalov
2
1
National University of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
2
Training Centre for Clinical Skills, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
2
Keywords Tolerance, Learning a Foreign Language, Learning Motivation, Cognitive Activity, Achievement Motivation,
Anxiety, Anger, School Performance, Educational Process.
Abstract. This article examines the role of tolerance in the learning process. It also presents the results of a survey
conducted by the authors of this article to determine the degree to which tolerance influences students' mental
states and the success of learning foreign languages. The survey results revealed a high direct correlation
between the degree of personal tolerance and the degree of cognitive activity, learning motivation, acquisition
of a foreign language, and a reverse correlation with anxiety and anger levels. Based on the survey findings,
the authors conclude that personal tolerance is important for learning foreign languages. In their view, the
existence of a strong correlation between tolerance and students' mental states, which affects learning success,
indicates that it is important to pay attention to this causality when designing educational processes and
methodologies. In the educational process, the emphasis must be placed on developing and strengthening
individual tolerance.
1 INTRODUCTION
Second language skills are one of the most important
determinants of individual cognitive processes,
conditions for successful adaptation in society, and
building competitive skilled workers in the sphere of
social production and services. There are many
research studies on factors affecting foreign language
learning processes. However, further studies in this
area are still relevant. In our view, the success of
foreign language learning depends on the individual's
tolerance level. After all, a tolerant environment, as
well as the tolerance levels of teachers and students,
undoubtedly play a significant role in the training of
mentally mature and achievement-oriented
specialists.
Tolerance, being a condition of social harmony,
benefits respect for other ethnicities and their
languages. It facilitates the development of
independent thinking skills, productive learning,
critical thinking, and judgment making based on
1
2
moral principles among students [Djalalov U.D.,
Abidova Z.A. (2020).]. The role of tolerance in the
learning process suggests its potential influence on
the foreign language learning process. In this regard,
we conducted a survey to identify the efficiency of
tolerance level on students' mental states and
educational success, and thus, tried to identify the
importance of personal tolerance in learning foreign
languages.
2 METHODS
A survey of 180 secondary school students (grades 9-
11) was conducted to assess tolerance levels. The
Z.A. Abidova Self-Assessment of Tolerance Level
methodology was used to identify tolerance levels
and assess emotional, cognitive, and behavioral
components of tolerance. These components have
static and dynamic parameters on scales for "I – for
myself," "I – for others," and "Perfect I." The
methodology can be used for self-assessment or to
14
Abidova, Z. and Djalalov, U.
The Importance of Personal Tolerance in Learning a Foreign Language.
DOI: 10.5220/0012476300003792
Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
In Proceedings of the 1st Pamir Transboundary Conference for Sustainable Societies (PAMIR 2023), pages 14-18
ISBN: 978-989-758-687-3
Proceedings Copyright © 2024 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda.

monitor the effectiveness of tolerance development
programs.
The Spilberg-Andreeva Educational Motivation and
Emotional Attitude to Learning methodology was
used to assess mental states. This methodology is
based on C.D. Spilberg's questionnaire, which
examines levels of cognitive activity, anxiety, and
anger as current status as well as individual
characteristics (State-Trait Personality Inventory).
A.D. Andreeva modified the questionnaire to
examine emotional attitude (1987). The methodology
can be used to identify levels of psychological
attributes such as cognitive activity, achievement
motivation, anxiety, anger, and educational
motivation at various stages of the educational
process. Assessed universal learning activity includes
personal learning activity, meaning-making, and
school motivation.
A test was also conducted to determine the
acquisition quality of foreign language learning.
Students were split into two groups based on their
tolerance level, and cognitive activity, learning
motivation, emotional attitude to learning, and
performance levels of foreign language learning were
compared between participants with high tolerance
levels and low tolerance levels. The Kolmogorov-
Smirnov test was used to check the distribution
structure of the collected series, and the value in many
parameters was p < 0.05.
Because the variables diverge from standard
distribution, non-parametric tests were used to
conduct the analysis. The Mann-Whitney U-test was
used to compare results from the two groups, and the
Spearman rank correlation coefficient was used to
conduct correlation analysis r
S
.
3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Following the results of the tolerance level self-
assessment, the survey participants were divided into
two groups:
● Group 1: Participants with high
tolerance levels (n = 72; 40%)
● Group 2: Participants with low
tolerance levels (n = 108; 60%)
The results of data wrangling from the two
groups using the methodology "Educational
motivation and emotional attitude to learning" are
demonstrated in the table below (Table 1).
Table 1: Educational motivation and emotional attitude to learning among students with high and low tolerance levels
Scale
High tolerance
level
Low tolerance
level
Cognitive activity
Hi
g
h 54% 42%
Medium 46% 56%
Low 0% 3%
Achievement
motivation
Hi
g
h 38% 22%
Medium 54% 75%
Low 8% 3%
Anxiety
Hi
g
h 17% 25%
Medium 63% 64%
Low 21% 11%
Anger
Hi
g
h 29% 39%
Medium 38% 47%
Low 33% 14%
As shown in the table, high cognitive activity is
observed among the majority of participants with
high tolerance level (54%), and low cognitive activity
is not observed. While medium level of cognitive
activity is observed among the majority of
participants with low tolerance level (56%), and low
level of cognitive activity is observed in 3% of
participants. Nevertheless, the analysis of secondary
assessment using the Mann-Whitney U-test has
shown that the variance between the two groups in the
The Importance of Personal Tolerance in Learning a Foreign Language
15

cognitive activity scale is not significant (U = 372.5;
p > 0.05).
Achievement motivation in the educational
process remains relevant. It is often seen as a problem
of cognitive interest. The success of the learning
process depends on various psychological and
educational aspects, which are considered to be socio-
psychological and socio-educational. The
motivational power and its structure have a clear
effect on the success of learning activities. The results
of our survey revealed that achievement motivation
among the majority of participants in the two groups
was at a medium level (54% and 75%, respectively).
The variance is also not significant (U = 386.5; p >
0.05).
Emotional suffering, anxiety, discomfort, and
uncertainty about their well-being, which can be
treated as symptoms of anxiety, can all be categorized
as basic negative forms of behavior. The anxiety
scale, as well as the previous scale, was at a medium
level among the majority (63% and 64%,
respectively) in both groups compared. Although
high anxiety was observed among 17% of participants
with high tolerance level and 25% of participants with
low tolerance level. Low anxiety was observed
among 21% of participants with high tolerance level
and 11% of participants with low tolerance level. The
variance between the anxiety scales of the two groups
is not significant (U = 368.5; p > 0.05).
In fact, anger indicates aggression. Some forms of
aggression are common to the majority of teenagers.
However, it should not be overlooked that aggression
as a persistent form of behavior among a certain
category of teenagers not only persists but also
develops, transforming into a persistent form of
behavior. As a result, the teenager's productive
potential decreases, their ability to communicate well
is constricted, and their personal development is
deflected. An aggressive child is a problem not only
for those around them but also for themselves.
High anger was observed in 29% of participants
with high tolerance level, 38% with medium level,
and 33% with low level. While 39% of participants
with low tolerance level showed high anger level,
47% showed medium level, and 14% showed low
level. The variance between the anger scales of the
two groups is also not significant (U = 344.5; p >
0.05).
Educational motivation is a combination of
internal and external motivators that encourage
learners to engage in learning activities. Educational
motivation among participants with high and low
tolerance levels is shown in the histogram below
(Figure 1).
Figure 1: Educational motivation among participants with high and low tolerance levels.
I. Level 1, which indicates productive
motivation with outspoken dominance of cognitive
motivation to learning and positive emotional attitude
to it, was observed among 4% of participants with
high tolerance level and only 3% of participants with
low tolerance level.
II. Level 2 that demonstrates productive motivation,
positive attitude to learning, coherence with social
PAMIR 2023 - The First Pamir Transboundary Conference for Sustainable Societies- | PAMIR
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norms was observed among 38% of participants with
high tolerance level and among 14% of participants
with low tolerance level.
III. Level 3 – average level with mildly reduced
cognitive motivation was observed among 33% of
participants with high tolerance level, and among
50% of participants with low tolerance level.
IV. Level 4 – reduced motivation, experiencing
“scholastic tedium”, negative emotional attitude to
learning was observed among 17% of participants
with high tolerance level and among 22% of
participants with low tolerance level.
V. Level 5 – animus toward learning was observed
among 8% of participants with high tolerance level
and among 11% of participants with low tolerance
level.
Despite the fact that the majority of participants with
high tolerance level had a productive motivational
level to learning than among participants with low
tolerance level, the secondary data processing
analysis did not show a significant difference (U =
312.5; p > 0.05). The analysis to identify the link
between psychological state and tolerance level using
Spearman's ranks correlation coefficient (r
S
) revealed
significant positive correlation dependence between
tolerance level and cognitive activity. The higher the
tolerance level, the more cognitive activity (r
S
=
0.302; p < 0.05).
There is also a significant negative correlation
dependence between tolerance level and anger. The
higher the tolerance level, the less anger (r
S
= -0.304;
p < 0.05). Negative correlation dependence also exists
between tolerance level and anxiety, but this
dependence is not significant. The higher the
tolerance level, the less anxiety (r
S
= -0.215; p > 0.05).
Generally, the level of motivation to learning has a
positive correlation dependence with the tolerance
level. The higher the tolerance, the higher the level of
motivation to learning among participants of the
survey (r
S
= 0.348; p < 0.01). A test to identify the
acquisition quality of foreign language learned was
also conducted among participants of the survey. This
test was conducted using an authorial questionnaire
that was developed based on foreign language
learning training curriculum.
The results of assessing the acquisition quality of
foreign language learned show that in general, 38%
of participants have a high level of acquisition, 30%
have a good level of acquisition, and 32% have a low
level. Further participants were split into two groups
depending on tolerance level. The results are shown
in the table below (Table 2).
Table 2: School performance in learning foreign language depending on pupils’ tolerance level.
Foreign language acquisition
level
High
tolerance level
Low
tolerance level
High level of acquisition
50% 31%
Medium level of acquisition
29% 31%
Low level of acquisition
21% 39%
As shown in the table, the majority (50%) of
participants with high tolerance level had a high level
of foreign language acquisition, 29% had a medium
level, and 21% had a low level. While the majority
(39%) of participants with low tolerance level
demonstrated a low level of acquisition, 31% had a
high or medium level of foreign language acquisition.
Despite the fact that the majority of participants with
high tolerance level had a higher level of foreign
language acquisition than participants with low
tolerance level, secondary data processing analysis
did not reveal a significant difference between them
(U = 326.5; p > 0.05).
The analysis to identify the link between tolerance
level and acquisition of foreign language level using
Spearman's ranks correlation coefficient (rS)
identified a significant positive correlation
dependence. The higher the tolerance level, the higher
the foreign language acquisition level (rS = 0.255; p
< 0.05). Nevertheless, the variance between pupils
with high and low tolerance levels is not significant.
The correlation analysis shows a high level of
correlation dependence. The higher the tolerance
level, the lower the anger and anxiety levels and the
higher the cognitive activity level, foreign language
learning motivation, and acquisition.
The Importance of Personal Tolerance in Learning a Foreign Language
17

4 CONCLUSION
Thus, the tolerance level has a high positive
correlation with the cognitive activity level, foreign
language learning motivation, and acquisition, and a
negative correlation with anxiety level and anger.
Based on the results of the survey, we can conclude
that individual tolerance is important for learning
foreign languages. The existence of a significant
correlation between tolerance and the psychological
state of students, which affects the outcomes of the
learning process, indicates that it is important to focus
on this causality and design educational
methodologies that take it into account. In the
educational process, it is important to focus on
developing and strengthening personal tolerance.
REFERENCES
Djalalov U.D., Abidova Z.A. (2020). “Modern aspects of
training competitive personnel in higher education
system: monography/ Uzbekistan National University
named after Mirzo Ulugbek. – Tashkent– 195 page.
Abidova Z.A. (2016). Authorial description of
methodology «Selfassessment of tolerance level»//
Department in State unitary Enterprise «Intellekt
Ekspert» 29.04.2016, №000184. – Tashkent, – 4 page.
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