Exploring the Link Between Attitudes Toward Basic English Learning and Linguistic Competence in Higher Education

The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between students’ attitudes toward learning Basic English as a foreign language and their level of linguistic competence at Universidad Peruana Los Andes, Lima campus. The research followed a quantitative, applied methodology with a non-experimental, cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational design. A total of 76 students participated, completing a validated questionnaire that had previously demonstrated acceptable reliability through Cronbach’s Alpha. The descriptive analysis showed a balanced distribution of perceptions: 50% of respondents expressed favorable attitudes toward learning English, while the remaining 50% reported unfavorable views. With respect to linguistic competence, 14.5% of participants were classified at a poor level, 46.1% at a fair level, 14.5% at a good level, and 25% achieved an excellent level. For the inferential stage, Chi-square tests were applied, yielding significance values lower than 0.05. Consequently, the null hypothesis was rejected, and the alternative was accepted. These results confirm the existence of a statistically significant association between students’ attitudes and their linguistic competence. In other words, learners who display positive attitudes toward English tend to achieve higher levels of proficiency, whereas unfavorable attitudes are linked to weaker performance. Overall, the findings highlight the critical role of socio-affective variables in language learning and suggest that strengthening students’ motivation and attitudes should be a key priority in the design of English teaching programs within the Peruvian university context.