Case Study on Uighur High School Students' Language Attitude and English Learning

In the empirical study, the Uighur high school students in Yining No.3 High School were selected as the subjects, and questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data. The current research offers a case study in English learning, English teaching, and identity study as it investigates the characteristics of the Uighur high school students' language identity and analyzes the relationship between their language identity and English learning. The research conclusions are as follows: First, the subjects have a high level of self-identity with Chinese and minority languages but a low level of identity with minority written languages. Second, the subjects hold a high level of instrumental identity with English. Most of them believe that the one who masters English can find a good job and earn more money. Third, the subjects have a high level of the integrative motivation with both English and minority languages. Fourth, most subjects believe that it is helpful for students to master more languages, as bilinguals are cleverer than other people. Fifth, the research shows that there are some positive relations between the Uighur high school students' English learning and their language identity.