A wide range of studies have been conducted, but there is not a consensus on the definition of the word attitude in literature (Ajzen, 1988; Ryan & Giles, 1982). Baker (1992) believed that the word attitude is originally different from its meaning. That is, the word attitude means a posture in a picture. Eiser (1986) stated that if a person has attitude towards something, it means he or she likes or dislikes something, or showing approval or disapproval and so on. Moreover, Orfan (2020) defined the word attitude as a person’s feeling about an item. He believed that if a person has positive or negative feeling towards a particular item, he or she gives favorable or unfavorable preferences to that item.
In Afghanistan, attitudes towards learning English are increasing. Learners’ needs, their interests, attitudes and motivation are the main factors for learning English (Mohammad, 2015; Orfan, 2020). English is now extensively used in media, business, government offices, and organizations (Orfan, 2021). It is much welcomed by Afghans in schools, universities and in other educational centers. They think English can pave the path of learning and providing adequate opportunities inside and outside Afghanistan. Furthermore, although English is learned as a foreign language here in Afghanistan, it is widely accepted as a prominent medium not only in educational contexts, but it is also used in media. While learning English, Afghan students use a wide range of English textbooks, (i.e., Headways, American Files, Let’s Go, Interchange, and so on). The reason for this is to better speak, write, and read English in a particular context (Orfan, 2020; Orfan, 2021).
In addition, the findings of some studies show that there are a wide range of factors that affect the language learning process such as motivation, attitudes, anxiety, learning achievements, aptitudes, intelligence, personality, and age (Padwick, 2010; Gardner, 1985; Shams, 2008). Showing more positive attitudes towards learning a foreign language is much emphasized as a crucial factor (Fakeye, 2010). Furthermore, a study conducted by Kara (2009) who reported the behavior of the students is affected through performances they show in language classroom. That is, those learners who hold more positive beliefs about language learning will show tendency of increasing their attitudes and perceptions towards learning a foreign language. unlike the above ideas, having negative thoughts and beliefs may result in feeling more anxiety, low level of aptitude, motivation, and negative attitudes towards learning English (Victori & Lockhart, 1995; Akramy, 2020).
A study conducted by Choy and Troudi (2006) in Malaysia who reported the attitudes of secondary school students towards learning English. The findings of his study revealed that students reflected a mixture of both positive and negative attitudes towards learning English. The study further illustrated that English plays a vital role in lives of Malaysian citizens. For example, English is used on billboards as advertisement, public signboards on major roads where a large number of people are walking, and it is also used as medium of instruction in most of educational centers. Similarly, Yunus (2011) pointed out in his study that students from different cultures tend to show positive attitudes and better motivation while they want to learn English. Their language learning process is mostly related to some supportive environmental factors, (i.e., parents, teachers, and peers) to better interact, participate in language classroom activities, and even learn the language in a smooth manner. The study also showed that students have to have intrinsic motivation to better learn a language. What is more, when the students create an internal motivation in them, they may have full support from the community as well. Their active participation is pertaining to their full tendency towards learning a language. Furthermore, another study conducted by Fakeye (2010) about having positive feelings about learning a foreign language and it showed that applying and using a wide range of activities in language classroom can cause the students, staff, and any other individuals who are keen to learn a foreign language will increase their positive preferences to the language. They get enthusiastic when they are given full support in their learning environment. The participants of the study emphasized that whole-class discussion, role plays, games, poster presentation, and group work activities not only improve their motivation in language learning, but they also change their behaviors about learning a language (Akramy, 2020; McCallum, 1980; Rajendran, 2019).
English is also an important foreign language in an Afghan educational setting. Afghans consider this language a necessary tool in finding jobs and dealing with their daily affairs. Pertaining to the issue, a couple of studies conducted to explore the attitudes of Afghan undergraduate students towards learning English, EGP, ESP, and EAP. For example, Orfan (2020) carried out a study to determine the attitudes of university undergraduate students towards learning English in terms of cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects. The findings of his study revealed that the students had positive cognitive, affective, and behavioral attitudes towards learning English. Moreover, Orfan and Noori (2021) carried out another research to study the attitudes of Afghan religious scholars towards learning English. The results of the study showed that the religious scholars had positive attitudes towards learning English and they emphasized that they sometimes encouraged their children to study English language to improve their information about Islam religion. Another study conducted by Manap et al. (2018) who studied the motivation of Afghan students regarding learning English while another one (Siddiq et al., 2019) explored the attitudes and motivation of Afghan students towards ESP, EGP, and EAP. However, the studies conducted in Afghanistan did not address the attitudes of Afghans towards learning English in terms of their work environment, use of English in the workplace, and as a medium for hunting jobs. Unlike having positive attitudes towards learning English, a study conducted by Miri (2019) who attempted to study the consequences and effects of English from his own perspectives. He finally came up with a result that English caused him to decline his first language and focus more on English. He also found in his study that studying English not only made him knowledgeable, but it also helped him to travel to many countries of the world and took his master’s degree in an American university.
In addition to showing attitudes towards learning English, a couple of studies carried out recently to feature some teaching approaches for delivering English training to language learners. For example, Orfan et al. (2021) conducted a study about English instructors’ use of teaching methods in an EFL setting. They found out in their study that Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is an effective teaching approach in delivering English lessons to learners because this approach focuses on interaction which is the ultimate goal of studying a language. Moreover, another study conducted by Akramy et al. (2021) who reported that student-centered method is the prime goal in language learning context which consisting of the production of students rather than being careful about their input. Moreover, it is considered a crucial approach to open a friendly learning atmosphere for a big number of language learners in the class (Akramy, 2021).
To fill the gap in the literature, the role of Afghan civil servants’ attitudes towards learning English has received less attention in the context of Afghanistan. They work in different governmental offices and their attitudes towards learning English and the impact of English on their work environment were not studied by any researchers. The current study tries to eliminate this gap in the literature. Conducting this study is also a contribution to a deep understanding and learning English in Afghanistan. For this reason, the present study attempts to investigate the attitudes of Afghan civil servants towards learning English in their work environment. It also studies the effects of English for the quality of their work and the tasks they do in their offices. Moreover, the study aims to determine the respondents’ attitudes towards learning English by their gender, age, level of education, and the experience of using English in the work environment.