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EFFECTS OF THE SUGGESTOPEDIA METHOD ON ATTITUDES

AND LANGUAGE ACHIEVEMENT IN ENGLISH AMONG
NINTH GRADE PUERTO RICAN STUDENTS

Naomi Vega Nieves

The Suggestopedia Method is a humanistic foreign /second language

teaching method that places primary importance on the affective dimension
of second language learning. Since affective variables have been established
as crucial in the second language situation of Puerto Rico, this method seems
especially suitable for second language learning in the local public schools.
The method uses a combination of techniques, such as physical relaxation
and visualization exercises, affirmations and relaxing music, based on
suggestive principles, to strengthen self-esteem and expand the learner’s
memory capabilities, enabling students to learn with greater speed, little
conscious effort and considerable enjoyment.
This study explores the effect of the Suggestopedia Method on
communicative language achievement and attitudes toward learning English
among intermediate school students. It also examines the viability of using
this method in a typical public school setting in Puerto Rico. A quasi-
experimental research study was carried out with a pretest-posttest non-
equivalent control group design. The study was conducted at the Andrés
Valcarcel Junior High School of the Trujillo Alto School District, San Juan
Educational Region, of the Puerto Rico Public School System with a sample of
sixty four (64) ninth grade students. Four intact ninth grade English classes
participated in the study as did their three (3) English teachers.
Study results yielded evidence that students who received instruction by
way of the Suggestopedia Method exhibited significantly better
communicative language achievement and more positive attitudes toward
English than those who received instruction by the traditional method (ESL).
It was also evident that Suggestopedia is a viable method for use in the
Puerto Rican public school setting. Both students and teachers responded
favorably to this method and preferred it over traditional methods of English
instruction.
Even though second language learning, specifically English, is generally
seen as necessary and important, most Puerto Ricans are not fluent speakers
of the language. According to the 1990 census, only 20% of the Puerto Ricans
living in Puerto Rico consider themselves fluent in English. Most Puerto
Ricans are literate in Spanish (89.6% according to the 1990 census) and have
formal education. Their education also includes an English as a second
language class. In spite of the fact that English has been taught in Puerto Rico
since first grade, the general perception is that most students lack
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communicative skills in the language and several studies about the teaching
of English in Puerto Rico have indicated that poor language achievement is
the overwhelming reality in public schools (Aloise, 1992; Medina, 1991;
Quintero et al., 1987).
Ambivalent attitudes about learning English seem to be omnipresent in
many Puerto Rican students. These attitudes and what appears to be an
unconscious resistance to learning English seems to be related to the
sociopolitical dimensions of learning English in Puerto Rico. The fact that
English is an imposed language and part of a colonial legacy apparently
impacts the collective consciousness of Puerto Ricans in their ability to
acquire the language (Harris, 1993).
After working with students and teachers in English as a second language
education for several years in Puerto Rico, it is this researcher ’s assumption
that some of the most crucial factors in the acquisition of English in Puerto
Rico involve the affective domain. This domain involves attitudes,
motivation, self-esteem, emotional states, and language learning anxiety
(Dulay, Burt, Krashen, 1987).

The Problem
The important role of attitudes and motivation in second language
acquisition has been established by the sociolinguists, Gardner and
Lambert (1972) through extensive research. Since that early work many
other second language researchers have continued to confirm their
findings (Brown, 1987; Cooper and Fishman, 1977; Chastain, 1975;
Gardner, 1980; Gardner and Lalonde, 1985; Krashen, 1981, 1987; Oller,
1977; Titone, 1982).
Most notably, Krashen (1981, 1987) has given attitudes, motivation
and all the affective variables an important role in his second language
acquisition theory. Krashen’s affective filter hypothesis states that
affective variables have a relationship to second language acquisition.
Those who have a high or strong affective filter will tend to seek less
input and those who do get input, their language acquisition device
will not process it.
The affective dimension plays a particularly prominent role in
language acquisition in Puerto Rico (Aloise, 1992; Lladó, 1984). There
seems to be a general concern in Puerto Rico about this dimension of
language learning. It is substantiated by the great number of studies
that have been conducted on attitudes or affective factors and its
impact on second language learning, in the TESL program of the
Graduate School of Education at the University of Puerto Rico (Arus,
1970; Báez, 1993; Bonilla, 1972; Cintrón, 1984; Huertas, 1993; Lugo,
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Effects of the Suggestopedia Method on Attitudes . . .

1990; Medina, 1991; Rivera, 1993; Plata, 1985; Pomales, 1982; Príncipe,
1973) and other researchers in this field in Puerto Rico (Carrasquillo,
1986; Del Valle, 1991; Lladó, 1984; Livoti, 1977; Van Trieste, 1985). The
findings of these studies about language attitudes have been
contradictory, yet the overwhelming perception is that there is a need
to address the affective dimension of language learning which includes
attitudes.
One of the most effective ways to address this important issue is
through the methodology used to teach English in Puerto Rico. Titone
(1982) indicates that the empirical data points to the socio-genetic
character of attitudes and the importance of using psycho-educational
strategies that aim at developing appropriate attitudes towards the
target language.
Moskowitz (1978, 1981) also indicates the importance of addressing
the socio-emotional development of young people in the foreign
language program. She states that conditions should be provided that
‘‘help students enhance their self-image, achieve their potential,
develop healthy relationships and become mature, adjusted beings"
(1981, p. 155).
In fact, several recent studies in Puerto Rico make clear
recommendations about the use of methods that address the affective
dimension of language learning. In her recent study about the attitudes
of Puerto Rican high school towards English Rivera (1993) states that
curricula that promotes self awareness and positive attitudes and a
humanistic approach that will raise students’ egos should be used.
Báez (1993) recommends that ‘‘ESL teachers use humanistic education
strategies, nondirective teaching, communicative language teaching,
whole language and similar approaches to enhance students self-
esteem and reduce levels of apprehension.’’ (p. 4)
One of the findings in the Lladó (1984) study was that students
were especially dissatisfied with the methods and materials used to
teach English. Traditional methodology, such as the Grammar-
Translation and the Audiolingual methods, predominates in the ESL
classrooms of the schools of Puerto Rico. Pulliza (1987) vividly
describes these classrooms.
They attempt to apply grammatical rules to language performance
in a controlled, formal and instructional environment . . . Furthermore,
the environment that characterizes language learning, the one found in
many schools, usually involves a teaching situation where the
linguistic terms are presented to students in a systematic manner based
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on grammatically sequenced patterns . . . thus producing a pressured

and strained atmosphere. An imposed rate of language assimilation
measured by tests or other forms of required performance, such as oral
classroom participation, may contribute to lowering student’s
motivation, making them feel insecure and creating a high anxiety
environment. (p. 68)
The traditional methods have generally not addressed the affective
dimension which is so crucial to second language learning in Puerto
Rico. In the past decade there has been an attempt to experiment with
other methods, such as the Communicative Approach, Total Physical
Response, the Natural Approach, and more recently Whole Language
(Aponte Roque, 1988; Van Trieste, 1991).
New and innovative methods for teaching a second language have
been experimented with during the past two decades world wide.
These have all been based on current second language acquisition
theories (Celce-Murcia and McIntosh, 1979; Richards and Rogers,
1989).
One of these methods is Suggestopedia, developed by Lozanov in
the 1960’s and mostly used in Eastern Europe. Although this
unconventional method is not well known nor widely used in the
West, the researchers who have investigated it have generally reported
positive results (Lehr, 1987; Shuster and Gritton, 1989). They have
found that this method provides for the affective and humanistic
factors necessary for second language acquisition.
Even though Suggestopedia has been primarily used for foreign
language teaching, it can be used to teach any subject. It is known in
the Western world as Super-Learning or Suggestive-Accelerative
Learning. The original Bulgarian version has been modified in the
West. According to Lozanov (1992), the capacity of the human mind is
limitless if the right conditions exist. Being in a relaxed state, having
high self-esteem, a comfortable and positive environment are some of
those essential conditions for learning. The Suggestopedia Method is a
comprehensive method that addresses these conditions of learning.
Purpose of the Study
This study explored the use of the Suggestopedia Method, which is
a humanistic and highly affectively oriented method, for teaching
English as a second language (ESL) in a public secondary school in
Puerto Rico and see its effect on communicative competance and
students’ attitudes towards English. As discussed previously, attitude
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Effects of the Suggestopedia Method on Attitudes . . .

towards language appears to be a crucial variable in second language

acquisition in Puerto Rico.
Even though this method was developed for use in adult foreign
language learning and has been mainly used with this type of
population under very special conditions the researcher was interested
in exploring the feasibilty of using it with a school age population in a
conventional public school setting in Puerto Rico.
Research Questions
1. Will English communicative language achievement improve
significantly among ninth grade students who are taught English
with the Suggestopedia Method as opposed to those who are
taught English with the Department of Education’s traditional
methods?
2. Will a more positive attitude be exhibited by ninth grade students
who are taught English with the Suggestopedia Method as opposed
to those who are taught English with the Department of
Education’s traditional methods?
3. Is it feasible to use the Suggestopedia Method with a school age
population in a conventional public school setting in Puerto Rico.
4. Will secondary public school students and ESL teachers be
receptive and have positive attitudes towards the Suggestopedia
Method?
Justification
There are several reasons why the Suggestopedia Method should
be studied in Puerto Rico. It is a method that has had impressive
results in foreign and second language learning worldwide. It is a
humanistic approach, giving primary importance to affective
dimension of second language learning. Given the fact that affective
variables have been established as crucial in the in second language
situation of Puerto Rico, it seems quite suitable for second language
learning here.
To this researcher ’s knowledge, there is only one study done in
Puerto Rico with this method using a university student population,
and the results indicated significant difference in favor of the
experimental group (Moreno, 1987). This study explored the use of
Suggestopedia with another population, public secondary students.
Besides its contribution to ESL teaching in Puerto Rico, this study will
contribute to the much needed empirical data about this method in the
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Western World. In addition, this study will contribute to the growing

body of knowledge about classroom language learning that is so
essential for the task of building a theory of instructed second
language acquisition (Ellis, 1990).
Given the general dissatisfaction with second language teaching in
Puerto Rico (Báez, 1993), it is imperative that methodological
alternatives for teaching English in Puerto Rico are explored and
empirically verified. Various new methods have been tried but their
success or failure has not been widely documented or evaluated. This
study will provide documentation and evaluation of a method that
should be earnestly considered by the public school system of Puerto
Rico.
Hypotheses
This study was based on the following hypotheses:
H1 Ninth grade students who receive English instruction using the
Suggestopedia Method will show significantly higher English
communicative language achievement than those students
taught through a traditional method.
H2 Ninth grade students who receive English instruction using the
Suggestopedia Method will show a significantly more positive
attitude towards English than those taught through a traditional
method.
Conceptual Definitions
The most important terms used in this study are defined below.
These terms have been defined according to their use in the field of
second language research.
Affective domain: all factors referring to the feelings and needs,
emotional or psychological, of a person which are related to the
learning process. It includes attitudes, motivation, Self-esteem,
emotional states and anxiety.
Attitudes towards language: a specific mental predisposition toward a
language or a language experience which denotes a positive or
negative value.
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Effects of the Suggestopedia Method on Attitudes . . .

Communicative language achievement: ability to recognize and produce

authentic and appropriate language correctly in social situations as a
result of formal language instruction.
Second language and foreign language: used interchangeably throughout
this proposal since both terms describe a language other than one’s
native language.
Suggestopedia method: a humanistic foreign teaching method that uses a
combination of techniques, such as physical relaxation and
visualization exercises, affirmations and relaxing music, based on
suggestive principles to strengthen self-esteem and expand the
learner ’s memory capabilities, enabling students to learn with greater
speed, little conscious effort and a great amount of pleasure.
Traditional method: the method currently used in the public secondary
schools. This consists of an an eclectic combination of methods and
approaches, which includes Audiolingual Structural Approach,
Functional Notional Approach and Grammar Translation.

Operational Definitions
The variables of this study are defined below in terms of their
observable characteristics as determined for the purposes of this study.
Communicative language achievement: oral task, prepared by the researcher,
based on the content of the unit taught for this study.
Language attitude: a score on Livoti ESL Attitude Inventory (1977).
Suggestopedia method: affirmations, physical relaxation, visualization
exercises, relaxing music, concert sessions, dramatization and pair
work.
Limitations of the Study
Discretion is warranted in generalizing the results of this study
since the sample nor the school were randomly selected. The subjects
that participated in this study were intact classes of ninth grade
students of a secondary school of the Trujillo Alto District. The results
can only be generalized to other secondary schools in this district or to
other ninth graders in Puerto Rico who have similar characteristics as
those of this sample. The majority of the students in the sample are
considered limited English proficient and had average or below
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average achievement in English. They come from urban and rural

areas of a metropolitan area school district.
Review of the Literature
Suggestopedia is a method developed in the 1960’s by Dr. George
Lozanov, a physician and psychiatrist in Sofia, Bulgaria. He became
interested in hypnosis and hypermnesia, abnormal memory capacity,
in his medical practice. This led him to research the religious practices
of the yogis and gurus of India, who exhibited great mental capacity
through extraordinary mental feats (Ostrander and Schroeder, 1982).
The nature of the yoga hypermnesia mechanism was of special concern
to him. His research led him to conclude that hypermnesia is the result
of a suggestive or auto suggestive process directed to the memory
potential. According to him, this can be achieved in a state of hypnosis
or in a normal waking state. He termed this waking state, suggestion
and this branch of science suggestology (Lozanov, 1992).
Suggestology
Suggestology involves suggestion and desuggestion. According to
Lozanov (1992). ‘‘Suggestion is a constant communicative factor which
chiefly through paraconscious mental activity can create conditions for
tapping the functional reserve capacities of personality’’ (p. 59). His
position is that suggestion mainly operates at a subconscious level and
it is an important factor in all communicative interchange. But it can be
tapped to help students achieve their full learning potential.
Just as important in suggestology is desuggestion. It consists of the
elimination of all antisuggestive barriers. The three general suggestive
barriers are the conscious critical-logical, the subconscious intuitive-
affective, and the ethical (Dhority, 1991). The critical logical barrier
rejects those things which do not have consciously well intended
logical motivations. The subconscious intuitive-affective barrier rejects
anything that fails to provide security and confidence at a
subconscious level. The ethical barrier rejects that which is against the
moral principals of the individual. These barriers prevent the learner
from using his full mental capacities and achieving his full learning
potential.
Suggestology is based on the premise that the individual is a
product of his or her natural and social environment. The latter plays a
critical role in the dynamics of the suggestive-desuggestive process.
Lozanov (1992) clarifies this role:
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Effects of the Suggestopedia Method on Attitudes . . .

‘‘The social environment exercises a suggestive influence on

the individual in an unconscious manner not only through
the fear of the collective power or through blind
subordination, but often the individual accepts suggestion
in the absence of any fear or subordination- suggestion
which are in harmony with the general accepted social
norms and views. Since the very beginnings of man’s
existence, society has exercised a powerful and some times
insurmountable influence over the individual.’’ (p. 39)
From childhood, individuals are constantly exposed to negative
suggestions about their ability to learn and learning is portrayed as
arduous and painful. They are programmed to feel insecure about their
ability to learn and lack awareness of their true capacity to learn.

Suggestopedia
Suggestopedia was coined by Lozonav to mean the application of
suggestology to education and learning. It started purely as
psychological experiments aimed at increasing memory ability in the
learning process. This work led him to explore the extraordinary innate
human potential or ‘‘man’s reserve capacities.’’ He indicates that
humans only use 4% of their brain capacities and the other 96% is
unactivated (Lozanov, 1992). This work led him to develop the
theoretical principles of Suggestopedia and most importantly, its
practical application to the teaching-learning process, specifically
foreign language learning. He chose to apply his theories to the
teaching of foreign languages because he believed this was a slow,
frustrating and intimidating learning process.
The goal of Suggestopedia is to create learning conditions that will
eliminate previous conditioning. At the same time, new conditioning
will occur fomenting a desuggestive-suggestive process in which the
true cognitive abilities of the student will flourish.

Principles of Suggestopedia
The basic premise of Suggestopedia is that humans have unlimited
potential for learning and their potential is underutilized. There are
three general principles (Schusterand Gritton, 1989):
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1. Learning should be characterized by the joy and the absence of

tension.
2. Humans operate on a conscious and paraconscious level.
3. Suggestion is the means to use the normally unused mental
reserves for learning.
Lozanov (1992) states that Suggestopedia attempts to eliminate
previous conditioning and replace it with new positive conditioning,
creating a desuggestive-suggestive situation. Lozanov (1992)
emphasizes several key suggestive factors available in the teaching
situation: Authority, infantilization, double-planeness, intonation,
rhythm, and pseudopassivity.
Authority refers to the role of the teacher and the image she
projects to the students. The teacher should not assume an
authoritarian position, but she should project self confidence, prestige,
command of the subject, credibility, and trustworthiness. The teacher,
as role model for the students, has the capacity to exert a positive
influence over them.
Infantilization refers to the fact that learning is a natural and
unconscious process in children. The classroom should be a place to
interact with knowledge or material in a playful, relaxed, spontaneous,
and nonthreatening situation. Learning should be pleasant and joyful
and the teacher should transmit that.
Double-planeness refers to communication at the conscious and
unconscious levels simultaneously. The unity of the conscious and
unconscious is fundamental to suggestive teaching. Above all the
unconscious influence is emphasized through nonverbal behavior
which is generally communicated through facial expression, gestures,
attire, manner of speaking, and the total environment in the classroom.
Intonation is the essential element for being influential on both the
conscious and unconscious plane. Voice dynamics, which includes
voice locus, change of pace, building suspense, and excitement, cause
students to change their mind set. It apparently increases memory by
strengthening the authority of the information source.
Rhythm plays an important role in suggestion. Statements repeated
rhythmically are supposed to have a greater suggestive effect than
non-rhythmic. Rhythmically correct presentations increase memory
capabilities, according to Lozanov (1992).
Pseudopassivity refers to passive behavior of the student during
the concert phase with baroque music which promotes relaxation. The
classical music in connection with authority, infantilization, intonation,
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Effects of the Suggestopedia Method on Attitudes . . .

and rhythm will transform the students into a state of creative

pseudopassivity or in a state of relaxed attentiveness. This state
triggers release of the reserve mental capabilities.
Lozanov (1992) indicates that there are three major types of
Suggestopedic means psychological, didactic, and artistic. The
psychological means focus on the teacher’s ability to maintain the
appropriate suggestive atmosphere in the classroom. ‘‘The teacher
needs to be familiar with the numerous variants of unconscious
perceptual and thinking processes and use emotional stimulus and
peripheral perceptions’’ (Lozanov, 1992, p. 261). The didactic refers to
the structural design and integration of courses elements. The material
is presented in a global manner in meaningful context. Students are
not drilled in fragmented skills, instead the material is presented in a
holistic manner at the paraconscious level.
Finally, the artistic means which is the most notable aspect of
Suggestopedia refers to the use of artistic forms such as music,
literature, and acting in the teaching learning process. Lozanov (1992)
indicates that:
‘‘These (artistic means) are not illustrative stages in the
process of learning but are built into the content of the
lesson. The artistic means are used not only to create a
pleasant atmosphere during the process of receiving,
memorizing and understanding the information in the
lesson, but also to enhance the emotional impetus, the
suggestive setup, attitude, motivation and expectancies.’’
(p. 262)
The most important artistic means used in Suggestopedia are music
and dramatization.
The Suggestopedia Method
Based on this theoretical framework, Lozanov and pedagogues at
the Suggestology Research Center in Bulgaria devised a method for
teaching, especially foreign language teaching, that creates what they
believe are the ideal conditions for learning. This methods is
completely oriented to communicative competence. From the
beginning stages students are engaged in communicative interaction.
The language is presented in meaningful contexts for memorization
and vocabulary acquisition. The focus is on meaning rather than form.
The method attempts to break down the inhibiting fears of learners
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and increase their self-esteem so that the mind and body work
efficiently together at their maximum level. This will trigger
hypermnesia and maximum use of brain reserves.
The Suggestopedia method is a complex method that involves
many aspects of the entire teaching-learning process. It stipulates not
only the goals and techniques but also a particular learning
environment.

Characteristics of the Suggestopedia Method

According to Lozanov (1988) ‘‘Teachers exert an influence on the
student not only with what they say, but also with the intonation of
their voices, their smiles, gestures, clothes, movement and their whole
attitude toward the pupil’’; therefore you need a ‘‘totally positive
teacher ’’ (p.2). The teacher should not only provide positive verbal
communication, but she/he should also transmit positive meta-
communication. A non-critical attitude has to prevail. Negative
language like your wrong or you can’t, sarcasm or put-downs are not
allowed. The teacher must have high expectations for all students and
believe all students have the ability to learn under the right conditions.
She/he projects prestige, self-confidence and credibility. Being relaxed,
patient and supportive are also important.
The ideal Suggestopedia classroom is commodious and vibrates a
positive environment. It resembles more a family room than a a typical
classroom. Chairs should be comfortable, cushioned arm chairs
arranged in semi-circle. The room should be spacious, well ventilated,
clean nicely decorated, and have plants or flowers. It should be sound
proof with good acoustics and have a stereo system. The idea is to
create a totally comfortable and pleasant atmosphere. This contributes
to promoting psychological relaxation and positive suggestion.
Students assume new identities with the Suggestopedia Method.
Students choose or are assigned a new name, address, and occupation
in the target language. These can be famous personalities or fictional
characters who come from a country where the target language is
spoken. At the beginning of the course after the student get their new
identity they spend some time getting to know about each other in
their new role. From the beginning of the course, this activity provides
for communicative activities. The new identities are a suggestopedic
device to help the students relieve tension and fears. It is a
psychological shield which protects the student from being exposed to
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Effects of the Suggestopedia Method on Attitudes . . .

his peers. When the learner makes an error it is not her/him who is
making the error but the new identity. It promotes a playful and non-
threatening environment.
The teacher also assumes a new identity from the target language.
This is done as a suggestive device. This encourages students to take
on their identities more seriously since the teacher serves as a role
model. They will also tend to associate the teacher as a representative
of the target language and justify the fact that she will always interact
with them in the target language.
The curriculum should be focused on communicative competence
geared to the needs of the participants. Textbooks should be geared to
the specific needs of the students. In the Lozanov Institute the texts are
produced by them. The ideal situation is that the books and materials
are developed by the teachers. All the material is presented in dialogue
format. The dialogues contain humorous, interesting and pleasant
situations that are authentic to the students. A dialogue can be thirteen
pages long where about 150 new words are presented. One or two
grammar points are presented in the dialogue. The dialogues are
presented in the target language and the students’ native language. At
the end of these there is a reference section which contains the
grammatical information.
The teacher also needs all of the audiocassettes with the music that
is used with the method.
The native language of the students is allowed and used with this
method but in a limited manner. It is mainly used as a psychologically
reassuring tool. The dialogues are presented in the target language
with a translation in the native language. Grammatical points can be
explained in the native language if absolutely necessary. The teacher is
required to use the target language most of the time from the very first
day and according to Lozanov (1988, p. 57) and only see the native
language as the ‘‘emergency language.’’
The Suggestopedia Method does not put much emphasis on
grammar instruction. Meaningless grammar drills are avoided.
Grammar is presented passively in the context of the dialogues where
one or two structures are presented. Charts are also displayed with the
structures and paradigms that are presented in the dialogue days
before it is introduced. Grammar points are discussed at the end of
practice or presentation phases when necessary.
The suggestopedic teacher is mainly interested in getting students
engaged in communication in the target language. In order to achieve
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this goal, correction must only be carried out when absolutely

necessary in a tactful, indirect and relaxed way. If students are
constantly corrected they will be discouraged and lose confidence in
their ability to use the target language. Pronunciation corrections are
discouraged unless the communication is unintelligible.
This method employs the following techniques: relaxation
exercises, affirmations, rhythmic breathing, music therapy,
visualization techniques, dramatization, songs, and games.
Relaxation exercises are carried out to physically relax the student.
These consist of simple physical exercises like: stretching, bendovers,
sidebends, wave of tension and relaxation, head flops, throat
tension/relaxation, twists, shoulder flexing, walking in place, choked
breathing, eye rotation, and whole body relaxation.
Visualization exercises are mentally relaxing exercises done to get
students mind off any preoccupations outside the classroom. Several
suggested visualization exercises are guided imagery a walk along the
beach, a mountain sunrise, a flower opening, a white cloud, and a
flying a plane. With the relaxation and the mental exercises the body
mind connection is developed.
Affirmations are also used as part of the suggestive set to induce
students to believe that learning is fun, easy and possible. The idea is
to develop in them high self-esteem, a positive attitude towards
learning and a feeling that they can learn. The teacher makes
affirmations such as ‘‘You are going to learn a lot today,’’ or ‘‘I know
everyone will achieve todays objectives, or ‘‘Today we are going to
have fun and enjoy the class.’’ Students can repeat these affirmations or
make their own.
Dramatization in the form of dialogue reading, role playing, and
skits is employed for practicing the material. This type of actively
requires the students to engage in interactive oral production. This is
done to activate what they have learned. The emphasis is on actively
involving the student in the learning process and applying what they
have learned.
The use of music is one of the most important components of this
method. Music has played a powerful role since the beginning of
human culture, and it continues to be is a great influential force in
todays society (Amend, 1989). It is a carrier of suggestion, and as such
it is a powerful vehicle of conditioning especially among young
people. Classical music particularly permeates our culture in movie
scores, popular music, religious music, and jazz.
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Effects of the Suggestopedia Method on Attitudes . . .

One of the most important contributions of Lozanov is his use of

music in the Suggestopedia Method (Dhority, 1991). He uses it as a
suggestopedic device. Lozanov found certain kinds of music ideal for
creating a mentally relaxed state and as vehicle that can enhance the
cognitive process. He postulates that the music activates the right
hemisphere of the brain and the verbal activates the left hemisphere
thus providing a whole brain learning experience. The music also
helps create a pleasant suggestive atmosphere which counteracts
antisuggestive psychological barriers.
The music used with the Suggestopedia Method in the presentation
of material is classical music. The term classical music is commonly
used to refer to any music other than popular music or jazz. Yet
technically, classical music is music of the classical period. Amend
(1989) indicates that this music should be called classical period music.
Classical music has developed in the context of the different epoches in
history. The music mirrors the values and affect of its corresponding
historical period (Amend, 1989). Baroque period music corresponds to
the baroque period from 1600 to 1750, classical period music from the
1750 to 1825, and romantic period music from 1825 to 1900.
Lozanov recommends the use of baroque period music and
classical period music with the Suggestopedia Method. Baroque music
is used with the passive concert for the presentation of new material.
Classical period music is used for the active concert. The student is
asked to calmly and intuitively listen to the music with the dialogue
while allowing the complex process of the superior nervous system to
take place.
Baroque period music is known for excitement, exuberance,
decoration, and exaggeration, yet it has a uniformity of texture and
message. There is a consistent pattern in each movement creating one
dominant mood. The major composers of this era are Johann Sebastian
Bach, Frideric Handel, Geroge Phillipp Telemann, and Antonio
Vivaldi.
Classical period music has simplicity and symmetry. It has clearly
defined internal compositional structures and simplicity in melody and
harmony. There are emotional contrast in each movement. The major
composers of this era are Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig Van
Beethoven, Franz Joseph Hayden, and Gioachino Rossini.
Music is also used for the relaxation exercises. In the West, mood
music or New Age music has been used instead of classical music. This
instrumental music is characterized by a very slow rhythm. It is
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introspective flighty or dreamy, and often using synthesizers.

Sometimes sounds of the natural environment are used in this music.
Some of its most important artists are Kitaro, George Winston, Steve
Halpern, and Andreas Vollenweider.
Music is not only used in the presentation of new material and
relaxation exercises but it is also used in the practice phase. People
generally like music and they associate it with leisure. Music is an ideal
relaxing agent and it is enjoyed by most children and adults. Use of
songs for second language learning especially with children is an
effective technique that is widely used. It provides a feel for sentence
construction, vocabulary, pronunciation and cultural learning.
Students are also engaged in games for practice of material. Just
like the use of song, these are enjoyable and tension releasers. Games
are enjoyable and they distract the language learners’ attention from
the study of linguistic form. Students use vocabulary and language
structures without realizing it. The student views this activity as play
not work, yet the learning goals can be achieved. Games promote a
pleasant, informal, and relaxed atmosphere in the classroom.

The Suggestopedia Lesson

The Suggestopedia lesson has three phases: preliminary,
presentation and practice. The lesson begins with the preliminary
activities. The purpose of this phase is to relax the students physically
and mentally. This prepares them psychologically for the lesson. First
the physical relaxation exercises are performed to calm their body.
Then the mental relaxation exercises are done to prepare their minds to
concentrate on the learning experience in the classroom. Finally,
affirmations are used to build their confidence about their ability to
learn and their self-esteem.
The presentation phase begins with a review /preview. The teacher
reviews what was presented or accomplished in the previous lesson
and then discusses what will be learned that day. Then the dialogues
are presented by the teacher. These are read to the students, in a
variation of normal-loud-soft intonation to the background of relaxing
classical music.
Lozanov (1988) names this activity concert. There are two types of
concerts. First there is the active concert, where classical period music
is played and students are listening and looking at the written
dialogue in the target language and the native language. They are also
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Effects of the Suggestopedia Method on Attitudes . . .

asked to make mental images or the teacher can provide them with the
images of the words and situations in the dialogue. Then they receive a
passive concert, where students relax, close their eyes and just listen to
the dialogue set to a background of baroque music.
The practice phase is where the students apply what they have
learned. The focus of this phase is to get the students actively involved
in the learning process through activities that are interesting,
enjoyable, and meaningful. The lesson is then concluded with some
relaxation activity. It can be a physical or mental relaxation exercise.
The purpose of this activity is to finalize the learning experience in the
classroom in a positive and enjoyable tone.

Second Language Acquisition Theory and Suggestopedia

The late 1970’s through the present has been a revolutionary epoch
for the field of second language acquisition (Brown, 1987). A paradigm
shift from behaviorism to cognitivism has been clearly reflected in
second language acquisition theory and second language teaching in
the past thirty years. Humanistic psychology has also had a great
impact on the field. This can be observed in the shift towards the
affective dimension of language acquisition and the learner centered
curriculum and teaching.
Krashen’s second language theory has been the most prominent
and comprehensive theory to emerge in the paradigm shift to
cognitivism. Its impact on the second language field has not only been
theoretical, but it has had a significant impact on second language
teaching. Krashen (1981) posits that language learning is a
subconscious process and that conscious learning does little to
promote language fluency. Affective factors are therefore, crucial in
second language acquisition. These are fundamental theoretical
principles on which Suggestopedia is based. Krashen (1981) states that
in order for second language acquisition to occur there must be
communicative situations, in low risk non corrective environments.
Positive attitudes, low anxiety and high self esteem are also necessary.
The Suggestopedia Method focuses on these very same conditions. Its
success can be attributed to its highly affective orientation.
The important theoretical contributions of Krashen to second
language acquisition theory and its impact on second language praxis
in the West is indisputable (Ellis, 1990). The seven components of
Krashen’s theory, the acquisition learning distinction, the monitor
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model, the natural order, the role of input, the affective filter and first
language are in considerable agreement with the premises, principles
and means of Lozanov’s Suggestopedia Method (Botha and Puhl,
1988). The work of both theoreticians affirms the shift towards a
concern for the affective dimensions of second language learning and
the natural capacity of humans for language acquisition.

Language Attitudes
Language attitudes may include beliefs, values, opinions,
prejudices, and emotions regarding language and a language
experience. This broad spectrum of component varies in intensity from
positive to neutral to negative. Attitudes develop early in life and are
considered to be part of the socialization process (Oller, 1977).
Attitudes predispose the individual to certain behaviors, yet it is
subject to change. While a positive attitude towards a language may
influence a person to learn a language, likewise having a successful
educational language experience can contribute to developing a
positive attitude toward that language. Colins (1988) indicates that
cognitive outcomes to language education may be short lived yet
attitudes may be more enduring.
The formation of language attitudes in children appears to be part
of the socialization process. When people are learning a second
language, the way they, and the society in which they live, feel about
the language and its speakers may affect their language proficiency.
The affective factor, which includes attitudes and emotions, may
enhance or hinder the process of second language acquisition.
There has been much interest and research regarding language
attitudes, even though it is difficult to qualify and quantify this
variable. This is so because attitude is a hypothetical psychological
construct that can not be directly observed (Allport, 1967). It can only
be inferred from the behaviors or statements of a person. The most
common procedure for measuring this variable is through self-report
on an attitude scale or inventory (Summers, 1970; Allport, 1967).
Although there are problems with this procedure because people
may not be truthful, it is considered a feasible, relatively valid and
reliable instrument (Thurstone, 1967).
Several studies point out that attitudes are positively related to
foreign language learning (Brown, 1987; Cooper and Fishman, 1977;
Chastain, 1975; Gardner, 1980; Gardner and Lalonde, 1985; Krashen,
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Effects of the Suggestopedia Method on Attitudes . . .

1981, 1987; Oller, 1977; Titone, 1982). If positive attitudes aid in

language acquisition, as the research suggests, then these should be
developed and maintained and negative attitudes must be changed.
According to Gardner (1980), the language experience in formal and
informal context plays and important role in the development of
language attitudes. In a foreign language context like Puerto Rico the
formal context, the classroom, is almost the exclusive experience with
the target language. Therefore, the classroom experience is crucial in
the development of attitudes towards that language. Methods for
teaching foreign language that are affectively oriented like
Suggestopedia may therefore be influential in attitude development
and change.

Review of Research on Suggestopedia

In Bulgaria and in the Soviet Union researchers have reported
amazing success in foreign language acquisition with the
Suggestopedia Method (McCoy, 1977). They claim that it speeds
learning from five to fifty times, increases retention and requires
almost no effort on the part of the learner (Ostrander and Schroder,
1982). Despite this, western scientists look upon these results with
suspicion, mainly because of lack of information regarding scientific
studies in the former communist block countries (Marcum, 1987).
The first group experiments with Suggestopedia were informally
conducted by Lozanov in the Department of Psychiatry of the
Postgraduate Medical Institute in 1964. The Pedagogy Research
Institute became interested in the excellent results obtained and a
research group was formed to study this language teaching
methodology. In 1965 this first study was conducted using French and
English courses. They used a sample of 75 working adult students
divided into six groups, three experimental and three control groups.
Each teacher had an experimental and control group. The courses were
beginning level courses. The experimental and control groups showed
a mean difference of 21.5 per cent in vocabulary learned. This was a
statistically significant difference in favor of the experimental group. In
addition, qualitative data obtained indicated that those who suffered
from nervous complaints (headaches, insomnia, depression,
irritability) no longer suffered from these ailments. After this major
study and the impressive results, the Ministry of National Education of
Bulgaria took much interest in this method and set up a Suggestopedia
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Research Section to continue research in the field, explore its use with
other subject areas and train teachers to use the method and supervise
its use in the schools. This methodology began to be used widely in the
Bulgarian school system (Lozanov, 1992). Other countries in the
former Soviet Block became interested in the Suggestopedia method
and began to conduct experimental studies.
In 1968 Germany became the first country to experiment with
Suggestopedia at the Mnemonic Center of Leipzig, part of Karl-Marx
University. They used it in their courses for teaching Russian, English,
Spanish, and French. The results are not available in English. The
former Soviet Union began to use it in 1969 at the Maurice-Thoez
Institute in Moscow to teach French. In Hungary it was implemented
in 1972 and 1973 for teaching several foreign languages in Budapest
(Ostrander and Schroeder, 1982).
The methodology was first used in Western Europe in France in
1977 and its practitioners there formed the French School of
Suggestopedia as an association whose purpose was to develop and
disseminate the Suggestopedia Method in France. Austria established
an agreement with Bulgaria to explore and experiment with the
Suggestopedia method. The Federal Academy of Pedagogy had a pilot
school where Suggestopedia was implemented under the supervision
of Lozanov. It was then used in other schools for language teaching
(Kitaigordskaya, 1992).
As can be observed, there has been wide interest in this method in
the former Soviet Block countries and in Europe. No other language
teaching methodology has captivated so much interest and research
inquiry. It seems evident that this methodology holds much promise
and deserves attention in the Western Hemisphere where language
learning is becoming a greater concern, as we become conscious of our
global society.
The first experience with Suggestopedia in North America was in
Canada in 1973. A team of the Public Service Commission headed by
Dr. Gabriel Racle went to Bulgaria to investigate the work with the
Suggestopedia Method and receive training. The first experiments with
the method in Canada were at the Language Bureau in Ottawa to teach
French to public service employees (Racle, 1977).
According to Schuster and Gritton (1989), the first study using
Suggestopedia in the United States was conducted by Marina Kurkov
in 1971. She used it to teach Russian at Cleveland State University. It
was an experimental study with a sample of 33 students, 14 in the
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Effects of the Suggestopedia Method on Attitudes . . .

experimental group and 19 in the control group. The groups were

randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The
researcher wanted to determine the effect of this method on language
achievement and speed of material covered. At the conclusions of the
study it was found that the experimental group had an average grade
point of 3.0 as compared with the control group which had an average
course grade of 2.5. The difference was statistically significant. The
experimental group also covered twice as much material as the control
group.
Another early study was conducted by one of the United States
experts on Suggestopedia, Schuster (1976). He used it to teach Spanish
at the college level with a sample of 51 students, 16 in each of the two
control groups and 19 in the experimental group. The dependent
variable was achievement as measured by a final exam of written and
oral Spanish. The experimental group had a 18.4 mean difference over
the control groups which was statistically significantly at a.05 alpha
level. In this study as well there was more work covered by the
experimental group with a 3 to 1 saving of time over the control group.
Most of the studies conducted in the United States have been with
adult or college students, but in 1982 Ramírez did a study with a
sample of third grade Spanish dominant Chicano children to teach
English vocabulary. This study has particular applicability to Puerto
Rico because it involved teaching English as a second language to
Spanish speakers. The control group used traditional methods and the
experimental group used Suggestopedia. There were 2 experimental
groups with 24 and 27 students respectively and the control group had
24 students. The mean scores of the experimental groups were 22.83
and 19.78, whereas the control group’s mean was 12.79 The results
showed that the experimental group learned significantly more
vocabulary words than the control group at a.05 alpha level. In this
study apparently some Suggestopedia techniques were used and not
the complete method.
Another study with elementary school students was done by
Schuster (1979) but the method was used to only teach a very limited
language skill, spelling. This was a year long study with third grade
students, 19 in the experimental group and 23 in the control group.
Spelling achievement was significantly higher for the experimental
group than the control group with a mean difference of 10.65.
The most widely cited study by the critics of Suggestopedia is an
investigation conducted by Wagner and Tilney (1983). The subjects for
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this study were 61 college student. They were taught German

vocabulary. There were two experimental groups and one control
group. The results were in favor of the control group, thus indicating
that Suggestopedia was not an effective method. The results of this
study are quite misleading because the Suggestopedia method was not
actually evaluated, but rather one of the techniques used in the
method; the concert session with baroque music, was employed in a
non classroom environment. One of the most important variables of
the method, the teacher was not part of the treatment. This study
glaringly demonstrates one of the problems in evaluating research on
Suggestopedia. Often, what is being evaluated are adaptations of the
Lozanov method (Ostrander and Schroeder, 1979).
Another college level study was conducted by Gassner-Roberts and
Brislan (1984) to teach first year German. The study consisted of 32
subjects divided into two control groups and one experimental group.
There were 10 in the experimental group and 12 and 10 in each of the
control groups Students were randomly assigned to experimental and
control groups. The dependent variable, proficiency was measured
with a written midyear final and an oral test. The treatment was given
over a period of a year, which is unusually long compared to other
studies evaluating Suggestopedia. The mean scores on the dependent
measures were 77.6 for the experimental group and 66.2 and 69.3 for
the control groups. The experimental group showed significantly
better proficiency than the control group.
The United States Armed Forces have been quite interested in the
Suggestopedia method because of its quick results with language
learning (Bush, 1987). Therefore, several studies have been conducted
with military personnel. In 1984, Dhority conducted a study with
Army groups, at the Fort Devan Base in Massachusetts, learning
German. The achievement scores were significantly better for the
experimental groups in reading and in listening. This was achieved in
one third of the class time provided to the control groups. Yet in
another study conducted later with army personnel with Russian, the
results were not favorable. In this study there were 40 subjects divided
into two control groups and one experimental group. The control
groups scored significantly higher on an oral and listening test.
Many of the studies for which information was obtained were with
languages other than English, but there is a study conducted by Zeiss
in 1984 evaluating Suggestopedia with ESL with Saudi Arabian
subjects. The problem with this study was that it was over a very short
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Effects of the Suggestopedia Method on Attitudes . . .

period of time, three weeks, and the complete method was not used.
Yet, the experimental group scored significantly higher on language
achievement than the experimental group.
In 1986, Moon and his associates conducted the first meta-analysis
of research on Suggestopedia. They included 40 studies of all research
that included any component of the Suggestopedia Method. They
found that the Suggestopedia Method was more effective than other
foreign language methods studied.
Another study evaluating Suggestopedia in the teaching of ESL,
and the most important study for purposes of this researcher, because
it is the only one to the reseachers knowledge conducted in Puerto
Rico, is Moreno’s study (1988).
The subjects of this study were college students of the University of
Puerto Rico in the Mayaguez Campus. The sample consisted of 59 first
year college students that were randomly assigned to one control
group and one experimental group. The control group received
instruction using an eclectic approach with features of the audiolingual
and cognitive methods. The treatment lasted one full academic
semester session. The dependent variable was communicative
competence as measured by several tests, including an oral interview.
Mean scores were 91.28 for the experimental group and 84.29 for the
control group.
The mean difference in the scores between the groups was
statistically significant in favor of the experimental group. Moreno’s
study indicates that oral communication skills can be more effectively
developed with Suggestopedia than with the conventional methods
commonly used in Puerto Rico. Moreno was also interested in finding
out the feasiblity of using this method in a regular college classroom
since the Suggestopdeia Method requires a special environment and
conditions. She concluded that the method was adaptable to the ESL
college environment in Puerto Rico and that students had a very
positive attitude toward the method.
Communicative competence is in fact the focus of Puerto Rico’s
Department of Education’s new English curriculum (Aponte Roque,
1988). Yet, it is questionable whether the methods used are the
appropriate ones. In Puerto Rico there is an urgent need to explore
methods that are geared to the sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic
characteristics of its student population and that are congruous with
the goals of its English language program. This study provides
empirical evidence for an innovative method that may be more
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suitable to the needs and idiosyncratic nature of second language

acquisition in Puerto Rico.

Methodology
This study was intended to find the effect of the Suggestopedia
method on communicative language achievement and attitudes
towards English of ninth grade students of the Andrés Valcárcel Junior
High School of the Trujillo Alto School District in the San Juan
Educational Region.

Design
A quasi-experimental research study was performed using a
pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group design (Campbell and
Stanley, 1963). This research design was chosen because the researcher
was not allowed to assign individual students to the experimental or
control groups through random assignment. Consequently, intact
English classes were randomly assigned to the experimental and
control groups. This is the most widely used quasi-experimental
design in educational research (Campbell and Stanley, 1963; Borg and
Gall, 1983).
When random assignment of subjects is not feasible in an
educational setting of the study, a pretest is recommended to
determine if the groups are equivalent. (Borg and Gall, 1983; Gay,
1987). If it is found that the groups are not equivalent, then pretest
scores are used as covariates in an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to
make the compensating adjustments to the posttest means of the two
groups. The initial difference on the pretest are systematically
eliminated with this procedure.

Variables
The independent variable was the English teaching method with
two catogories: the Suggestopedia Method and Traditional Method.
The two dependent variables were:
a. Attitude and communicative language achievement
b. Description and selection of the sample
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Effects of the Suggestopedia Method on Attitudes . . .

Description of the School Environment

The population from which the sample was chosen was ninth grade
students of the Andrés Valcárcel Junior High School. This school is part
of the Trujillo Alto School District of the San Juan Educational Region.
There are two other public junior high schools in Trujillo Alto. The
school is in the middle of this small town. The students who attend the
school come from the town, sectors surrounding the town (barrios) one
of the housing projects near the town, three nearby urbanizations and
some of its rural areas.
At the time of this study the school had a student population of 664
of which 98% are native speakers of Spanish and could be considered
limited English proficient (LEP’s). Two hundred and thirty nine
students were in the seventh grade, 249 were in the eighth grade and
176 were in the ninth grade. This junior high school has the largest
student poulation in the district and is considered overcrowed.
The school was 19 years old. The building was quite deteriorated
and the architectural design of this four story building, with closed in
and cramped quarters is not a very appropriate environment for an
adolescent educational community. The faculty consisted of 39
teachers, (nine were Title I teachers) two social workers, a counselor, a
principal and a secretary. The English faculty consisted of 9 teachers (3
under Title I). Most of the faculty were highly experienced teachers
with many years in the public school system and most of their years of
service in this school.

Description of the Sample

The sample for this study consisted of four intact ninth grade
English classes. The initial sample included all 113 registered students.
There were 54 assigned to experimental groups and 59 to the control
groups. Due to a severe truancy problem in the school, the sample had
to be drastically reduced from 113 to 68 students.
Information regarding gender, age, address and previous grade in
English for the 68 subjects that made up the final sample was obtained
from school records and from the students personally.
The majority of the students in our sample were males, comprising
59%; females comprised the remaining 41%. By coincidence, both the
experimental and control groups had the same number of males and
females, 59% and 41%, respectively.
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Ages ranged from 13 to 15. Most of the sample consisted of 14 year

olds making up 62%. The 13 years olds comprised 26% of the sample
while 15 years olds came to 12%.
The participants were representative of all the different types of
residential areas of Trujillo Alto. They were evenly divided between
urban and rural dwellers; 50% came from urban areas and 50% from
rural areas.
The majority of the students in the sample were considered average
or below average in English achievement by their teachers. Their
English grades in the previous grade (8th) reflected that estimate: None
of the students had A’s, 26% had B’s, 32% had C’s, 29% had D’s, and
3% earned F’s. Information about previous grades was not available
for 10% of the sample.
Selection of the Sample
The Andrés Valcárcel Junior High School was chosen for this study
because the English supervisor of this district was interested in having
a school in her district experiment with the Suggestopedia Method.
After meeting with school directors and English teachers of several
schools in the district, this school was chosen because the school
director was receptive and some of the English teachers were
interested. It was also relatively accessible to this researcher because of
its location in the metropolitan area.
There were six ninth grade classes in the school. Two groups 9-1
and 9-2 were not included in the study because they were higher
achieving students, therefore different from the other four groups. All
the other ninth grade groups (9-3, 9-4, 9-5 and 9-6) participated in the
study. The experimental groups (9-3 and 9-6) and the control groups
(9-4 and 9-5) were chosen randomly from among these four groups.

Descriptions of the Teachers

The three English teachers of the ninth grade participated in the
study. One of the teachers was a Title I teacher that worked as an
assistant teacher with all ninth grade classes of English. Background
information about the teachers was obtained by having them fill out a
form. All the three teachers were females over the age of forty. They
were all experienced English teachers with 27, 21, and 10 years of
service. The two more experienced teachers had taught the majority of
those years in this school. The other teacher had only been at this
school only two years. Her previous experience was in private schools.
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Effects of the Suggestopedia Method on Attitudes . . .

The three teachers have a bachelor’s degree in secondary English

education and one of them also has a master’s degree in translation.
They are all licensed by the Department of Education of Puerto Rico as
Secondary School English Teachers. Two of these teachers have lived in
the United States and have native English pronunciation.
None of the teachers were familiar with the Suggestopedia Method
before it was presented to them by the researcher. Yet, they became
interested because according to one of them they were ‘‘open to trying
new learning strategies and looking for new ways of getting students
involved in more productive and effective ways’’. The use of such
nontraditional techniques involving classical music and relaxation
exercises, also stimulated their curiosity and interest.

Instruments
For the purposes of this study the following measuring instruments
were used to test the researcher ’s hypotheses:
1. A Cloze Test and an Oral Test, to measure the dependent variable
communicative language achievement.
2. The Livoti Attitude Inventory, to measure the dependent variable,
attitude.
3. A questionnaire was administered to the experimental group to
obtain information about their reaction to their experience with the
Suggestopedia Method.

Cloze Test
Communicative language achievement was measured with two
tests constructed by the researcher. Both tests followed a syllabus
content approach. One was an indirect test consisting of a cloze
procedure using a dialogue format and a short matching exercise The
entire test had 51 items and each item had a value of one. The score
range was therefore 0 to 51. The cloze is a testing procedure in which
the examinee is required to insert words that have been systematically
deleted from a continuous text. It is an integrative language task that is
considered to have validity for evaluating communicative language
(Cohen, 1980; Jones and Spolsky, 1975). Several studies have
established correlations between an established test of oral proficiency,
the Foreign Service Institute Oral Interview (FSI) and the cloze test. In
a study with ESL students the FSI correlated r = .63 with the cloze test
(Hinofotis, 1976 in Cohen, 1980). In another study with Hebrew the FSI
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correlated r = .81 to .84 (three judges) with a cloze test (Shohamy, 1978
in Cohen, 1980).
A table of specification of skills and content was constructed before
development of the tests. It defines the content domain of the test. A
content validation was performed to determine whether the items
constituted a representative sample of the specified domain. It was
performed by a panel of of five ESL educators, consisting of two ESL
secondary teachers, an ESL supervisors who has taught that curricular
content and two ESL professors. Spolsky and Jones (1975) indicate that
in the ESL field, language achievement tests can have high content
validity if the entire course content is made available so it can be
examined by experienced language educators. They should be able to
readily identify the elements that are reliable indicators of language
achievement.
The panel was given the content and skills of the course in a table
of specifications and the test. They were asked to evaluate the
instruments using the following guide questions: Does the test reflect
course contents? Are the items of the test relevant indicators of
communicative language achievement for the course content to be
covered during the experiment? A content validity index for each item
and the total test was determined following Humbleton et al. (1975) as
cited in Martuza (1977). The index of clarity of each item and the total
test was determined using the Collazo and Rodríquez (1993)
procedure.
The Cloze Test was piloted with a sample of 30 tenth grade
students at Facundo Bueso High School in Santurce. It was used with
tenth grade students because the researcher needed a population that
had already been exposed to the curricular content of the ninth grade
unit that was used in this study. The reliability for the cloze component
of the test was estimated with coefficient alpha using the reliability
procedure of SPSSx. This coefficient estimates the internal consistency
a test. The alpha reliability coefficient was .81.
The item discrimination index ranged from .65 to -.26. To improve
the reliability of the test, the items that had a negative item correlation
or a low correlation below.10 were eliminated unless the item was not
indispensable to maintaining the content in the table of specifications.
The alpha reliability coefficient was increased to.83 by eliminating 8
items from the test. The reliability of the cloze test was also determined
with the test scores of the 68 students of the sample. The reliability
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Effects of the Suggestopedia Method on Attitudes . . .

with the sample was substantially better with the actual sample. The
alpha reliability coefficient was .98.

Oral Test
The direct test consisted of an oral performance task. This type of
test is preferable as a summative communicative language
achievement test (Hughes, 1990). The oral task like the cloze procedure
was constructed using the table of specifications.
The oral performance task involved a social context, the linguistic
function was asking and recounting about a past event and the topic
was a car accident. It. consisted of an interaction of two students
playing the role of a police officer and a witness, who had seen a car
accident.
For the oral task the performance criteria was established and a
rating scale was developed. The dimensions of performance criteria
and the of performance levels are based on those developed by
Interagency Language Roundtable Proficency Scale (ILA) (Pardee,
1986). The performance criteria included the following dimensions of
communicative language competence: pronunciation, fluency,
sociolinguistics, grammar, vocabulary and task. It included definitions
of performance at various levels from no functional ability to poor,
satisfactory, good, and excellent ability. A number was assigned to
each level from 0 to 4 and a total score was determined by adding up
the points. The minimum score was 0 and the maximum was 28. The
raters were given a rating sheet for the scoring procedure.
A validation of the oral task for this test involved assessing if the
task, the instructions, and the prompt elicited a suited performance of
the content as specified in the table of specifications. and establishing
the degree of difficulty. This validation procedure was performed by
the same panel of of five ESL educators that examined the Cloze Test.
Baker (1989) states that item analysis nor any statistical analysis other
than inter-rater reliability procedures are appropriate for direct tests of
language performance because they are not divided into sub tasks.
The reliability for the Oral Test was estimated using inter-rater
reliability. Experts in second language testing indicate that reliability of
oral tests are closely related to the scoring procedure, therefore inter-
rater reliability is the most appropriate procedure for an oral task
(Madsen and Jones, 1981; Shohamy, 1981; Baker, 1989). Clark (1980)
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indicates that inter-rater reliability of .60 and above is psychometrically

acceptable for direct tests of oral ability.
The researcher trained four independent raters in the scoring
procedure for the oral task. Each team consisting of two raters assessed
the performance of a pilot sample of 24 students, 12 by each team, from
the Facundo Bueso School. The raters went to the school and rated the
students during the actual performance of the task. The researcher
administered the oral task and the raters observed and rated the
students. With the student sample of the study, the researcher
administered the oral task and video taped the sessions for the pre and
post test. The videotapes of the sessions were then given to the team of
raters individually to observe and rate independently. The scores of
each team of raters were statistically analyzed using the Pearson
product moment correlation coeficient. This coefficient was determined
using the CROSS-TAB sub-program of SPSSx. The inter-rater reliability
coefficient ranged from .80 to .94, which indicates an acceptable
reliability (above.60) in the scoring procedure.

Livoti Attitude Inventory

Attitude towards English was measured with Livoti’s (1978) ESL
Attitude Inventory developed and used by him in his attitudinal study
of fifth and eighth grade students of southern Puerto Rico’s public
schools. Dr. Livoti granted the researcher permission to use and revise
this instrument for her study. This instrument was also used by Aloise
(1992) in her study of the Immersion Method, to measure her
dependent variable, attitudes toward English. The inventory measures
a student’s attitudes toward English. The questionnaire contains 32
items in Spanish using a three point Likert Scale, with the following set
of responses: agree, undecided, disagree (Wiersma, 1986). The
statements were presented in both affirmative and negative form.
Affirmative items received a value of three, for agree and a one, for
disagree on the Likert Scale. The negative items receive the inverse
order, three for disagree and one for agree. The possible scores ranged
from 32 to 96. The greater the score the more positive the attitude.
The items for this scale were obtained by Livoti (1978) from
previously developed foreign language attitude inventories, some of
which were modified and others were suggested by ESL educators in
Puerto Rico. The validation procedure used by the developer of this
instrument consisted of the following activities. The items were
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Effects of the Suggestopedia Method on Attitudes . . .

reviewed by a panel of ESL educators who chose 64 items. These were

field tested with 100 students with similar characteristics as those to be
in his study. Items which discriminated between students scoring in
the upper and lower half of the group were determined by computing
the contingency coefficient of each item. The 32 items that were most
discriminating and not repetitious in content were finally selected for
the scale by the panel of ESL educators, consisting of Livoti and two
university professors. All items that were retained had a
discriminating power of .349 or higher.
The reliability of the instrument was estimated using a split-half
procedure. The corresponding (internal consistency) coefficient was.83
with a group of eighth graders.
The Attitude Inventory reliability was determined again by this
researcher with a sample of 30 eighth grade students from Bacaner
Junior High School in Santurce. Some minor modifications were made
in the wording of a few of negative statements so as to eliminate
double negatives. Two items were changed to reflect current student
activities. Internal consistency was estimated with coefficient alpha
using the Reliability procedure of the SPSS-X statistical package.
The coefficient obtained was .76. Even though a reliability
coefficient of this magnituds is considered acceptable for an instrument
measuring a hypothetical construct like attitude, it was lower than that
obtained in Livoti’s study (1977).
An item analysis was done in order to identify those items that
were not properly discriminating either towards the positive or
negative dimension of the attitude variable. This was done by
calculating the correlation of each item with the total score. The item-
total discrimination index for all items ranged from .5590 to -.5056.
Items with negative or low indexes were discarded; items with index
values of .25 or higher were retained (Ary, 1985). Six items with
indexes below .25 were eliminated, leaving an inventory with 26 items.
The alpha coefficient was then calculated and resulted in a reliability
coefficient of .82.
Scores ranged from a low of 26 to a high of 78. A score of 78 would
reflect the highest positive attitude toward English and a score of 26
the most negative. The reliability of the Livoti Attitude Inventory was
also determined using the posttest scores of the sample of the study
(N = 68). Here, the alpha reliability coefficient obtained was .78.
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Other Instruments
In obtaining information about the reactions and opinions of
students and teachers once exposed to the Suggestopedia Method,
quantitative and qualitative data was obtained using questionnaires,
interviews, feedback sessions, video taping and direct observation. A
Student Opinion Questionnaire and a Teacher Feedback Form were
also constructed for this purpose. The Student Opinion Questionnaire
consists of 13 items with a scale of three possible responses Yes, No,
Undecided or A lot, A little, not at all.
An open-ended questionnaire was administered to the
experimental groups only, at the end of treatment. A Teacher Feedback
Form consisting of 9 questions, most of which are open ended, was
also administered to at the end of the study.
Classes assigned to the experimental groups received instruction
using the Suggestopedia Method covering the material of one unit in
their curriculum during 11 weeks. The Suggestopedia method used
was the version adapted in the United States by Schuster and Gritton
(1986), commonly known by the name Suggestive Accelerative Learning
Techniques (SALT). The ninth grade curriculum, based on the book
Turning Points was redesigned to include Suggestopedia principles,
techniques, and course of study organization.
Classes in the control groups received instruction using the same
content as the experimental groups under traditional ESL methods
currently used in the public secondary schools of Puerto Rico. These
included the Audiolingual Structural Approach, Functional Notional
Approach and Grammar Translation methods.
Curriculum
The unit covered during this study was Unit 10, What Happened?, of
the regular English curriculum textbook, Turning Points No. 2
published by Addison Wesley Publishing Company. The objectives of
this unit are:
1. To narrate past events using the past and past progressive (was,
were + ing verb).
2. To correctly use the following verbs in the past: caught, drove,
forgot, had, hit, went.
3. To ask and write about a past event using WH questions- who,
what, where, when, how.
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Effects of the Suggestopedia Method on Attitudes . . .

4. To find out consequences asking did you, questions and answering

questions using Yes, No with the consequence.
5. To identify and use the following vocabulary correctly in dialogues:

anybody anything
door else
explain fast
list findgarage
garage happen
grandmother helpful
hurry hurt
lock rain
slowly turned
turn off understand
van No kidding!
go out all of a sudden
traffic yesterday
witness hurt
play traffic light
lunch gym
money open
key movie
sports car accident
lights night

The review objectives were the following:

1. To Identify parts of the body
2. To ask and tell about health
Most of this unit was based on the theme: What happened? regarding a
traffic accident. The researcher redesigned and developed a unit plan
consisting of 22 lessons. The textbook and workbook were used as
supplementary materials.

The Suggestopedic Lesson

The daily lesson generally consisted of the three phases of the
Suggestopedia lesson. This consisted of the preliminary phase, the
presentation phase and the practice phase. All three phases were not always
done in one lesson, since class periods lasted only 50 minutes and sometimes
40 or 30 minutes.
In the preliminary phase the students were first greeted by the teacher.
Then the relaxation and visualization exercises and an affirmation were done.
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There were three different relaxation exercises and three different

visualization exercises and two affirmations were used with the students.
There was a visualization of the beach, forest and flower. The visualizations
were varied from day to day. The teacher and the students decided which one
would be done each day. The students seemed to prefer the beach
visualization so that one was done most often. One teacher did the relaxation
and the assistant teacher did the visualization or visa versa. These were done
in Spanish, except for the affirmation which was done in English. At the
beginning the teacher led the affirmation but in the second week the students
wanted to lead it; therefore, a different student led it each day.
The presentation consisted of a review of the previous lesson and then the
active concert and pseudopassive concert session. The active concert was
given with classical period music and the pseudopassive concerts with
baroque period music. One of the dialogues was presented in each concert.
The concerts were given in the first two lessons of each new dialogue. A total
of four dialogues were presented in this unit.
During the the practice phase of the lesson the students worked in pairs
reading the dialogues, doing role playing, dramatizations, playing games or
doing activities from the textbook and workbook. The students seemed to
especially enjoy and be enthusiastic about the games.
At the end of each lesson a final five minute relaxation exercise was done
with the students. This was the closure of the lesson each day.

Materials
The materials consisted of the music recorded on audio tapes for each
activity, charts with visual illustration of vocabulary, grammar paradigms
and affirmations, props for skits, realia, manipulatives and copies of the
dialogues. Also all the materials for the games were made and provided by
the researcher. The textbook and the workbook were used as supplementary
materials. The researcher also provided the teachers with a portable cassette
stereo system and a karoeke machine with a microphone.

The Classroom Environment

The ideal Suggestopedia classroom is commodious and vibrates a positive
environment. In this study the environment was not the ideal since the
treatment was conducted in a regular public school classroom. The chairs
were not comfortable, cushioned arm chairs but rather deteriorated desk
chairs. Yet, the classrooms were painted and redecorated as nicely as possible
before the treatment began. The furniture was rearranged from the traditional
straight rows to semi-circle. The rooms were well ventilated with fans and
there was adequate space. The room was not sound proof; in fact, it was a
completely noisy environment most of the time.
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Effects of the Suggestopedia Method on Attitudes . . .

The Music
The music used for the Suggestopedia Method is very important.
Baroque period music was used for the passive concert in the presentation of
new material and classical period music was used for the active concert. For
the relaxation activities, New Age music was used.
As mentioned previously, the students and teachers assumed a new
identity with the Suggestopedia Method. These can be famous personalities
or fictional characters who come from a country where the target language is
spoken. The new identities are a suggestopedic device to help the students
relieve tension and fears and create a jovial atmosphere in the classroom.
The first day the Suggestopedia method was presented, the teachers
introduced themselves with their new names and they gave information
about these personalities They choose to be Clara Barton, Julie Andrews, and
Farah Facett. The students were informed that they should also choose new
identities. Possible characters were discussed in a brainstorming session. The
students mainly chose sports stars, actors, singers and some chose polititians.
Some of the names they chose were Michael Jordan, Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Janet Jackson, Hilary Clinton, George Bush, Reggie Miller, Charles Barkley,
Julia Roberts, and Demi Moore. Once the students decided on a new identity
they spent some time getting to know about each other in their new roles, at
the beginning of the unit. This activity provided for a great amount of
communicative interaction. Name tags were made for each student to wear in
class each day.

Procedure
The first phase consisted in obtaining the teachers, school, and students
that would participate in this study. The researcher met with the English
supervisors of the San Juan Educational Region to obtain suggestions of
possible schools and teachers. Meetings were held with school directors and
teachers in five different schools in the region.
The Andrés Valcárcel Junior High School was finally selected for two
major reasons. The first reason was that the school had six or seven groups in
each grade. Four groups of students of similar language abilities were needed
for the study. In the ninth grade there were two advanced ability groups and
the other four were of average and below average, grouped heterogeneously.
These four heterogeneous groups were used for the study. The second reason
was that the English supervisor, school director and the teachers were highly
interested in participating in the study. The teachers of the ninth grade were
the most interested and that is why this grade was chosen over the the
seventh or eighth grade.
The control groups and the experimental groups were chosen at random
from among these four groups.
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Circular Letter 14-93-94 issued in 1994 by the Department of Education of

Puerto Rico, indicates the procedures to be followed in conducting research
in the public schools. The required application forms were submitted
together with all other required documentation.
The researcher redesigned one unit from the ninth grade English
curriculum in oral communication using the Suggestopedia Method and the
table of specifications for construction of the instruments that would measure
communicative language achievement. The written test and the oral test were
designed and validated, and their reliability determined as previously
described. The researcher invited several language educators at the
university and high school levels to be raters for the oral performance task.
These raters were trained by the researcher in a four hour session at the
university.
The researcher then prepared the training module. The time and place of
training was determined in consultation with the English supervisor and the
school principal. They also agreed to provide two full days release time for
the teachers. The training was conducted during that time and for two
additional weeks during the teacher’s preparation periods, for a total of 18
training hours.
The oral test took approximately two weeks to administer since the
student sample had to be tested in dyads. Each dyad took approximately 10
to 15 minutes to receive instructions and perform the oral task.
Experimental treatment was initiated at the beginning of unit 10 of the
curriculum and went on for 11 weeks. All pretesting was concluded
beforehand. The researcher observed the English classes of the experimental
group every day and that of the control groups approximately once a week.
She met with the teachers almost every day to provide coaching, carry out
debriefing sessions and plan the next day’s activities. Since the teachers
taught both the experimental and control groups, caution was taken to ensure
no contamination of experimental conditions in the control groups. Teachers
were instructed not to use any of the techniques of the Suggestopedia
Method with control group students. Their perception about the importance
of this study requirement seemed very clear. The researcher ’s observation of
the control group verified this.
The dependent variable measures were administered to both groups upon
completion of Unit 10. The experimental group was administered a
questionnaire to obtain their reaction and opinions about their experience
with the Suggestopedia Method. Teachers also filled out a questionnaire for
this purpose at the conclusion of the experiment.
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Effects of the Suggestopedia Method on Attitudes . . .

Statistical Analysis
This study was designed to measure any improvements in the
communicative language achievement of secondary school students as well
as changes in their attitudes toward English as a result of instruction based
on the Suggestopedia Method when compared to students in traditional ESL
programs.
The following hypotheses were established:
Null hypotheses No. 1: There will be no statistically significant difference
between the experimental (Suggestopedia) and the control (traditional ESL)
groups in their mean scores in English communicative language
achievement.
Null hypothesis No. 2: Ninth grade students who receive English instruction
using the Suggestopedia Method will not exhibit significantly higher mean
scores on an instrument measuring attitude toward English than those taught
by the traditional method.
An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine if the
control group and the experimental group were initially equivalent in
language achievement and attitude towards English. The pretest scores on
the Oral Test, Cloze Test and the Livoti Attitude Inventory were used for this
statistical analysis. The hypotheses were tested using an analysis of
covariance (ANCOVA). This statistical analysis adjusts the scores of the
groups so that there is statistical control over the variation found in the
dependent variables. The alpha significance level was established at .05.
According to Borg and Gall (1983), the preferred statistical method of analysis
for the pretest-posttest control group design is analysis of covariance.

Results
Several measuring instruments were used to test the researcher ’s
hypotheses:
The dependent variable communicative language achievement. was
measured with two instruments, the Cloze Test and the Oral Test. The other
dependent variable, attitude toward English was measured with the Livoti
Attitude Inventory.
A Student Opinion and a Teacher Feedback Questionnaire were also used
to assess student and teacher perceptions and opinions regarding their
experiences with the Suggestopedia Method. The alpha level of statistical
significance to test the hypotheses of this study was established at.05.
Since intact groups were used for this study it was necessary to determine
if the control groups and the experimental groups were equivalent at the
beginning of the experiment on the dependent variables. The sample was
pretested on the dependent variables, communicative language achievement
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and attitude to make this determination. The analysis of variance (ANOVA)

performed on the scores of the pretests that measures these variables revealed
statistically significant F values on each of the two dependent measures of
communicative language achievement. The hypotheses were then tested
analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to parcel out any differences in means
between groups prior to experimental treatment.
Hypothesis 1: Communicative Language Achievement
The null and research hypotheses for this variable were the following:
Null Hypothesis: Ninth grade students who receive instruction using the
Suggestopedia Method will show no significant difference in the mean scores
in English communicative language achievement when compared to those
instructed by traditional methods.
Research Hypothesis: Ninth grade students who receive English instruction
using the Suggestopedia Method will show significantly higher English
communicative language achievement than students taught by traditional
ESL methods.
Hypothesis No. 1 was tested applying an analysis of covariance
(ANCOVA) procedure to the scores of the two dependent measures, the
Cloze Test and the Oral Test. After adjusting for pre-existing differences in
communicative language achievement as measured by the pretest, the mean
difference between the experimental group and the control group was found
to be statistically significant (F = 177.63, p = .00). The actual probability level
was considerably more stringent than that set by the researcher (p = .05).
These results very strongly suggest that the experimental group’s
communicative language achievement was significantly better than the
control group due to the experimental study treatment.
The communicative language achievement variable was also measured
with an Oral Test. After adjusting the pre-existing differences as measured by
the Oral pretest, the result was an F (2, 65) = 15.53, p = .00. These results also
strongly indicate a statistically significant difference between group means.
Experimental group students consistently obtained higher mean scores
than the control group on both the Cloze Test and the Oral Test. The observed
differences between the two groups were significant significant statistically.
Based on these results, the null hypothesis was rejected and the research
hypothesis was strongly confirmed. Students who received instruction using
the Suggestopedia Method showed significantly higher English
communicative language achievement than peers taught by way of
traditional methods.
The oral test also an integrative testing procedure but of a direct type
evaluates samples of oral behavior. The researcher in the administration of
this test observed a clear difference in performance between the experimental
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Effects of the Suggestopedia Method on Attitudes . . .

and the control groups. More students in the experimental groups showed
better motivation to perform the task, demonstrated more fluency, self
confidence and better communicative strategies. The quantitative data
substantiates these observations as can be observed in Table 9 the
experimental group performed significantly better than the control group.
There was a mean difference of 6.01 between the groups. This can be
considered a substantial difference given the fact that the test has a maximum
possible score of 28 points. Another important factor is that the performance
levels of communicative language for this test could classify a student by
composite scores of all the performance criteria into one of five categories of
communicative ability: Non-functional, poor, satisfactory, good and excellent.
A straight composite score of 0 would represent ability nil, 7 poor ability, 14
satisfactory ability, 21 good ability, and 28 excellent ability. The experimental
group as a whole, with a mean score of 15.21 would be classified as having
satisfactory communicative ability, whereas the control group would be
classified at a level of ability marginally better than poor. Thus, the mean
score of the experimental group reflects a marked difference in performance
as compared to the control group.
Hypothesis 2: Attitude Toward English
The null and research hypothesis with respect to student attitudes were as
follows:
Null hypothesis: Ninth grade students who receive English instruction using
the Suggestopedia Method will not show a significantly more positive
attitude towards English than those taught by the traditional methods.
Research Hypothesis: Ninth grade students who receive English instruction
using the Suggestopedia Method will show significantly more positive
attitudes toward English than those taught by traditional methods.
The mean score of the experimental group in the Livoti Attitude
Inventory was 61.62 (SD = 6.81) while the mean score of the control group
was 66.97 (SD = 7.65). These mean scores were used to test hypothesis No. 2.
The F ratio obtained after adjusting the pre-existing differences in attitude as
measured by the pretest was F (2, 65) = 6.62, p = .01. This indicates that the
mean difference between the experimental group and the control group is
strongly significant statistically. Based on these results, null hypothesis No. 2
was rejected and the research hypothesis was sustained, inasmuch as the
experimental group ’s attitude towards English, as result of the experimental
treatment, was significantly better than that of the control group.
Even though it was not within the scope of our study design to consider
the gain obtained by each group in the Cloze Test, the Oral Test or the Livoti
Attitude Inventory post-treatment, the strength of our experimental results
suggest that further study should prove valuable. The experimental group
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exhibited substantial gains in the Cloze Test and the Oral Test. The control
group also showed gains but these were very small. In the Livoti Attitude
Inventory the experimental group experienced modest gains, while the
control group actually lost ground. This suggests that while the
experimental group’s attitudes towards English improved, those of the
control group worsened as a result of the standard ESL experience.
Student’s and Teacher ’s Reactions to the Suggestopedia Method
In addition to the quantitative data presented to find out if the the
Suggestopedia method had a significant effect on communicative language
competence and attitudes toward English, the researcher was interested in
the affective outcomes of this method. Students in the experimental group
generally exhibited positive reactions to the method and its techniques. In
general, students were able to relax, loose their fear of learning English and
enjoy the class. The students were also asked how they liked the English class
under this Suggestopedia Method as opposed to traditional practice. Fully
82% favored the former. In addition, 79% indicated they would like to
continue studying English through the Suggestopedia Method.

Student Reactions
The above data was consistent with the researcher ’s observations of the
behavior and reactions of experiment group students in the classroom, who
participated enthusiastically in all instructional activities. From their gestures,
facial expressions, disposition and comments, it was clear that students
enjoyed the method. A progressive development of oral participation and
interaction took place during the course of the experimental treatment.

Teacher Reactions
The teachers, like their students, generally reacted positively to using the
Suggestopedia Method. However, they felt that the entire method would be
difficult to apply unless the goals of the English program were changed by
placing more emphasis on oral communication. They also felt that the
method required too much time and energy on the part of the teacher.
The relaxation exercises, affirmations, concerts and pair work were the
most favored techniques. Both students and teachers favored least the
changing of identities. The perception of teachers was that students benefited
from the method and it helped them lose their fear of English. One teacher
stated: ‘‘it is a miracle how these students have changed. Student who were
shy, low achievers and had negative attitudes in English class are now
participating actively and performing much better.’’ When questioned if they
would continue using the method, they all stated that they would, sometimes
or in conjunction with their own methods. General opinion was that they
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Effects of the Suggestopedia Method on Attitudes . . .

enjoyed using the method and had been enriched by the experience. In terms
of the training, they would have preferred to attend more demonstration
classes. They also indicated that coaching by the reseacher was crucial to the
successful implementation of the Suggestopedia Method.
It seems clear that both teachers and students were favorably impressed
by the Suggestopedia Method. However, some hesitation did arise among
teachers insofar as continuing to use the entire method on a regular basis.

Conclusions and Recommendations

The results of this study suggest that students who receive instruction by
way of the Suggestopedia Method exhibit significantly better communicative
language achievement as opposed to those who receive instruction through
the traditional ESL methods currently in use among English teachers in the
public schools of Puerto Rico. These results are generally consistent with
results in the literature about use of the Suggestopedia Method in foreign and
second language learning. Ostrander and Schoeder (1982) state that better
than average achievement may well be expected when using the
Suggestopedia Method.
In this investigation the experimental group exhibited a significant and
substantial positive difference in communicative language achievement in
comparison to the control group. Other researchers, most notably Schuster
(1976) have reported similar results. In his study using the Suggestopedia
Method to teach Spanish as a foreign language among college students,
found substantial and significant results in favor of the experimental group
on language achievement using two dependent measures, an oral and a
written test. He considered them so substantial that he states, ‘‘further
research is definitely in order to verify the experimental results and elaborate
on them.’’ (p.12)
In a similar study with German college students, Gassner-Roberts and
Brislan (1984) focused on language achievement and used two dependent
measures, a written and an oral test. The experimental groups scored
significantly higher than the control groups. The Moreno (1988) study with
ESL college students in Puerto Rico focused on communicative language
achievement and found significantly higher mean differences between
control and experimental groups in language achievement in favor of the
latter. Again, Two dependent measures were used, a written and an oral test.
However, the written tests used in those studies were discrete point
instruments and not an integrative test, such as the Cloze test used in this
study, considered a more extensive and effective instrument for assessing
communicative language (Cohen, 1980; Jones and Spolsky, 1975).
Other studies of Suggestopedia Method, unlike this study, have focused
on vocabulary acquisition, because the original Lozanov studies focused on
this language skill exclusively. In the Lozanov (1992) studies with English
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and French, the experimental groups exhibited substantially higher

vocabulary achievement over the control groups. The Ramírez (1982) study
was also oriented toward vocabulary achievement and results were also
significantly in favor of the experimental group. Its sample selection
procedures and general study conditions were similar to those of the present
study in several respects. Though performed at the elementary level,
Ramirez’s subjects were native speakers of Spanish learning English as a
second language.
The Wagner and Tilney (1983) study among college students also focused
on vocabulary achievement. Contrary to all the other studies examined by
this researcher, the control group of this study exhibited significantly higher
achievement than the experimental group. But only limited elements of the
method were used in a language laboratory setting, not a classroom situation
with a teacher. It must be recalled that according to Lozanov, the teacher is a
key variable in the Suggestopedia Method.
Wagner and Tilney (1983) expressed the opinion that given the complexity
of this method ‘‘practical application to the average American classroom
seems remote.’’ This study was conceived to challenge that opinion. Our
findings strongly support the value and worth of applying the Suggestopedia
Method in the Puerto Rican classroom. A few limiting circumstances
notwithstanding (which may be easily eliminated in most public school
environments), the Suggestopedeia Method has been proven effective.
Lozanov (1992) has made it clear that the effectiveness of his method
largely depends on the participation of well trained, committed teachers. The
teachers in our study were volunteers, and that is the essence of
committment. Great effort was expended in providing the teachers with
thorough training, continuous coaching, structured, well detailed lessons and
all necessary materials. These aspects are crucial to the successful
implementation of any new teaching methodology (Richards and Rodgers
1990). The mechanics of implementation could easily account for the success
or failure of any new instructional methodolgies applied to the teaching of
English in Puerto Rico.
It is important to note that the Cloze Test was a difficult exam for the
students of both groups due to its integrative nature. Puerto Rican ESL
students have traditionally been exposed to evaluation rooted in the
grammar-translation paradigm. Typically, they have been evaluated with
discrete-point testing where individual grammatical points are presented
apart from any communicative context or they are asked to provide
translation in the native language. Throughout the treatment process, both
experimental and control groups were exposed to integrative testing by
means of quizzes. The experimental group was exclusively exposed to this
type of testing throughout the treatment period, whereas the control group
used a combination of discrete point and integrative testing.
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Effects of the Suggestopedia Method on Attitudes . . .

The assessment process concomitantly leads to a discussion of the

problems in comparing methods for language teaching. Palmer (1992)
indicates three main problems. One is that the teacher variable is difficult to
control, the other is that the experimental program is likely to generate more
enthusiasm than the traditional program (the Hawthorn Effect) and finally
that the goals of the programs using different teaching methods are likely to
have different results. These problems were definitely concerns of this
researcher in this study.
The teacher variable was controlled inasmuch as the same teachers taught
both the experimental and control groups. Yet, there were some differences
between the teachers of the two experimental groups. The researcher
observed that one of the teachers was clearly a more effective Suggestopedic
teacher than the other. Consequently, that class responded and functioned
much better than the other experimental class. This teacher was relaxed,
patient not stressed out about the school environment, generally had a
positive attitude, had high expectations for her students. and was very
satisfied with their response and performance. The other teacher was tense,
impatient and had difficulty adjusting to the radical departure from her
traditional practice. Nevertheless, she accepted the method in theory and
voluntarily agreed to participate in the experiment. It is important to note
that she had the more difficult students in her classes. For the purposes of
this study the experimental classes were consolidated into one group when
determining the language outcomes. Further analysis of the two
experimental classes as independent groups could explore whether teacher
variables resulted in significant differences in language outcomes.
The ‘‘Hawthorn Effect’’ may have had some impact on this study given
that the experimental group students seemed genuinely enthusiastic about
trying out a new method. The Suggestopedia Method proved a radical
departure from the traditional ESL class and it is quite possible that the
Hawthorn Effect itself assumed a suggestopedic function.
As Palmer (1992) has indicated, the goals of each program can be different
and this was definitely the most critical problem of this study. The critical
question is: Were the goals of the English classes using the Suggestopedia
Method different from those of the traditional method? On a theoretical level
the goals were not different. Yet, in praxis it appears that they were.
The Department of Education states that a primary goal of the curriculum
of the English Program is to develop in all students the skills necessary for
communication with native speakers of English throughout the world
(Department of Education, 1994). The secondary school curriculum consists
of three components: oral communication, reading and writing. The oral
component is developed by means of the Turning Points series by Addison-
Wesley. The primary goal of this series is the development of communicative
competence using an eclectic teaching method consisting of the Natural and
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Structural Approach, the Total Physical Response Method and Content-Based

Instruction. The materials provided include student textbook, a workbook,
audiocassettes and a teacher’s guide. The guide includes comprehensive
information for the teacher and detailed lesson plans. This is all consistent
with the published goals of the Department of Education. Yet, what the
researcher observed in the classrooms of the control groups was an
application of the Grammar-Translation Method and the Audiolingual
Method. The focus of these methods is the acquisition of fragmented
grammar, word pronunciation and the development of vocabulary skills,
generally detached from the communicative context. Pulliza (1987) aptly
describes this type of classrooms environment where,
‘‘they attempt to apply grammatical rules to language
performance in a controlled, formal and environment . . . a
teaching situation where linguistic terms are presented to
students in a systematic manner based on grammatically
sequenced patterns . . . thus producing a pressured and strained
atmosphere.’’ (p. 68)
Teachers used the book unit with the control groups but with a strong
focus on book exercises, the workbook and infused grammatical drills. There
was very little oral practice of communicative language. Most oral activities
took the form of audiolingual drills. Thus, both groups, experimental and
control, covered the same material but the goals in each case were different.
This situation makes the assessment process a challenging exercise. How to
assess the outcomes of language methods that may reflect differences in
praxis, although not in theory, is a topic for further study.
To summarize, our findings, students who received instruction by way of
the Suggestopedia Method demonstrated significantly better communicative
language achievement as opposed to students who received instruction with
the traditional ESL methods used by their English teachers. In consistency
with prior studies on the subject, It was shown once again that the
Suggestopedia Method is effective in the second language classroom and
superior to traditional ESL instruction.

Attitude Toward English

Will a more positive attitude be exhibited by ninth grade students who are
taught English with the Suggestopedia Method as opposed to those who are
taught English with the Department of Education’s traditional methods?
The results of this study indicate that students who received instruction
with the Suggestopedia Method had significantly better attitudes toward
English than those students who received instruction with the traditional
method. Attitude towards English was measured with the Livoti Attitude
Inventory. Although it was not a substantial difference it was still significant
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Effects of the Suggestopedia Method on Attitudes . . .

These results about attitudes seem to confirm what has been found in the
literature, that attitudes can be changed and positive attitudes can be
promoted (Oller, 1977).
According to Gardner (1980) the language experience in formal and
informal context plays an important role in the development of language
attitudes. In a foreign language context like that of Puerto Rico the formal
context of the classroom is the crucial environment for language acquisition
and in most cases almost the only experience with the target language. The
classroom experience can have a significant effect on the attitudes towards
that language, as the findings of this study suggest.
According to Krashen (1981), students having low affective filters will
tend to seek and accept the second language input they receive. The more
positive the attitudes of the students the more likely that language
achievement will improve. Our experimental group students exhibited a
more positive attitude towards English, and had better communicative
language achievement than their peers in the control groups. The literature
suggests that there may be a reciprocal relationship between these variables,
that is, the more positive the attitude, the higher the potential for
achievement; as achievement rises, attitudes toward the language thus
acquired become increasingly favorable. This interactive effect of mutual
reinforcement merits further study.
The Suggestopedia Method, a humanistic method of strong affective
orientation for the teaching English, is geared toward developing positive
attitudes at the conscious and subconscious levels through its psycho-
dynamic strategies. The recent studies of Rivera (1993) and Báez (1993), both
address the affective variables of language learning and both recommend a
humanistic approach to language learning in Puerto Rico.
In examining the literature on the Suggestopedia Method the researcher
found no studies that empirically verified its effects on attitudes toward
language. The present contribution may be the first to address this important
factor in language learning. Replication among other teaching situations and
student populations would probably prove worthwhile.
The variable attitude toward the target language should also be studied
under qualitative research methods, since attitude is a psychological
construct that cannot be directly assessed. Attitudes are inferred from
behavior, verbally or otherwise. In this study, the construct was
operationalized by way of an instrument that quantifies attitudes based on
personal reactions to statements. Although valid and reliable, it is a limited
tool in that it only presents the outlines of a final product. Qualitative data on
behavior allows the researcher to sample the richness of the complex
processes which take place in the language classroom and make inferences
about a complex totality. Qualitative methods may therefore provide richer
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EDUCACIÓN

insight into the dynamics and elements of the Suggestopedia Method’s effect
on language attitudes.

Teachers and Students Reactions to the Suggestopedia Method

Both students and teachers reacted positively to the Suggestopedia
Method. Lozanov (1992) states that learning should be characterized by joy in
the absence of tension. Our student participants generally perceived this
method as enjoyable and less prone to generating tension that traditional ESL
methods. Other studies have also included data on the opinions of students
toward the method and their findings are similar to our own. The Moreno
(1988) study among Puerto Rican college students presents descriptive data
about reactions toward the method, all very positive.

Difficulties
Though consistent with previous research and the researchers hypotheses,
the results of this study are indeed amazing given the multiplicity of adverse
conditions encountered. First and foremost we had to face a chronic truancy
problem. The researcher was not apprised of this problem in the course of
selecting the school. The ninth grade groups that formed a substantial part of
the sample had drastically changed their composition by the end of the study
due to the problem of truancy.
Another major problem was the frequent interruption of academic class
time. Our experimental treatment period took place over the course of 11
weeks and 51 school days. During those 51 days classes were suspended,
interrupted or did not take place on 13 days, leaving 38 days of actual
academic instruction.
The last major problem was the school environment. The school building
and its classrooms were in very poor condition. Cleanliness was a major
problem of constant concern to the teachers. The location and design of this
four-story building with cramped quarters and only one exit on to a narrow
street resulted in a very noisy environment. The two classrooms where the
experimental treatment took place face the street next to a point where
students loiter when not in class. This situation was a major handicap for the
experimental treatment which required a peaceful and comfortable
environment as an important condition for application of the Suggestopedia
Method.
Summary of Conclusions
1. Our statistical results strongly suggest that students taught by way of the
Suggestopedia Method had significantly better communicative language
 171
Effects of the Suggestopedia Method on Attitudes . . .

achievement than those who received instruction under traditional ESL

methods.
2. There was also evidence that the Suggestopedia Method had a positive
impact on the students’ attitudes towards English and learning English.
3. Even though the Suggestopedia method was first applied to adult foreign
language instruction and has been mostly used with this type of
population, it has now been shown a viable method for use with school
age populations in a conventional public school setting in Puerto Rico.
4. Secondary school students in Puerto Rico responded favorably to this
method and prefer it to traditional methods currently used in teaching
English.
5. The teacher ’s attitude is a key variable in this method. Teacher opinions
about the method and effective training in its use are crucially important.
Recommendations for Further Research
On the basis of these results, observations and experiences several
recommendations for further research are in order.
1. This study should be replicated in a secondary schools with a stable
student population and an educational environment featuring a positive
and supportive atmosphere. It should be especially worthwhile to include
seventh graders or tenth graders who are just beginning intermediate or
high school instruction who may prove most receptive to a new method
of English instruction.
2. The Suggestopedia Method should be applied as a pilot study in several
schools for a full academic year under well controlled empirical analysis.
3. Care should be taken in ensuring properly controlled comparisons with
methods that have the same instructional goals in theory as well as in
practice.
4. The Suggestopedia Method should also be evaluated on the basis of
qualitative research methods able to focus on the richness of the processes
and dynamics of second language learning in the classroom.
5. Qualitatitive classroom research should be conducted to explore how
widespread and what the reasons may be for the discrepancy between
goals, aproaches, and methods presently sponsored in teaching English
and actual classroom practice in the public schools of Puerto Rico.
6. There should be more classroom based research on innovative methods
for teaching English in Puerto Rico. These should feature strong affective,
humanistic components based on current language acquisition theories.

Educational Implications
Given the general dissatisfaction with second language teaching in Puerto
Rico (Báez, 1993) where after 12 or more years of instruction in English most
Puerto Ricans lack adequate communicative skills (89.6% acording to the
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EDUCACIÓN

1990 census), it is imperative that methodological alternatives for teaching

English in Puerto Rico be explored and empirically verified.
This study provides empirical evidence indicating that the Suggestopedia
Method could well become a successful successful method for teaching
English as a second language in Puerto Rico. Its approach is essentially
humanistic with a strong emphasis on the affective elements of second
language learning. Affective variables have been recognized as crucial in the
second language situation of Puerto Rico. There is also evidence to suggest
that this method can have a positive impact on student attitudes towards
English.
One of the primary goals of the English Program curriculum of the
Department of Education is communication with native speakers of English
throughout the world. It therefore needs to explore and test methods that
support that goal. Traditional methods in current use have not produced the
desired results.
Teacher training and program implementation must be addressed with
care and adequate attention to detail. No matter what method is used, if
teachers are not adequately trained or fail to practice the method thoroughly
and correctly, the chances of successful language outcomes will be limited.
The Department of Education should pursue and engage in collaborative
research with universities and other sources of expert knowledge in setting
forth new ways toward effective results in English language education.

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