The Effect of Awareness Raising on Reducing Negative Attitudes Towards Weakly and Moderately Dutch-Accented English Speakers.
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2025-08-14
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en
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Speakers of English as a second language often face bias due to their accents, which can undermine credibility in academic and professional settings. This study tested whether an awareness-raising video on accent bias could reduce negative evaluations of English spoken with weak or moderate Dutch accents. A total of 148 participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions, varying by accent strength (weak vs. moderate) and intervention (video vs. control). Participants then rated the speaker on dynamism, hirability, competence, status, likeability, and affect. Results showed no significant effect of the video on evaluations: the moderately accented speaker was consistently rated less favourably than the weakly accented speaker, regardless of intervention. Factors such as participants’ first language were also considered. Findings suggest that accent bias is resistant to brief interventions, likely reflecting deeply ingrained attitudes, and that more sustained or intensive approaches may be necessary to reduce such bias.
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