Motivation and attitudes in foreign language learning Research Papers (original) (raw)

Socio-educational Model, Self-Determination Theory, and, more recently, L2 Motivational Self System are arguably amongst the widely embraced theories of motivation in the field of foreign and second language learning. However, the relevance and validity of these theories across different sociocultural contexts and educational levels remain an open question, simply because motivation is context-specific. The present study seeks to fill this lacuna in research by exploring students' motivational orientations for learning English as a Foreign Language at a high school level within an Indonesian context. Fifty-one high school students were originally interviewed pertaining to the reasons why they had decided to learn English in the first place. Sixty-four orientations were identified during exhaustive interviews, but similar themes were subsequently merged resulting in fifty-four orientations. These fifty-four orientations were administered to 503 high school students. Following each orientation is a five-point Lickert scale (hereafter Lickert) of potential responses: very relevant, relevant, not sure, irrelevant, and not relevant at all. The results were subjected to a principal component analysis so that the underlying dimensions of students' motivational orientations for learning English in this particular context could be revealed. The principal component analysis resulted in the extraction of a five-component solution labelled as "ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self and learning environment," "integrative orientation," "career orientation," "information access," and "self-confidence and intrinsic motivation" respectively. Implications of these findings on the theory of motivation in the realm of foreign/second language teaching and learning will be critically examined in this paper.

In accordance with the multilingual turn in SLA (May 2014), language education researchers are now directing more attention to the motivational dynamics associated with learning multiple languages, including the interrelationships between motivation and learners' sense of self. In contrast to research focused on language learners' psychological relationship to languages from the perspective of self-systems, this research instead takes a more identity-focused perspective that looks at motivation in light of learners' orientations towards ideological discourses associated with the languages they are learning. It draws on longitudinal qualitative interviews and supplementary data from a larger dataset of nineteen Chinese university students in Shanghai who are majoring in Japanese while continuing to study English, focusing on five cases in particular. The analysis highlights that the learners experienced a number of important identity-tensions as they attempted to reconcile ideological discourses on language with their own multi-layered identity positions and perspectives towards language learning. The discussion details the ways that learners mobilise their interpretive resources to evaluate instrumental and humanistic orientations towards language within macro-, meso-and micro-contexts and make agentive decisions that shape their motivational trajectories and multilingual identities.

Die Sprachsituation in der Deutschschweiz mit ihrem funktionalen Nebeneinander von Dialekt und Hochdeutsch und die Plurizentrizität der deutschen Sprache begünstigen die Entstehung von ambivalenten Gefühlen gegenüber dem Standarddeutschen: Einerseits erachten Schweizerinnen und Schweizer das (bundesdeutsche) Hochdeutsch als Instanz für ‚gutes Deutsch', andererseits empfinden sie eine emotionale Distanz zur ‚Quasi-Fremdsprache' Deutsch. Bisherige Studien in der Einstellungsforschung haben denn auch gezeigt, dass ein gespaltenes Verhältnis und negative Einstellungen zum Hochdeutschen entstehen können.

ABSTRACT The primary purpose of this study is to find out the degree of which motivational orientation differentiates learners in a foreign language (FL) learning context, particularly in the Philippines. The secondary purpose of this study is to determine differences in the motivational orientation of Filipino FL learners using the Foreign Language Learning Motivation Questionnaire and to investigate variables such as age group, gender, FL being learned and length of study of FL could influence differentiation in the motivational orientation of FL learning among Filipino students. Accordingly, it was hypothesized that the variables included in this study could differentiate motivational orientation of FL learners. The participants of this study included 150 students who had elected to study FL from three major universities in Metro Manila. Eighty of the participants are females (53.3%), while 70 are males (46.7%). The data were cross-sectional in nature with 26 learning Chinese (17.3%), 40 learning French (26.7%), 50 learning Japanese (33.3%) and 34 learning Spanish (22.7%). Results revealed motivational differences between younger and older FL learners, between male and female learners, and among learners of different FL. Younger learners were found to be more motivated towards cultural understanding, cultural integration and self-satisfaction. Females are more motivationally oriented than males in communication and affiliation and self-efficacy. Japanese language learners are more motivationally oriented toward career and economic enhancement, French language learners towards affiliation with foreigners, and Spanish language learners towards self-efficacy. The study recommends some instructional and pedagogical strategies for teaching language subjects.

- by Richard DLC Gonzales
- •
- Psychology, Language Assessment, Motivation, Foreign language learning

This study examined Japanese elementary school students' motivational orientations for learning English as a foreign language (EFL) and fundamental psychological needs from a self-determination theory perspective, exploring the relations between moti-vational orientations (e.g., intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, introjected regulation, and external regulation) and basic psychological needs (e.g., autonomy, competence, and relatedness). An exploratory factor analysis of the motivational orientations of 505 fifth and sixth grade students of Japanese public elementary schools showed that this is composed by three factors: intrinsic motivation, introjected-and-identified regulation, and external regulation. Results showed a pattern of correlations reflecting a continuum of increasing self-determination from less self-determined forms of motivation to more self-determined forms of motivation. This study also assessed whether different types of basic psychological needs are linked to motivational orientations. Results show that psychological needs are more strongly related to intrinsic motivation than to less self-determined forms of motivation.

It is assumed that Moroccans hold negative attitudes towards [learning] the Hebrew language because of its association with Israel. Also, it is assumed that Moroccan Hebrew language learners hold less negative attitudes than those who have never had courses in Hebrew. The present study aims at investigating Moroccans’ attitudes towards learning the Hebrew language as well as it aims at revealing the reasons behind these attitudes coming up with a comparison between Moroccan Hebrew language learners’ attitudes and the attitudes of those who have never had Hebrew courses.

The article discusses the results of and the rationale behind a needs analysis survey carried out among students and recent graduates with the aim of modifying and innovating an existing course syllabus. It documents the preparation of the changes in the Legal English syllabus at the Faculty of Law as part of Impact project implemented at the MU Language Centre. The findings from the questionnaire surveys are contrasted with the language requirements that major law firms place on their recruits. The paper proposes some ways of including changes in the new syllabus of legal English for undergraduates. The preparation of the new syllabus aims to make the course as relevant as possible to the CEFRL and the future language needs of law students.

The current study investigates how Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE), Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety (FLCA) and Attitude/motivation (AM) of 360 learners of English, German, French and Spanish in a Kuwaiti university was shaped over the course of one semester by three teacher behaviours: frequency of using the FL in class, predictability and frequency of joking. Linear mixed modelling revealed a positive relationship between the three teacher behaviours and FLE as well as AM, but no significant relationship emerged with FLCA. Multiple comparison analyses showed that levels of FLE dropped significantly among students whose teacher joked very infrequently and infrequently. It thus seems that the absence of teacher jokes had a delayed cumulative effect on FLE. No interaction effects were found with time for FLCA and for AM. We conclude that teacher behaviours affect both AM and FLE, and that teachers' absence of joking actually drains FLE over time.

This chapter describes a study which aims to understand the socio-economic factors that motivate Iranian university students to learn English. Drawing on the notions of international posture, ideal self, and imagined communities, we describe how the Iranian political context has increased students’ desire to develop their English in order to enhance their career prospects, to be recognized as members of the international community, and to contribute to the development of their country.

- by Phil Durrant and +1
- •
- Language Learning motivation, ELT, English Language Teaching (ELT), Motivation and Foreign language learning

Aim. The present research aims to explore the English language learning motivation of students at the Sapientia University, Faculty of Economics, Socio-Human Sciences and Engineering, Miercurea-Ciuc (Csíkszereda). Method. 103 students took part in the exploratory research where an online questionnaire containing 50 statements was used to find out students’ motivations to learn English, focusing on seven different motivational factors (instrumentality, desire to become a global citizen, ideal foreign language self, desire for self-satisfaction, attitudes towards learning English, cultural integration and ought-to foreign language self). Results and conclusion. Results show that instrumental motivation has a strong effect on the surveyed students as they are highly motivated by the idea of getting a well-paying job with the help of their English language knowledge. Moreover, we also found out that participant students do not want to integrate within a native English-speaking community...

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relation between students’ attitudes towards foreign language and foreign language achievement. The participants are last-year-students in the high schools in Afşin and Elbistan, K.Maraş. The reason why we chose the last-year high school students was to identify their attitudes towards language in the beginning of their career through university. Language Attitude Scale
(LAS) -Likert Type scale in five gradations- was administered to all students to see if there was any relationship between their attitude and success. The attitude scale was developed by Saracaloğlu (1992), (_= 0,96). 421 students’ responses were studied. ANOVA, t, Scheffe and Tukey HSD tests were used in analyzing the data. This study indicates that there is a significant relation between student academic
achievement and student attitude towards foreign language but statistically no relation between gender and success. In the light of this study, it is possible to put forward that female students tend to have more positive attitudes than male students.

First, the author analyses the current challenges of European institutions to implement plurilingual approaches to languages in national language policy. According to EU policies, the Slovak school system should be actively open to linguistic and cultural plurality. Plurilingual methodology uses educational approaches focused on awareness of the need both to acquire more languages and to use efficient means of acquisition. To describe the specific case of the Slovak Republic, the author first looks into the multilingual society living in the territory of current Slovakia in the 18th century, focusing on the response of Matej Bel – a Slovak polymath, scientist, teacher and language methodologist – to the challenge of his plurilingualism. In the next part, the study presents the current Slovak plurilingual policy. Data related to this policy are taken from state educational documents. Last part presents data from interviews with teachers and education students, specifically about their plurilingual needs and awareness.

This book explores stereotypes that learners of six Asian languages-Japanese, Mandarin, Korean, Myanmar, Thai and Vietnamese-hold about the target language country, its cultures and people. Some of the findings, such as the language learners' mental images of Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, are presented here for the first time. Recognizing that stereotypes, and attitudes embedded in them, have an impact on people's actions and behavioural intentions, this book examines whether and how the country stereotypes held by the students influenced their motivation to learn the target language. Besides providing worthwhile insights into the content and structure of the country stereotypes and their relationship with language learning motivation, this book offers methodological and theoretical advancements. Drawing on the intellectual heritage of Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934), the book highlights how the concepts of word meaning (znachenie slova) and word sense (smysl) could be fruitfully employed in studies on stereotypes that people learning a foreign language hold about a target language country. This book will appeal to all readers interested in stereotypes that people have about foreign countries and also to educators and researchers who study language learning motivation. Larisa Nikitina, PhD, is Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, University of Malaya, Malaysia. Her research interests include the psychological aspects involved in learning an additional language, approaches to the teaching of culture in the language classroom and quantitative methodologies in applied linguistics. She has published extensively on these topics.

- by Larisa Nikitina
- •
- Asian Studies, Stereotypes, Applied Linguistics, Asian Languages

A conversation between bilingualism researchers about a Japanese teacher who was a returnee from living abroad in childhood and concerned whether she was bilingual or semilingual (without mastery of either language). The authors illustrate with their long experience of raising children to be bilingual how semilingualism is largely a myth based on idealizing bilingualism, a tyranny of the native speaker model. Individual bilingualism is not a matter of perfection or balance but rather a matter of degree. Like the common type of receptive bilingual who understands a second language but has not needed to speak it, so-called semilingualism is usually just a type of bilingualism. Nearly all problems attributed to plural languages are actually social problems, where the person simply differs from mainstream expectations. This conversation can thus ease some concerns of imperfect bilinguals and intercultural parents.

The study investigates motivational orientations of Greek and Italian high-school learners of English as a foreign language from three diverse socio-cultural milieus, through the lens of a revised version of the 'L2 Motivational Self System'. By means of a quantitative method, 171 Greek and Italian teenagers, aged 16 and 17, studying in an urban area of northern Greece and an urban and rural area of central Italy, were surveyed via online questionnaires delivered during class hours. Data analysis revealed that all three groups of respondents think that studying English is important to travel internationally, for future studies and a job career. The calculated medians and correlational coefficients show that Italian and Greek urban learners share a common motivational pattern while the rural Italian ones exhibit small-size differences in terms of motivational orientations. Overall, diverse socio-cultural contexts seem to have a medium-size effect on teenage learners of English. Likewise, schools' formative 'language friendly' activities appear to have enhanced their interest towards an international English-speaking community. Although of a small-scale, the present study might suggest guidelines for language teachers and educational institutions within Greece and Italy so to design more stimulating and motivating language syllabuses, classroom and extracurricular activities while adapting them to the learners' socio-cultural background and life orientations.

The present study looks at the relationship between classroom Enjoyment, Attitudes/Motivation and Language Anxiety in 110 Turkish pupils’ first language (L1) and in Italian, their foreign language (FL) in an immersion school. This is one of the first studies to compare emotions in the L1 and FL classrooms. It revealed similar levels of Attitude/Motivation in Turkish and Italian but significantly higher levels of Anxiety and marginally higher levels of Enjoyment in the FL classroom. A positive correlation was found between Enjoyment in Turkish and Italian Language classrooms. Age and gender had limited effects. Anxiety was the only variable that was correlated (negatively) to exam results in both languages, both confirming previous findings for FL and expanding it into L1 performance.

Unser Aufsatz diskutiert aktuelle Debatten zu Sprachen und Mehrsprachigkeit im Bil-dungssystem in Lettland. Theoretischer Hintergrund sind Debatten zur Mehrsprachigkeit, zu Spracheinstellungen und zur heteroglossischen Ideologie. Nach einer kurzen historischen Einführung in Fragen des sprachlichen Ökosystems Lettlands stellen wir Beispiele aus der aktuellen Reform der Schulcurricula vor, die Mehrsprachigkeitsansätze aufgreifen. Diese Reformversuche werden allerdings durch weit verbreitete Diskurse in der lettischen Gesellschaft abgelehnt. Anhand von Reaktionen von Bildungspolitikern und in journalistischen Texten zeigen wir, wie ein-flussreich traditionelle Vorstellungen vom Sprachlernen nach wie vor sind und wie eine Modernisierung des Lettischunterrichts mit Fragen von nationaler Identität verbunden wird, in denen bisweilen sogar offen xenophobisch argumentiert wird. Gleichzeitig wird deutlich, wie im Diskurs im Interesse der „Rettung der lettischen Sprache“ mit Mythen und Halbwahrheitenoperiert wird. Der dritte Teil des Aufsatzes stellt in diesem Kontext zwei Studien unter Lehrern inLettland vor, in denen explizit nach Einstellungen und Praktiken zu Code-Switching, Translanguaging und ähnlichen Phänomenen gefragt wurde. In den Antworten zeigt sich die Spaltung der Gesellschaft; jedoch zeigen die Ergebnisse auch, dass Perspektiven füreinen modernen und mehrsprachigen Sprachunterricht in Lettland durchaus vorhanden sind.

In this paper I present a case study on language learning trajectories and language ideologies of Portuguese migrants residing in Andorra. The case study was conceived as parte of the MIME project, which focuses on ways to ease the trade-off between mobility and social inclusion in different immigration settings in Europe. This paper is based on a collection of 19 interviews, video-recorded as linguistic biographies, during two stays in Andorra. The paper examines how the Portuguese consultants see the languages of their environment (Catalan, Spanish and French and Portuguese). The paper further addresses the interaction between Spanish and Catalan in the Andorran territory, as embodied in the Portuguese community who mainly targeted Spanish especially in the 1980s. Then, I present the possible attitudes and the language behaviour of families with Andorran-born children, noting that shift to Spanish and/or Catalan is often occurring in the second generation. Finally, I discuss the issues of language awareness and evaluation of the learning needs for the people in mobility, given that the languages involved are close enough for limited mutual comprehension.

- by Maria Mazzoli
- •
- Catalan Language, Sociolinguistics, Language Policy, Multilingual Education

The current study aimed at investigating the two most important social psychological variables: The motivation and attitude towards learning English. A random sample of 145 BA and MA students majoring English at Islamic Azad University, Rasht, Iran was surveyed using the Attitude/ Motivation Test Battery. The eight domains used to achieve the aim of the study were: (1) interest in foreign languages (2) parental encouragement (3) motivational intensity (4) degree of integrativeness (5) degree of instrumentality (6) attitudes towards learning English (7) attitudes toward English-speaking people and (8) desire to learn English. The findings showed that there is a relationship between motivation, attitude, and language learning. In addition, the findings indicated that there is not any difference between male and female and also undergraduate and postgraduate students' motivation and attitude toward learning English at Islamic Azad University of Rasht. Finally, the study reported some pedagogical implications that would help tap the students' motivation and attitude.

U ovom radu analiziraju se biografski narativi polaznika ljetnog programa jidiša organiziranoga 2014. godine od strane YIVO Instituta za židovska istraživanja u New Yorku. Rekonstrukcijom jezičnih biografija dolazimo do zaključaka koji motivacijski faktori su presudni u odabiru jidiša kao predmeta izučavanja, koja je uloga emocija u
učenju jidiša, koje stavove polaznici imaju o istočnoj Europi kao mjestu gdje je nakada govoren ovaj jezik, te koji su stavovi njihove okoline prema učenju jezika.

- by Gabi Abramac
- •
- Yiddish Language, Yiddish, Language and Identity, Narrative and Identity

Attitudes toward a foreign language and the motivation to learn a language have been of interest
to many educators and researchers. However, the majority of research has been conducted with
language learners. There is a lack of literature concerning the attitudes of teachers and teacher
trainees toward the language they are or will be teaching. Thus, the current study aims to
investigate English Language Teaching (ELT) teacher trainees’ attitudes toward the English
language and their self-reported difficulties when using their foreign language skills in daily and
academic language. Two hundred teacher trainees participated in the study. The questionnaire,
which was developed via an extensive literature review and adaptations of Karahan’s (2007) and
Al Zahrani’s (2008) studies, was found reliable (Conbach’s alpha, .876). The study showed that
trainees have mildly positive attitudes toward the English language, with females being more
positive than males. The findings also suggest that trainees have stronger instrumental motivation
than integrative motivation. Moreover, the results indicate that trainees do not differ significantly
in terms of their difficulties in using daily language skills. However, there are some statistically
significant differences in academic language, such as vocabulary and monologue speech. In
addition, there are statistically significant differences between males and females in speaking and
reading comprehension for daily language, as well as reading comprehension for academic
language.

Aim. The present research aims to explore the English language learning motivation of students at the Sapientia University, Faculty of Economics, Socio-Human Sciences and Engineering, Miercurea-Ciuc (Csíkszereda). Method. 103 students took part in the exploratory research where an online questionnaire containing 50 statements was used to find out students' motivations to learn English, focusing on seven different motivational factors (instrumentality, desire to become a global citizen, ideal foreign language self, desire for self-satisfaction, attitudes towards learning English, cultural integration and ought-to foreign language self). Results and conclusion. Results show that instrumental motivation has a strong effect on the surveyed students as they are highly motivated by the idea of getting a well-paying job with the help of their English language knowledge. Moreover, we also found out that participant students do not want to integrate within a native Englishspeaking community; they do not want to speak the language as native speakers, they rather aim to become global citizens with English. Cognitive value. The results of this exploratory research might offer valuable insight into students' language learning motivation. Therefore, the study might be helpful for university teachers to have detailed information and a clearer picture of their students' language learning motivations.

The main goal of this paper is to see what motivates students to learn Finnish as a foreign language. Previous research and materials on L2 motivation mainly focus on the learning of the English language. To learn more about L2 motivations from another perspective, this study focuses on a language, which is not obligatorily taught in public school systems. The investigation was done by questionnaires in three different cities: in Kuopio and Vaasa, Finland and Vienna, Austria. The results show that the main reasons to learn Finnish are the sound of the language and the culture as a whole.

II International Scientific Conference of Young Researches

This paper investigates young learners’ attitudes towards learning English as a foreign language (EFL) under different learning conditions. It reports on the findings of a quantitative study conducted between two comparable groups of Greek young learners (N=88), following English instruction, while attending Grade 6 in two primary schools with quite distinct approaches to teaching English. The data was collected with the help of a questionnaire, which explored the learners’ attitudes towards the English language and learning English as well as their motivation to learn English. The results illustrate clearly that favourable learning conditions can spur learners’ positive disposition towards the process of language learning at school.

Welcoming more than 1.7 million refugee and asylum-seeker children, Turkey has put a considerable effort in turning this tragedy into an advantage for these children in terms of their education. Language teaching has played a remarkable role in this effort. Turkey has offered both Turkish and English language courses to these people. Considering the significance of English as a global language for social integration and future studies, this study attempted to investigate young Syrian refugee students' attitudes toward English language and their reasons to learn English. Moreover, their perspectives were compared with Turkish young learners. Thirty-eight Turkish and 26 Syrian 5 th graders (aged 10-11) voluntarily participated in this study. The findings indicated that learning English makes Syrian students happy, whereas Turkish students enjoy the fun activities in English classes. Learning English is considered both relatively easy and important by both groups. Turkish and Syrian young learners' reasons to learn English differed slightly. Suggestions were provided for refugee young learners to overcome the potential problems regarding language learning.

Aim. The present research aims to explore the English language learning motivation of students at the Sapientia University, Faculty of Economics, Socio-Human Sciences and Engineering, Miercurea-Ciuc (Csíkszereda). Method. 103 students took part in the exploratory research where an online questionnaire containing 50 statements was used to find out students' motivations to learn English, focusing on seven different motivational factors (instrumentality, desire to become a global citizen, ideal foreign language self, desire for self-satisfaction, attitudes towards learning English, cultural integration and ought-to foreign language self). Results and conclusion. Results show that instrumental motivation has a strong effect on the surveyed students as they are highly motivated by the idea of getting a well-paying job with the help of their English language knowledge. Moreover, we also found out that participant students do not want to integrate within a native Englishspeaking community; they do not want to speak the language as native speakers, they rather aim to become global citizens with English. Cognitive value. The results of this exploratory research might offer valuable insight into students' language learning motivation. Therefore, the study might be helpful for university teachers to have detailed information and a clearer picture of their students' language learning motivations.

Bu araştırmanın temel amacı, lise öğrencilerinin yabancı dil öğrenmeye yönelik tutumları ile akademik başarıları arasındaki ilişkiyi ortaya koymaktır. Araştırma örneklemini Kahramanmaraş, Afşin ve Elbistan'da bulunan çeşitli liselerin son sınıf öğrencileri oluşturmuştur (N=421). Öğrencilerin yabancı dil öğrenmeye yönelik tutumlarının belirlenmesi amacıyla, Saracaloğlu (1992) tarafından geliştirilen "Yabancı Dile Yönelik Tutum Ölçeği 'YDYTÖ' " kullanılmıştır (_= 0,96). Araştırma verileri, ANOVA, t, Scheffe ve Tukey HSD testleri ile analiz edilmiştir. Bulgular, öğrencilerin yabancı dil başarılarının cinsiyete göre istatistiksel olarak önemli düzeyde farklılaşmadığını ancak yabancı dil tutumu ile akademik başarı arasında anlamlı bir ilişki olduğunu ve kız öğrencilerin yabancı dil tutumlarının erkek öğrencilerden daha olumlu olduğunu göstermektedir.

In the process of language learning, especially in a formal foreign language environment such as a university Mandarin Chinese (MC) class in Australia, students often feel that they lack the opportunities to check whether they can be understood by a native speaker of the target language. Usually the only feedback a student gets is from their language teachers whom he/she sees for only a few hours a week. This chapter reports on the effect of an experiment that involves the creation of a language learning environment in which physical and technological ways of perceiving MC sounds had been taught to students as a means of providing long lasting feedback in the classroom and/or self-access learning situations. These classes utilized a variety of computer enhanced language tools such as teacher-produced CD-ROMs, and an audiovisual feedback tool (Sptool) . These speech tools allow the incorporation of a visual representation of student's production that can be compared to the speech of a native speaker. The findings of this study suggest that the experimental group's rate of acquisition of MC pronunciation is faster than other learners who were taught the same course using the romanization system of MC and other traditional load lightening measures. Students in the experimental group also developed better rhythm and stress when speaking Mandarin and were more motivated in their learning.

At present, there appears to be general disinterest in learning modern foreign languages in the US, which is particularly marked in French. However, in a time of ever-increasing globalization, there is a need for the development of diverse linguistic skills. Contributing to this disinterest are language ideologies that situate the learning of certain languages, including French, as inappropriate for many. Attitudes regarding speakers of French and Francophone cultures are an integral component of these language ideologies. Bringing together applied linguistics and French cultural studies, this study was conducted at a US university and considers language ideologies regarding French that may be contributing to such disinterest in learning French as a second language. The sample included forty-seven undergraduates. Key findings include that young adults hold and are able to readily articulate their language attitudes, wherein the French language was consistently gendered as feminine. Implications include su...

- by Kris Knisely
- •
- Sociology, Cultural Studies, Second Language Acquisition, French Studies

The purpose of this study was to explore the predictors of negative attitudes towards learning English from L2 learners’ points of view. A mixed methods research approach was adopted with a sequential exploratory design, followed by an endorsement phase. Eighteen high school students in Fars province (Iran) were interviewed on the sources of negative attitudes towards learning English. Based on the interviews, a questionnaire was developed and pilot-tested. Results of exploratory factor analysis (EFA) showed 6 latent variables: materials, difficulty of learning English, affective factors, teaching methodology, school policy, and learning environment. Questionnaire was administered to 980 high school students. Through a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and simple linear regression, we found that the variable materials was the best predictor of negative attitudes. Then, came the variable affective factors that predicted negative attitudes better than the variables teaching methodolo...

- by Farzaneh Dehghan
- •
- Psychology, Applied Linguistics, Student Motivation, Beliefs and attitudes

This is a literature review of the teaching principles in English language and their relationships to motivation. This article is based on personal teaching experiences with teacher trainees in the field of language teaching. Motivation is key to successful education; however, it requires the right approaches to benefit teaching and learning. This article explores the importance of meaningful learning and authentic materials in language learning. It also emphasizes the significance of the role of reward in increasing motivation. It argues that rote learning should play minimal role if at all, whereas meaningful learning be the core of the whole experience. Moreover, culture connection, self-confidence, and attitude are considered as other important factors of teaching and learning. In conclusion, this article reiterates the importance of teachers ’ role in language learning success whereby teachers need to set the stage for learning through creating learning environment that foster ...

The present paper aims at studying the socio-psychological orientations of Saudi learners of English as a foreign language (henceforth EFL). The study focuses on the two important factors namely, motivation and attitude. The motivation factor is considered in terms of instrumental and integrative orientations. As for the attitude factor, the study investigates the students' orientation with reference to their attitude to learning English and towards native speakers of English. The sample of the study consisted of 120 (male and female) students studying English as a foreign language in the Departments of English, Faculties of Science and Arts, Al-Baha University. A questionnaire based on Gardner's Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) was used for data collection. The findings showed that the students were highly motivated in both instrumental and integrative orientations. The study also revealed that instrumental orientation (utilitarian and academic reasons) is higher compared to the integrative orientation (social and cultural reasons). Regarding the students' attitude, the study demonstrated that the students had positive attitudes to learning English and towards native speakers of English. The study concluded with some pedagogical recommendations that may help in directing students' motivation and attitudes to better learning performance. Further research was suggested in relation to students' low proficiency and motivation.

The study of motivation as an individual variable in language learning has produced an extensive body of contributions in the recent decades in relation to the success in language learners’ performance and to teaching and learning processes. However, the majority of studies have focused on the acquisition and teaching of English in different contexts. In the framework of the LETEGR2 project, the present exploratory and qualitative study seeks to analyze the meanings that learners of Modern Greek as a second language (n=102) associate with Greek and how the relationships of these meanings interact with motivations towards learning this language. The processing and categorization of the participants’ responses by inter‑judge validation and their thematic analysis highlight four main aspects associated with language as (a) instrument, (b) attitude, (c) personal bond and (d) culture. The preliminary results reveal, firstly, positive and very positive attitudes towards the Greek language; secondly, the relationship between learning Greek and other extralinguistic aspects, such as intergenerational links and the role of the historical and cultural legacy of this language.
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El estudio de la motivación como variable individual en el aprendizaje de lenguas ha generado en las últimas décadas un cuerpo de contribuciones amplio en relación con el éxito en el rendimiento de sus aprendientes y con los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje. Sin embargo, las investigaciones en este sentido se han desarrollado principalmente desde el ámbito de la lingüística aplicada al aprendizaje y enseñanza del inglés. En el marco del proyecto LETEGR2, el presente estudio exploratorio, de corte cualitativo, persigue analizar los significados que aprendientes de griego moderno como segunda lengua (n=102) asocian con el griego y de qué modo las relaciones de estos significados interactúan con las motivaciones hacia el aprendizaje de la lengua. El procesamiento y categorización de las respuestas por validación interjueces y su análisis temático destacan cuatro aspectos principales asociados con la lengua como (a) instrumento, (b) actitud, (c) vínculo personal y (d) cultura. Los resultados preliminares ponen de manifiesto actitudes positivas y muy positivas hacia la lengua griega, así como relevancia de su aprendizaje con otros aspectos extralingüísticos, como los vínculos intergeneracionales y el papel del legado histórico y cultural de esta lengua.

This paper investigates young learners" attitudes towards learning English as a foreign language (EFL) under different learning conditions. It reports on the findings of a quantitative study conducted between two comparable groups of Greek young learners (N=88), following English instruction, while attending Grade 6 in two primary schools with quite distinct approaches to teaching English. The data was collected with the help of a questionnaire, which explored the learners" attitudes towards the English language and learning English as well as their motivation to learn English. The results illustrate clearly that favourable learning conditions can spur learners" positive disposition towards the process of language learning at school.

The primary purpose of this study is to find out the degree of which motivational orientation differentiates learners in a foreign language (FL) learning context, particularly in the Philippines. The secondary purpose of this study is to determine differences in the motivational orientation of Filipino FL learners using the Foreign Language Learning Motivation Questionnaire and to investigate variables such as age group, gender, FL being learned and length of study of FL could influence differentiation in the motivational orientation of FL learning among Filipino students. Accordingly, it was hypothesized that the variables included in this study could differentiate motivational orientation of FL learners. The participants of this study included 150 students who had elected to study FL from three major universities in Metro Manila. Eighty of the participants are females (53.3%), while 70 are males (46.7%). The data were cross-sectional in nature with 26 learning Chinese (17.3%), 40 ...

The Tamils and Malayalees share a common cultural and linguistic heritage. these two communities are known for their migration to other places within India and outside. It is generally felt that most of the speakers of ,Malayalam when they migrate (temporarily or seasonally) to other places quick learn the local language with considerable proficiency. On the other hand, in the similar context, many Tamils usually manage with Tamil espe¬cially when they migrate to the the neighbouring states. There can be several reasons for the contradictory behaviour of these two linguistic groups including retention of linguistic features (Malayalam) historical domination of a lan¬guage (Tamil) and attitudes of a particular speech community. This paper at¬tempts to analyse the language attitudes of these two linguistic groups towards a second language with the help of field data.

Poster presented at LIF2015 Conference (Cappadocia, Turkey)

- by Audrey De Smet and +3
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- Motivation (Psychology), Language Attitudes, Belgium, Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)

Even though English has remained an important element at different levels of education, studies in different parts of the world indicate that proficiency and performance in English can be a challenge. A specific example is the case of Mexico. Learning English has been stated as important in the Mexican education system for decades, yet, Mexico has held low proficiency in English for a long time. This study forms part of a larger mixed-methodology study of an institution of higher education in southeast Mexico. This paper aims to explore the descriptive results of 882 firstyear university students on an English institutional test to study their language performance and the salient contextual factors. The test results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlations using SPSS, version 21. The results show that students' English test performance is mostly low. Independent sample t-tests indicate that while gender is not an influencing factor on test performance, higher exam scores are associated with the type of high school education.