Szekeres Krisztina: Motivation in L2 learning

Szekeres Krisztina

Motivation in L2 learning

Although successful language learning hinges upon a number of factors, one of the most prominent of these is motivation. Motivation provides the initial force to start an activity and it determines the extent of the invested effort and the future persistence Motivation is the student’s dynamically changing individual attribute (Dörnyei, 2003). Following that, it can undergo significant changes, thus it can be modified in a positive or negative direction. In order to be able to positively influence motivation in second language learning, it is important to know the factors that can shape motivation. Considering that motivation is a highly complex multidimensional concept, it is impossible to investigate the full range of aspects related to second language motivation, which is why my review will be restricted to the examination of motivational effects of self-efficacy and integrative orientation. In this essay, I would like to show how perceived self-efficacy and the integrative orientation of students affect their motivation.

Learning a language is different to learning other subjects, and it is mainly because of the social nature of the process. Foreign language learning has a number of aspects that show beyond the learning of a system of rules and grammars, because it is related to learning a foreign culture’s behavioural norms, and cultural values that usually determine a person’s self-identity. Williams (1994) also reinforced this idea by saying that “language, after all, belongs to a person’s whole social being: it is part of one’s identity, and it is used to convey this identity to other people” (Williams, 1994, p. 77).The recognition of the social nature of language learning lead Gardner to the conclusion that motivation depends strongly on one’s disposition toward the community speaking the target language (Gardner, 1985). If there is a positive attitude towards the community of the target language that would mean an incentive to pursue second language learning because it would entail a desire to be able to communicate with and even resemble the members of that community. This personal affinity for the people who speak a particular language and for the culture associated with that language is called an integrative motivation.

 However, when students feel an aversion toward the community of the target language, they show a strong resistance to learning that language because they “refuse to incorporate elements of their culture into their own behavioural repertoire” (Dörnyei, 2003, p. 14). As Hungarians, we could observe a particular occurrence of this case, when it was obligatory to learn the language of a country that invaded Hungary. Dörnyei describes the situation in his book the following : “in Hungary, where I grew up, every school child was exposed to several years of learning Russian, the language of Hungary’s communist Big Brother, with hardly any effect” (Dörnyei, 2003). As a deduction, it can be stated when students have an indifferent or negative or even hostile attitude towards the community of a language, that would decrease motivation to a great extent and therefore, learners become unlikely to make progress in learning.

Besides integrative motivation, Gardner (1985) defined another type of motivation called instrumental motivation (Gardner, 1985). When students are driven by instrumental motives, they learn the language for practical purposes. They want to gain a specific something from the study of the language; in other words, they consider it as a means of gaining social or economic reward. In previous studies it has been pointed out that integrative motives are superior to instrumental ones in functioning as mediators in the prediction of learning achievement. Those students are more likely to succeed in language learning and evaluate more the learning situation who have an integrative orientation.

Additionally, learners’ motivation can be greatly influenced by their perceived self-efficacy beliefs. Self-efficacy is a person’s judgement about his own ability to achieve a goal or succeed. Positive self-efficacy beliefs provide the foundation for increased motivation and accomplishments, as those students that hold positive perceptions about their capabilities are more willing to make effort, undertake challenging tasks and persist longer in the face of difficulties (Chang, 2010, p. 133). Zimmermon (2000) also pointed out similar motivation related factors influenced by self-efficacy. He said that ”self-efficacy beliefs have shown convergent validity in influencing such key indices of academic motivation as choice of activities, level of effort, persistence, and emotional reactions"(Zimmermon, 2000. p. 86).

Previous personal experiences with success and failure also determine one’s self-efficacy.(Dörnyei, 2003). At this stage it is important to note that failure can be more easily overcome when students get encouraging feedback with informative comments on the mistakes even when they did not perform well. As opposed to that, negative messages reinforce low self-perception and lead to a deterioration in performance. It has been pointed out that negative assessment has an even greater influence on lowering efficacy expectations than positive messages do on increasing efficacy (Bandura, 1997). Self-efficacy can be enhanced if failure is not attributed to invariable factors such as innate ability that leads to a great demotivation of students, but rather it is explained on the basis of controllable factors such as lack of effort (Weiner, 1979).

People who developed low self-efficacy and doubt their social skills often envision rejection, ridicule or low performance even before they begin a task or enrol in a course. Taking into account that positive experiences is one of the most important source of fostering self-efficacy, teachers should set up challenging yet attainable tasks in order to promote successful experience. Due to all this, one can see that self-efficacy beliefs can enhance accomplishment and motivation. They influence the choices people make and the courses of action they pursue. Students tend to select tasks and activities in which they feel competent and confident and evade those in which they do not.

In conclusion, a language is not only a subject matter but also a representation of a certain culture and therefore student’s attitude and integrative orientation toward that cultural group is thought to influence the extent to which students are willing to devote themselves to the study of the language. A positive or negative attitude is a remarkable force for increasing or decreasing motivation. Self-efficacy also affects a number of motivation related aspects; among others it determines the attitude towards the learning situation, the degree of effort people will expend on learning, and how long they will persevere in the activity. People with a strong sense of personal competence have greater intrinsic interest and are more willing to engage in challenging tasks which further increase their motivation and mastery level. Therefore, for increasing students’ motivation it is crucial to apply the techniques inducing the development of high self-efficacy and invest energy into promoting the development of positive integrative orientation.

References

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: W. H. Freeman.

Chang, L. Y.-H. (2010). Group Processes and EFL Learners’ Motivation: A Study of Group Dynamics in EFL Classrooms. TESOL Quarterly, 44(1), 129-154.

Dörnyei, Z. (2001b). Motivational Strategies in the Language Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Gardner, R. C. (1985). Social Psychology and Second Language Learning: The Role of Attitudes and Motivation. London: Edward Arnold.

Weiner, B. (1979). A theory of motivation for some classroom experiences. Journal of Educational Psychology, 71, 3-25.

Williams, M. & Burden, R. (1997). Psychology for language teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University

Zimmerman, B. J. (2000). Self-efficacy: An essential motive to learn. Contemporary

Educational Psychology, 25, 82-91.