Motivation, an influential factor for L2 Acquisition?

Motivation,  an  influential factor for L2 Acquisition?

 -------How can the less intelligent learners enhance motivation

Second language acquisition (SLA) is the study of how second languages are learned and the factors that influence the process. , According to the research, motivation serves as the influential factors for L2 acquisition.

What is motivation?

Motivation, defined as the impetus to create and sustain intentions and goal-seeking acts (Ames & Ames, 1989), is important because it determines the extent of the learner's active involvement and attitude toward learning. In other word, it is an inner drive, impulse, emotion, or desire that moves one to a particular action. More specially, humans universally have needs or drive which are more or less innate, yet their intensity is environmentally conditioned.(Brown)

Motivation is the learner’s orientation regarding the goal of learning a second language (Crookes and Schmidt 1991).  It is extremely important to understand the nature of student motivation because research shows that motivation plays a major part in students' choices of language learning strategies and the proficiency levels they achieve. However, language instructors often are not aware of the specific motivations of their students. The work is based on the extensive research of the role of attitudes and motivation in second language acquisition by Gardner and Lambert (1972), Dornyei (1998), and others. An eventual theory of second-language teaching should take into account not only scientific knowledge coming from contributing sciences (linguistics, psychology, etc.), but also practical knowledge of language teachers.

Maslow(1970) listed hierarchical human needs. The picture is as follows:

                    Being Needs

                    Self-actualization

                    Esteem  needs

                    Belonging needs

                     Physiological needs       

Instrumental Motivation and Integrative Motivation

Current second language acquisition research discusses two types of attitudes labeled as an "integrative orientation" and an "instrumental" orientation. Two Types of Motivation:

Instrumental Motivation is characterized by the desire to obtain something practical from studying a second language. It is typical of second language acquisition where little or no social integration of the learner into a community using the target language takes place, such as in a foreign language classroom. The learner’s purpose in language acquisition is more practical, such as meeting a requirement for school or university graduation, applying for a job, reaching technical material.

Integrative Motivation is characterized by the learner’s positive attitudes towards the target language group and comes into play when one desires to become a part of a community that uses the target language in social situations. Integrative motivation has been found to sustain long-term success when learning a second language.

The distinction between integrative and instrumental motivation is that in the former, the learner wishes to learn a language in order to integrate into the culture and society of the language group, whereas in the latter learning of a language is motivated by the desire to achieve instrumental goals, such as academic achievement, and/or professional and economic advancement.

How can the less intelligent learners appeal to their inner needs and enhance motivation?

Motivation, like self-esteem, can be global, situational or task-oriented.That is,there are two cases

I don’t like learning English, but I like this attractive young teacher.(situation)

I don’t like learning English , but I like this English game.(task)

In our English teaching, we can use these two cases to stimulate the students’ passion into English  learning . .That  is  to say, the reason why people who want to pass TOEFL are instrumentally  oriented. As we all know, Students with instrumental motivation are more successful in  Second Language Learning(SLA), compared with people with integrative motivation .When a learning wishes to integrate him/her within the culture of the target language group, to

 Identify him/her with and become a part of that society.

 transfer and motivation

Research suggests that transfer and motivation are mutually supportive in creating an optimal learning environment. If the learner perceives what he is learning to be relevant and transferable to other situations, he will find learning meaningful, and his motivation to acquire the skill or knowledge will increase. Similarly, for transfer to take place, the learner must be motivated to do two things. First, he must be able to recognize opportunities for transfer (Prawat, 1989); second, he needs to possess the motivation to take advantage of these opportunities (Pea, 1988).

Teachers can observe circumstances under which learners acquire language and can make adjustments toward creating optimal learning conditions. In designing learning activities, the language teacher should remember that because language learning focuses on both the accuracy and appropriateness of application in various contexts of use, learners must be given opportunities to participate as language users in multiple contexts. These opportunities will result in learners' heightened motivation and awareness of the intricacies of language use, including Encourage learned to take ownership in learning. 

First, have learners take ownership of the learning assignment by letting them identify and decide for themselves relevant learning goals. This will motivate them to apply what they have learned to attain these learning goals. Promote international cognition or mindfulness to learning in various contexts.

second, learners must be able to practice language in multiple contexts in order to bridge domains and foster active abstraction of concepts learned (Bransford, et al. 1990). This will help learners recognize the relevance and transferability of different learning skills or knowledge. Increase authenticity of learning and goals.

Last but not least, learners should recognize a real need to accomplish learning goals that are relevant and holistic (rather than task-specific). This prepares them for the complexities of real-world tasks that require them to use language skills and knowledge that have to be continually transferred.

Who is winner

Krashen claims that learners with high motivation, self-confidence, a good self-image, and a low level of anxiety are better equipped for success in second language acquisition. Low motivation, low self-esteem, and debilitating anxiety can combine to 'raise' the affective filter and form a 'mental block' that prevents comprehensible input from being used for acquisition. In other words, when the filter is 'up' it impedes language acquisition. On the other hand, positive affect is necessary, but not sufficient on its own, for acquisition to take place.

motivation is perceived to be composed of three elements. These include effort, desire and affect. Effort refers to the time spent studying the language and the drive of the learner. Desire indicates how much the learner wants to become proficient in the language, and affect illustrates the learner's emotional reactions with regard to language study (Gardner 1982).

Gardner's Socio-Educational Model

         

The work conducted by Gardner in the area of motivation was largely influenced by Mowrer (1950, cited in Larson-Freeman and Long 1994), whose focus was on first language acquisition. Mowrer proposed that a child's success when learning a first language could be attributed to the desire to gain identity within the family unit and then the wider language community. Using this as the basis for his own research Gardner went on to investigate motivation as an influencing factor in L2 acquisition.

Motivation has been identified as the learner's orientation with regard to the goal of learning a second language (Crookes and Schmidt 1991). It is thought that students who are most successful when learning a target language are those who like the people that speak the language, admire the culture and have a desire to become familiar with or even integrate into the society in which the language is used (Falk 1978). This form of motivation is known as integrative motivation. When someone becomes a resident in a new community that uses the target language in its social interactions, integrative motivation is a key component in assisting the learner to develop some level of proficiency in the language. It becomes a necessity, in order to operate socially in the community and become one of its members. It is also theorised that "integrative motivation typically underlies successful acquisition of a wide range of registers and a nativelike pronunciation" (Finegan 1999:568).

In the same study (Berwick et al. 1989) it was proposed that motivation for studying English peaks in the final year of high school when students channel all their energy into studying for university entrance. Once students gain entrance to a university, motivation to continue English study is sometimes diminished . Many first-year students appear to have no academic purpose. In direct contrast to this, however, is the strong desire of many adults to once again resume study. This often takes place in the many private foreign language schools which provide classes at all hours of the day, catering for the busy employee who is often occupied until late in the evening. Some of the many reasons for the renewed interest of adults in studying include acquiring new skills necessary for the workplace and preparation for an overseas work transfer.

What does research say about learner motivation in SLA?

Motivation has been a focus of SLA research for many years. Identifies motivation as "why people decide to do something, how long they are willing to sustain the activity [and] how hard they are going to pursue it." Linguist Robert Gardner (1985; Masgoret & Gardner, 2003) examined factors that affected French- and English-speaking Canadians learning the language of the other community. His studies support the theory that integrative motivation (wanting to learn a language in order to identify with the community that speaks the language) promotes SLA. This motivation seems to promote SLA regardless of the age of the learner or whether the language is being learned as a second or foreign language. Even if individuals do not have this positive attitude toward learning the language, they may have instrumental motivation-that is, they may want to learn the language to meet their needs and goals, such as to get a job or to talk to their children's teachers (Morris, 2001; Oxford & Shearin, 1994). Whatever the learners' motivation, research seems to support the practice of teachers discovering and responding to learners' needs and goals when planning instruction (Weddel & Van Duzer, 1997).

Teachers can facilitate motivation by helping learners identify short-term goals and reflect on their progress and achievements. For example, teachers can provide learners with self-assessment checklists to identify skill strengths and weaknesses, weekly checklists to track their progress on meeting a learning goal, and self-reflection tools (e.g., learning diaries) to help learners build autonomy and take charge of their learning (Marshall, 2002).

Recent research looks at how instructional contexts also affect motivation. A learner's motivation may vary from day to day and even from task to task ( Kormos, 2000). Using varied and challenging instructional activities  can help learners stay focused and engaged in instructional content. Research examining how to improve learner motivation suggests that social factors (e.g., group dynamics, learning environment, and a partner's motivation) affect a learner's attitude, effort, classroom behavior, and achievement). Therefore, teachers should create an environment that is conducive to learning by encouraging group cohesion in the classroom. Pair and group work activities can provide learners with opportunities to share information and build a sense of community (Florez & Burt, 2001).

Research also suggests that teachers cultivate opportunities that continue to stimulate language use when learners are not in class  Noels, 1994). Project work provides learners with a bridge between practice in and outside of class. In addition, projects provide opportunities for learners to work with others to accomplish tasks, using English in real-life situations (Moss & Van Duzer, 1998).

Research on the relationship between motivation and second language acquisition is ongoing. Current research looks at instructional practices that teachers use to generate and maintain learner motivation and strategies through which learners themselves take control of factors that have an impact on their motivation and learning, such as lack of self-confidence, change of goals, or distractions  Noels, Clement, & Pelletier, 2003).

What is the role of interaction in SLA?

Another area of SLA research focuses on how interaction contributes to second language acquisition. Interaction refers to communication between individuals, particularly when they are negotiating meaning in order to prevent a breakdown in communication (Ellis, 1999). Research on interaction is conducted within the framework of the Interactive Hypothesis, which states that conversational interaction "facilitates [language] acquisition because it connects input [what learners hear and read]; internal learner capacities, particularly selective attention; and output [what learners produce] in productive ways" (Long, 1996, pp. 451-452). Interaction provides learners with opportunities to receive comprehensible input and feedback (Gass, 1997; Long, 1996; Pica, 1994) as well as to make changes in their own linguistic output (Swain, 1995). This allows learners to "notice the gap" (Schmidt & Frota, 1986, p. 311) between their command of the language and correct, or target-like, use of the language.

A person's motivation behind learning a second language (L2) and the views she holds regarding the L2-speaking community both come into play in speed of SLA and degree of proficiency achieved. Integrative motivation is more helpful in SLA and proficiency because there is more desire for interaction with the community and the language that helps acquisition.  Those students with mainly instrumental motivation are less likely to seek out situations where there language skills will be needed and will be improved, like social occasions in the L2 community, readings in the L2, or friends in the L2 community.

   Many studies have ignored this fact and have tried to attribute too much weight to one factor, while others have undoubtedly affected the outcomes. Since single factors and how they affect acquisition cannot be completely isolated, research should be concentrated on the outcomes of certain teaching techniques. They will not be universally applicable, but will help to eliminate less effective or damaging techniques. This area of teaching will be increasingly important as our world continues to become more bilingual and multilingual.

The best methods are therefore those that supply 'comprehensible input' in low anxiety situations, containing messages that students really want to hear. These methods do not force early production in the second language, but allow students to produce when they are 'ready', recognizing that improvement comes from supplying communicative and comprehensible input, and not from forcing and correcting production."

so that motivation’s position in L2 acquisition can be confirmed with a reputation of being an economical and efficient "shortcut".

 Bibliography：

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Writer: Qiu Fei 仇非

From : Zhong Guo Middle School