motivation for a second or foreign language learning

1、<p>　　Motivation For A Second or Foreign Language Learning</p><p>　　Abstract. Motivation is a frequently used word both in our daily work and study，which is an important factor which can greatly influen

2、ce the achievement of learners’ second language or foreign language acquisition. Speaking of the history of research on ‘Motivation’， Gardner and Lamber and their associates should come first，because they have done the m

3、ost important work，which made the most outstanding contributors in this field. There are several kinds of motivation ，like instrumental motivation</p><p>　　Key words: Motivation；Second language；Learning；Teac

4、hing. </p><p>　　1. Introduction </p><p>　　Motivation’ is a frequently used word both in our daily work and study. A teacher might encourage his/her students by saying ‘Given motivation, anyone c

5、an learn a language’. Thus, it shows in language learning that motivation is very crucial, and actually the same as aptitude, intelligence and attitudes, it is an important factor which can greatly influence the achievem

6、ent of learners’ second language or foreign language acquisition. Skehan (1989) asserts that motivation appears to be the second</p><p>　　In recent researches, ‘desire to achieve a goal’ is usually understoo

7、d as ‘orientations’. Belmechri and Hummel (p 239) in their survey suggest that the prediction of motivation by orientations may be about 2/5 (40%). Therefore it is useful to know about students orientations. Besides, all

8、 studies of motivation as a predictor of success in second or foreign language learning consistently define motivation in relation to attitudinal variables, whether towards the target language, target language s</p>

9、;<p>　　Speaking of the researching work on ‘motivation’, people will naturally think of the most outstanding contributors in this field – Gardner and Lamber and their associates, because they have done the most im

10、portant work. (Gardner, p 51) In 1980s, Gardner and Lamber started their research. The original theory was an outgrowth of Mowrer’s views (1950) on individual development which emphasize the importance of identification

11、with a valued person. They (1972) suggested that those people who identify</p><p>　　3. Definitions of Several kinds of Motivation and the Relevant Debate </p><p>　　In Rod Ellis’s Second Language

12、 Acquisition (p715), he himself having not done any research on motivation, he could not give his own but several researchers are mentioned in the book. Gardner and Lambert come the first because of their influential sta

13、tus or main body of work they have done in this field. They distinguish ‘instrumental motivation’, which occurs when a learner has a functional goal, such as to get a job, pass an examination, to meet the educational req

14、uirement, to use in his/her jo</p><p>　　H. Douglas Brown in his book – Principles of Language Learning and Teaching (p155) talks of assimilative motivation which is claimed by Graham. Graham thought that int

15、egrative motivation had been too broadly defined in previous research. He then made a distinction between integrative and assimilative motivation. Integrative motivation is the desire on the part of a language learner to

16、 learn the second language in order to communicate with, or find out about, members of the second language group.</p><p>　　Intrinsically motivated activities are ones for which there is no apparent reward ex

17、cept the activity itself. People seem to engage in the activities for their own sake and not because they lead to an extrinsic reward… Intrinsically motivated behaviors are aimed at bringing about certain internally rewa

18、rding consequences, namely, feelings of competence and self-determination. </p><p>　　Extrinsically motivated behaviors, on the other hand, are carried out in anticipation of a reward from outside and beyond

19、the self. Typical extrinsic rewards are money, prizes, grades, and even certain types of positive feedback. Behaviors initiated solely to avoid punishment are also extrinsically motivated, even though numerous intrinsic

20、benefits can ultimately accuse to those who, instead, view punishment avoidance as a challenge that can build their sense of competence and self-determination</p><p>　　The above mentioned concepts of motivat

21、ion are so far commonly seen in the leading books on applied linguistics. </p><p>　　As have been said before, in this area far and away the most important work done has been by Robert Gardner earlier with Wa

22、llace Lambert, and later with research associates the University of Western Ontario (Skehan, p52), they are the master researchers and the definitions of motivation they built are widely recognized ones. Other researcher

23、s need to listen to their voices. </p><p>　　Gardner and Lambert in their book, Attitudes and Motivation describe some case studied and illustrate two important orientations in dome detail: an ‘instrumental o

24、utlook’, reflecting the practical value and advantage of learning a new language, and an ‘integrative outlook’, reflecting a sincere and personal interest in the people and culture represented by the other group. It was

25、authors’ hunch that an integrative orientation would sustain better the long-term motivation needed for the very dema</p><p>　　Spolsky (Brown, p154) found that integrative motivation generally accompanied hi

26、gher scores on proficiency task in a foreign Language in his study. He reached the conclusion that integrative motivation might be an important requirement for successful language learning indeed. </p><p>　　

27、And actually some teachers and researchers have even gone so far as to claim that integrative motivation is absolutely essential for successful second language learning. This leads one to explore the reason why they hold

28、 the view. 　　Nevertheless some case studied have provided evidence to challenge this claim. Yasmeen Lukmani (Brown, p154) demonstrated that among Marathi-speaking Indian students leaning English in India, those with hig

29、her instrumental motivation scored higher in tests of Englis</p><p>　　The main explanation is that because Gardner’s work has been carried out exclusively I a Canadian context. A primary claim is that Anglop

30、hone Canadians (primarily in a bilingual context) are more motivated by integrative motivation (positive attitude toward French speakers) than by an instrumental motivation (positive views of the rewards of learning Fren

31、ch, a utilitarian motive). Therefore, integrative motivation is hypothesized to do a better predictor of second language success than instrumen</p><p>　　The objection of other researchers to Gardner’s views

32、is that the results are local to the Canadian situation rather than being globally applicable. Motivation could differ from culture to culture. Local conditions may play significant roles in motivations for language lear

33、ning. Gass (p253) gave an example to illustrate this. He said that in the Northwest Amazon spouses must come from different ethnic groups. Then he asked whether the motivation to learn one’s spouse’s language more instru

34、mental</p><p>　　However, such variable findings in empirical investigations do not necessarily invalidate the integrative – instrumental structure. IT has been pointed out once more that there is no single m

35、eans of learning a second or foreign language: Some learners in some contexts are more successful in learning a language if they are integratively oriented, and others in different contexts benefit form an instrumental o

36、rientation. </p><p>　　As to other kinds of motivation, some researchers, such as Rossier (Rod Ellis, p516) argues that motivation are intrinsic interest should be emphasized, because without the desire to co

37、mmunicate, an integrative motivation may not be effective. It is the need to get meaning across and the pressure experienced when this is achieved that provides the motivation to learn a second language. Crooks and Schmi

38、dt (1991) and Brown (1990) also strongly favors intrinsic orientations, especially doe ling-ter</p><p>　　It is likely that the relationship between motivation and achievement is an interactive one. A high le

39、vel of motivation does stimulate learning, but perceived success in achieving L2 goals can help to maintain existing motivation and even create new types. Rod Ellis’s conclusion (p515) finally put an end to the chicken-a

40、nd-egg debate. </p><p>　　4. The Current Researches on the Application of Motivation in Learning and Teaching </p><p>　　Since the significant function of motivation has been universally acknowled

41、ged, more and more researchers are focusing on the practical application of motivation in language learning and teaching classroom. In modern times particularly in advanced countries, instructional approach is following

42、the principles of students-centered teaching paradigm. Cooperative learning has thus been introduced into classroom. </p><p>　　Actually the instructional use of small groups in order to achieve common learni

43、ng goals via cooperation has made an almost unprecedented impact in English language education during the last two decades. Intensive investigations have almost invariably indicated that this kind of learning is a highly

44、 effective classroom intervention, superior to most traditional forms of instruction in terms of producing learning gains and student achievement, higher-order thinking, positive attitudes towards lea</p><p>

45、;　　5. Self-Critique </p><p>　　Since two Canadian psychologists, Gardner and Lamber started bringing motivation research into L2 field, much of the research has been done under their inspiration. Therefore, a

46、 lot of arguments have arisen. </p><p>　　I personally should think that motivation, as far as its notion is concerned, is a kind of strong stimulus which comes from a certain learner’s perspective of his/her

47、 own social milieu and drives this learner to study hard and smart (e.g. use appropriate learning strategies) and finally acquire the proficiency of the target language in a quick and effective way. It could come either

48、from the learner’s inner desire to become integrated with the target language speaking community or external press</p><p>　　Besides, over a period of time, a certain kind of motivation could change and will

49、not work well in the same community. Hummel and Belmechri in their report had approved this viewpoint. (1998, p219 – p244) They advanced that the definitions of orientations are context-dependent. However, it seems that

50、this phenomenon has not been widely noted in this field. Later further research should be made in more non-English speaking countries in naturalistic research method. Therefore, the results could b</p><p>　　

51、In the concrete language classrooms, the instruction paradigm and other factors which can facilitate students to develop intrinsic motivation need to be further explored. Among all the composite motivations, the integrat

52、ive-intrinsic motivation, in my opinion, is the best one. It is more closely associated with motivation level and those deep processing strategies such as cognitive and metacognitive learning strategies. Consequently, gr

53、eater and more successful achievement can be attained. The i</p><p>　　Motivation in language learning is a very complicated psychological phenomenon And it is also the single most influential factor in learn

54、ing a new language. (Gardner, 1985) It is these two reasons that motivation has been an important research topic in the field of applied linguistics all the time. With the advancement of globalization, more and more peop

55、le will desire to learn another language to equip themselves both in work and in life. This has entrusted researchers to further investigate mo</p><p>　　References </p><p>　　[1] Ames, C., &

56、Ames, R., 1984. Systems of student and teacher motivation: Toward a qualitative definition. Journal of Educational Psychology, 76, p535 – p556 </p><p>　　[2] Belmechri Faiza and Hummel Kirsten, 1998. Orientat

57、ions and Motivation in the Acquisition of English as a Second Language Among High School Students in Quebec City. Language Learning 48: 2, p219 – p244 </p><p>　　[3] Brown H. Douglas, 1994. Principles of Lang

58、uage Learning and Teaching. USA: Prentice Hall Regents. </p><p>　　[4] Chambers Gary, 1994. A snapshot in Motivation at 10+, 13 + and 16 +. Language Learning Journal, No. 9, p14 – p18. </p><p>　　

59、[5] Chang Shanmao Frank and Huang Shanghai Cindy, 1999. Language Learning Motivation and Language Learning Strategies of Taiwanese EFL Students. Unpublished essay, Indiana University of USA and National Changhua Universi

60、ty of Taiwan. </p><p>　　[6] Clement, R., Dornyei, Z., & Noels, K., 1994. Motivation, Self-confidence, and Group-cohesion in the foreign Language Classroom. Language Learning, 44, p418 – p448 </p>

61、<p>　　[7] Dornyei Zoltan, 1997. Psychological Processes in Cooperative Language Learning: Group Dynamics and Motivation. The Modern Language Journal, 81, p482 – p491 </p><p>　　[8] Ellis Rod, 1986. Under

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65、tion. London, Great Britain: Edward Arnold. </p><p>　　[14] Gass Susan M. and Selinker Larry, 1994. Second Language Acquisition – An Introductory Course. USA: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. </p><

66、;p>　　[15] Lightbown Patsy M. & Spada Nina, 1993. How Languages are Learned. HK: Oxford University Press. </p><p>　　[16] Lin, 1999. Role of Attitudes / Motivation in Second Language Acquisition and The

67、 Relation of Anxiety with Second Language Learning. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, RMIT University. </p><p>　　[17] Oxford Rebecca, 1999. Variables, Individual, in Language Learning: Classroom Implication

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