Enhancing students’ motivation in foreign language learning

The study aims to explore the roles of anxiety and motivation in foreign language learning. A total of 141 freshmen at a private university in south Taiwan served as subjects. The research instrument includes the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) (Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986), Motivation/attitude about foreign language learning (Gardner, 1985), as well as two English scores of Taiwan College Entrance Exam (CEE) and National English Test of Proficiency All on the Web (NETPAW). All available data were processed by SPSS 16 (Statistical Package of Social Science). Findings show the two English scores of CEE and NETPAW, as well as motivation, attitude and motivational intensity are strongly correlated to one another. In addition, motivational intensity is related to score of NETPAW, but anxiety is the best predictor of students' score of NETPAW positively. It's expected that the findings can provide teachers with some hints for more effective foreign language teaching and learning by being aware of students' individual differences.

Some studies have been conducted to relate motivation with second /foreign language learning. Belmechri and Hummel (1988) introduced intensity and desire in exploring motivation in the acquisition of a second language. In some studies motivation was classified into integrative and instrumental (Gardner and Lambert, 1972; Ely, 1986; Oxford and Shearin, 1994; and Sung and Padila, 1998), while some other studies motivation was classified into extrinsic and intrinsic (Dornyei (1994; Ramage, 1990; and Noels et al. 1999). Unlike the concept of motivation introduced by Oller et al.(1977 and Spolsky ( 1969), who did not separate attitude from motivation in language learning motivation in language learning in the study is separated from attitude. This study attempted to investigate how individual differences with regard to attitude and motivation are correlated in language learning. The participants in this study consisted of 75 students of a university in Indonesia who have been learning Lampungese language, a local language, since Elementary School. The data of attitude and motivation, which were collected through questionnaires, were analyzed by undertaking correlation analyses. The findings show that attitude and motivation was significantly correlated. The pedagogical implications were also provided in this study.

Motivation is crucial and imperative in positively achieving language learning goals. Learning English as a second language (ESL) is a demanding and challenging task which often makes Chinese students stressed, anxious and consequently unable to perform well in the English language classroom. Recent research into motivation in language learning has revealed that motivation has considerable benefits to facilitating the learning process as a means of improving students’ confidence and promoting class participation. A positive motivation enables language learners to become more focused and proficient in learning the use of another language. This paper critically examines the significance of motivation in English language learning in the Chinese context, and argues that increasing motivation can provide learners with significant advantages in improving confidence and enhancing classroom involvement in the language classroom. It is suggested that motivation, through development of a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, can be harnessed for positive student outcomes.

This paper contributes to the understanding of the concept of student motivation in foreign language learning. Taking into account Waldorf teachers’ optimal classroom experiences (n=18) in foreign language classrooms, this study presents as a conclusion two relationships that emerge in a language learning process: the relationship between the learner and his/her learning environment and the relationship between the learner and his/her school subject. These relationships display seven key aspects namely relatedness/autonomy, contemplation, curiosity, received/offered feedback, language complexity, tolerance towards language, and sensorial activation. These aspects were analysed taking into account a theoretical framework focused on student motivation. This paper encourages teachers and researchers to investigate the Waldorf Approach for teaching foreign languages, not only in Waldorf schools, but also in mainstream public school and multicultural settings that are applying this approach.

This paper examines multilingualism as a fundamental condition of learners in the context of foreign language teaching, with a particular focus on German as a foreign language (DaF). It first defines the concept of multilingualism and distinguishes it from related terms such as bilingualism, second language, and foreign language, highlighting the importance of multilingual competence in today´s globalized world. The study then explores two key approaches to integrating multilingualism into foreign language education: contrastive linguistics and multilingual didactics. Contrastive linguistics, which builds on the contrastive hypothesis, is analyzed both in its potential to facilitate language learning through positive transfer and in its limitations, including critiques of the strong contrastive hypothesis and the issue of false friends. The concept of multilingual didactics is presented as a pedagogical framework that encourages the systematic use of learners' existing language knowledge, including English as a bridging language, to support the acquisition of additional languages. The paper uses the textbook deutsch.com as an example to illustrate how multilingual approaches can be effectively implemented in DaF teaching. The findings suggest that leveraging multilingual learners' prior knowledge, raising awareness of cross-linguistic similarities and differences, and integrating languages strategically into teaching materials can significantly enhance the efficiency and motivation in foreign language learning.

The study was conducted to revisit multiple intelligences with the roles of motivation, strategy, and anxiety in foreign language learning. Subjects were 260 Hospitality management major students in a private five-year junior college in north-eastern Taiwan, including 114 males and 146 females. They helped to fill out the 226-item questionnaires dealing with multiple intelligences [1] [2], motivation [3], strategy [4], and anxiety [5]. The results revealed that a correlation among multiple intelligences, motivation, strategy, and anxiety did exist, and led to different English levels. Discussions, implications, and suggestions for students, teachers, parents, and schools were provided.

ABSTRACT: Despite the promising potentials of using the flipped learning model, there are challenges lie in the practical aspects of implementing it. This study aims to provide implications to this problem, by investigating students’ engagements in self-study materials and to explore the causal conditions of an adequate engagement. Adopting a qualitative driven mixed method research approach, both qualitative and quantitative data were collected concurrently. Qualitative data were collected using three instruments during and after a 14-weeks flipped classroom conducted from early January to end of April 2018 with a total enrolment of 65 university students in the required course, Mandarin I. Quantitative data were extracted from a LMS (Learning Management System) applied to support the flipped classroom. Both kinds of data were analyzed separately followed by meta-inference being made. In which, interpretations stemming from both qualitative and quantitative findings were integrated into a coherent whole. Findings revealed that the core phenomenon in this flipped classroom was students’ diminishing access to self-study materials prior to face-to-face interactions in classes. Major causal conditions for this phenomenon were in Bruneian students’ beliefs in learning, teachers play a dominant role in the learning process, and this belief tends to persevere. On the other hand, students’ perceptions toward foreign language learning had changed through the study course, and their motivation in foreign language learning had changed consequently. When watching videos and other online activities transformed from fun activities into work or obligations, they felt less-motivated. Based on the findings , it is reasonable to suggest that establishing a positive rapport with students as an immediate and effective approach to motivate students’ self-learning, hence to improve the effectiveness of a flipped design. KEY WORDS: Flipped Learning; Foreign Language Chinese; Motivation to Learn. About the Author: Min Shen is a Lecturer, and currently also as Ph.D. Student, at the UBD (University of Brunei Darussalam), P.O. Box 414, Gadong BE3978, Negara Brunei Darussalam. For academic interests, the author is able to be contacted via e-mail address at: min.shen@ubd.edu.bn Suggested Citation: Shen, Min. (2019). “Examining the Implementation of a Flipped Chinese Classroom in a University in Brunei Darussalam: A Mixed Method Research” in EDUCARE: International Journal for Educational Studies , Volume 11(2), February, pp.139-156. Bandung, Indonesia: Minda Masagi Press owned by ASPENSI with ISSN 1979-7877 (print) and ISSN 2621-587X (online). A rticle Timeline : Accepted (December 25, 2018); Revised (January 30, 2019); and Published (February 28, 2019).

The present study was an attempt to investigate the degree of anxiety among Iranian intermediate EFL learners and its relation to their motivation. To this end, a total number of 80 EFL learners (35 males and 45 females) were selected through cluster random sampling from two language classes at Islamic Azad University, Sardasht Branch, Hormozgan Province, Iran as the participants in this study. The instruments used to collect the data from the participants were the Foreign Language Learning Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) and Gardner’s (1985) Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB). The results indicated that the majority of the participants experienced a mid to high level of language learning anxiety. Besides, it was found that the participants with lower levels of the language learning anxiety were more motivated to learn English while those with higher levels of the language learning anxiety were less motivated to learn English. However, there was no significant difference between the anxiety level of male and female participants. Similarly, there was no significant difference between the motivation level of male and female participants in this study. Finally, the findings indicated that there was no significant difference between the male and female participants concerning their language learning anxiety and motivation to learn English, indicating that gender did not play a determining role in these two variables.

Language exposure and learning motivation are two of the most essential aspects in learning any language. In English language acquisition, the development of these two components facilitates the development of other language skills, such as reading comprehension. In turn, reading comprehension is one of the significant indicators of fluency in second or foreign language acquisition. If a correlation can be determined between either language exposure or learning motivation and the development of reading comprehension, educators and specialists can focus their efforts on increasing these predictor variables in curriculum development to further reading comprehension and, ultimately, fluency. This study focused on the reading comprehension of senior high school students in Palembang, Indonesia and sought to find out whether or not there was any significant correlation between students’ English language exposure and reading comprehension, students’ learning motivation and reading comprehension, and among the predictor variables (English language exposure, learning motivation) and the criterion variable (reading comprehension). The samples of this study were 210 eleventh graders in SMA Unggulan, a high-performing senior high school in Palembang. The data were analyzed by using correlational and regression analyses. The findings showed significant positive correlations among English language exposure, learning motivation, and reading comprehension. The contribution of English language exposure to reading comprehension was 41.8%, while the contribution of learning motivation to reading comprehension was 51.7%. Moreover, the contribution of predictor variables to the criterion variable was 58.9%.

This study aims to investigate the perception that Korean graduate students are motivated to study English. Unlike the controversial early studies on L2 (second language) motivation (Gardner, 1985; Gardner & Lambert, 1959, 1972), Korean adult English learners were measured to have a distinctive self-system (Dörnyei, 2005, 2009) in their L2 selves. 78 graduate school students from online English reading and practical English classes participated in the study. The semi-structured survey data analysis shows that the ideal self in possible selves significantly correlated with all three sub-types in L2 learning motivation. Their learning-oriented learning motivation, in particular, verified that both ideal self and ought-to self should be significantly meaningful predictors in practical English and English reading classes. The study’s implication considers how English teachers may reflect and utilize the features that Korean adult EFLs’ (English as a foreign language) learning motivation is more based on their inherent factors of possible self rather than external factors in learning L2. Based on the findings of the study, some pedagogical suggestions have been presented for further study.

Previous research has shown a connection between communication anxiety and willingness to communicate (WTC) among English as a foreign/second language (L2) learners. Nonetheless, the potential mediating roles of learners' beliefs like growth language mindset and language learning motivation have not been thoroughly investigated, particularly in the context of middle school language learners. This study aimed to explore the relationship between communication anxiety and L2 WTC by considering the mediating roles of growth language mindset and language learning motivation. To achieve this goal, an online survey was administered to 847 participants from five middle schools in eastern China. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the collected data. The findings revealed that L2 WTC was negatively impacted by communication anxiety and growth language mindset, while positively influenced by language learning motivation. Additionally, communication anxiety had a negative effect on both growth language mindset and language learning motivation, whereas growth language mindset exerted a positive effect on language learning motivation. Moreover, either individually or synergistically, growth language mindset and language learning motivation played mediating roles in the relationship between communication anxiety and L2 WTC. These research findings have significant implications for understanding the interrelationship among the variables, offering an innovative perspective on the mediating effects of growth language mindset and language learning motivation on communication anxiety and WTC among secondary school students. Consequently, this study provides valuable insights for language learning and instruction among middle school students and teachers.

Zolt n Dornyei Language Teaching / Volume 31 / Issue 03 / July 1998, pp 117 ­ 135 DOI: 10.1017/S026144480001315X, Published online: 12 June 2009 Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S026144480001315X How to cite this article: Zolt n Dornyei (1998). Motivation in second and foreign language learning. Language Teaching, 31, pp 117­135 doi:10.1017/S026144480001315X Request Permissions : Click here

Influence of learning environmental factors on university students’ motivation and autonomy in second foreign language learning

Learning a foreign language involves both motivation and emotions, with their relationship being more complex than a simple “one goes up, the other goes down.” Drawing on Gardner’s (2001) motivation framework and Horwitz et al.’s (1986) model of foreign language anxiety, this study examined the link between motivation and fear of learning a foreign language across three dimensions: communication apprehension, fear of negative evaluation, and test anxiety. A 5-point Likert scale survey with 207 participants included sections on demographics, motivation, communication apprehension, fear of negative evaluation, and test anxiety. Findings revealed a weak positive relationship between motivation and fear, suggesting that high motivation does not always reduce anxiety; highly motivated learners may experience more fear due to higher performance expectations. Teaching strategies should therefore balance motivation and anxiety management in foreign language learning.

T his paper reports a research study that sought investigating Assiut University College of Education (AUCOE) EFL student teachers’ awareness and use of online authentic materials on the basis of their actual language leaning needs, and how this relates to their language learning motivation. To accomplish this, a mixed-method research methodology was employed for data collection and analysis to provide both contextual understanding and quantitative evidence. In particular, the following tools were used: (1) a semi-structured interview (a qualitative method) for identifying the particular language-learning needs of EFL student teachers at AUCOE and compiling a list of those needs; (2) a qualitative analysis of some online language materials based on the compiled list of needs to identify the authentic materials that can be used to meet EFL student teachers' language learning needs; (3) a questionnaire administered to EFL student teachers to investigate their awareness and use of online authentic language materials; and (4) a questionnaire administered to EFL student teachers to identify their language learning motivation level. Results reached a list of EFL student teachers’ language learning needs, and a subsequent list of those authentic language materials available online which would meet those needs. Also, analysis of learners’ responses to the Online Authentic Language Learning Questionnaire revealed that learners were aware of online authentic materials and use them frequently in their language study. Moreover, Pearson’s Product Moment indicated a positive relationship between EFL student teachers’ awareness and use of online authentic materials and their language learning motivation.