While a number of studies have investigated the relationship between motivation and foreign or second language learning outcomes, the process of how such motivation transforms into successful learning outcomes is relatively unexplored. Interviewing a group of four participants, this study seeks to understand how college English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students produce successful learning outcomes, and to suggest some theoretical as well as practical implications of the transformation. In doing so it contributes to our growing understanding of how and to what extent motivation shapes the process of EFL learning.
This study was conducted with the participation of nine English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students and two EFL teachers of the Department of Applied English at an institute of technology in central Taiwan. Based on in-depth interviews with the students and teachers, the findings suggest that the participating students' perspectives of culture varied and that they were having difficulty interpreting deeper meanings associated with culture. American culture dominated their perceptions; culture learning was not considered important; culture was not yet emphasized in the classes; English is a lingua franca; culture understanding did not influence linguistic proficiency, and cultural self-awareness was not an issue. The participating students' ultimate educational goals were to earn an English-related certificate, and a cultural understanding of the language did not positively affect the proficiency. This study demonstrated that teaching and learning about culture are necessary and should be stressed in EFL education. The profound effect of cultural learning on language acquisition takes time to develop, and it requires learners' awareness to promote deeper understanding.
Abstract-The purpose of this study was to investigate vocational college EFL students' experiences with and perceptions of out-of-class English learning. The research involved a survey, comprising three sets of questionnaires concerning learners' perceptions of and experiences with out-of-class English learning. Four intact classes of 164 EFL vocational college students participated in the study. Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight successful EFL learners. The intentions were to highlight the perspectives of the eight successful English learners with in-depth understandings. The results showed that the successful EFL learners more aggressively and voluntarily participated in their out-of-class English learning because they were highly motivated. To conclude, this study may be of importance for explaining the dynamic relationship between learning outcomes and learners' autonomy as well as in providing English teachers with a better understanding of how students' out-of-class learning outcomes relates to their motivation and autonomy.
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