Assessing Motivational Factors in Foreign Language Learning: Cultural Variation in Key Constructs

Abstract

Assessment in 2nd and foreign language learning has often centered on proficiency, although motivation has been shown to be critical in learning in general, as well as in 2nd and foreign language acquisition specifically. One of the issues relevant to the assessment of motivational processes in this area is that of cultural differences. In much of the existing work, motivational processes and constructs are assumed to be invariant across cultural and linguistic groups. This may be due to limitations in the existing models or in the narrowness of populations sampled. The purpose of this study was to test the robustness of motivational processes in language acquisition across different ethnic subgroups for the purpose of informing efforts to create more valid and sensitive measures. Participants in the study completed a background information survey, a motivation information questionnaire, and a learning outcome questionnaire. Factor analysis yielded 7 factors, and comparative analyses confirmed the importance of cultural and subgroup differences regarding motivational beliefs and suggested the importance of intragroup heterogeneity in future research and theory development. The implications for the development of broader assessment approaches are discussed. Assessment has long been an issue in the area of second and foreign language learning. Although there is not total agreement about the relevant dimensions to examine, the focus has overwhelming been on aspects of proficiency. Increasingly, investigators are looking at the cognitive correlates (Chiang, 2003) of proficiency or at alternative means of assessment (Sepassi, 2003). At the same time, relatively little attention has been paid to the affective or motivational aspects of the language EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT, 10(3), 209-229 acquisition process in assessment work to date, in spite of the fact that in the field of second and foreign language learning, motivation is increasingly seen as an important contributor to language proficiency. Similar to work on motivation in other learning domains, language learning motivation has been defined as the target language learner's orientation with regard to the goal of learning a second or foreign language (Crookes & Schmidt, 1991;Gan, 2004;Norris-Holt, 2001). Many second and foreign language learning researchers have emphasized that motivation is one of the main factors in target language learning success and it plays an important role in predicting the success of target language acquisition in general. Students with greater second/foreign language learning motivation, in most cases, receive higher grades and achieve better proficiency in the target language (Baker

Collaborative Concept Mapping as a Pre-Writing Strategy for L2 Learning: A Korean Application

“…The foreign language learners in higher education settings in the United States are very diverse in terms of their cultural experiences, language proficiencies, attitudes and motivation toward target language and culture. Such individual differences are important factors that can affect language learning outcomes [20]. Webb [21] suggested that mixed-ability groups of students produce more interactions for collaborative tasks and higher achievement than uniform-ability groups.…”

¿cuánto Aprendí en La Enseñanza Secundaria? Las Actitudes De Los Estudiantes Universitarios De Primer Año Respecto a La Relación Enseñanza Aprendizaje De Su Segunda Lengua en La Escuela Secundaria en Tres Contextos Internacionales

“…La motivación requiere también un acto de voluntad ya sea de afirmación o negación consciente (Rueda y Chen, 2005). Por ejemplo, los alumnos españoles y americanos que tengan que hacer un examen al final de la enseñanza secundaria pueden asumir posiciones influidas por sus circunstancias.…”

Mediating Effects of Reading Engagement on the Reading Comprehension of Early Adolescent English Language Learners

“…Second language (L2) speakers' motivation for learning an L2 has been explored (Gardner, 1985;Masgoret & Gardner, 1999;Rueda & Chen, 2005), and a few studies have addressed ELLs' motivation for reading (e.g., Sturtevant & Kim, 2010). However, to our knowledge, no research has specifically addressed reading engagement (i.e., both the cognitive and motivational factors) in ELLs.…”