Motivation in Second Language Acquisition

Abstract

Though informed by theories of learning motivation in mainstream psychology, motivation research in second language acquisition has evolved somewhat independently to address the unique social, psychological, behavioral, and cultural complexities of acquiring a new communication code. Founded in the bilingual context of Canada in 1959, second language motivation research originated in a social‐psychological framework implicating attitudes and relations among linguistic communities, as crystallized in the concept of a language learner's integrative orientation towards speakers of the target language. In the 1990s, researchers began to bring this motivation research in line with cognitive theories of motivation in educational psychology, leading to a sharper focus on language learning in classroom settings. In the 21st century, the dominance of English as a global language has contributed to a conceptual reframing of language‐learning motivation in terms of self‐and‐identity goals, because learners may see themselves as aspiring members of the global community of English speakers. However, researchers also now recognize the need to pay more attention to the learning of languages other than English and to the learning of multiple languages. Another area of current thinking is the individual–contextual interactions shaping the development of language‐learning motivation, particularly drawing on complex dynamic systems perspectives.

Teachers’ motivational behaviour and students’ motivation in EFL classes

“…In the conducted research, there was no confirmation of the existence of a connection between students' motivation and the encouragement of their autonomy. Previous research has confirmed the following: if FL teachers succeed in developing students' autonomy and students' language skills, then they will also succeed in influencing student motivation, which contributes to better success in learning a foreign language (Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2011;Little et al, 2003;Liu, 2014;Noels et al, 1999;Ushioda, 2013). On the other hand, previous research confirmed that certain motivational strategies are perceived differently in different cultures.…”

Relación entre motivación y rendimiento académico de estudiantes universitarios en la asignatura de inglés

“…Gardner (1985Gardner ( , 2010 a través de sus estudios ha realizado importantes contribuciones al estudio de la motivación en cuanto a su influencia en el proceso de la adquisición de un idioma. Ushioda (2019) define la motivación como una combinación de esfuerzo y deseo del estudiante por aprender una segunda lengua, sólo por el disfrute que le genera esta actividad. Por su parte, Gardner (2005) describe esta variable afectiva como un concepto multifacético, que involucra componentes conductuales, afectivos y cognitivos.…”

“…El estudio de la motivación en la adquisición de una segunda lengua, se ha caracterizado por investigar perspectivas psicológicas, sociales e individuales-cognitivas sobre la motivación, como una variable independiente que está relacionada con el éxito del aprendizaje de un idioma (Ushioda, 2019).…”