Individual%20Differences%20in%20SLA:%20Motivation

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• Individual Differences in SLA Motivation
• The degree of effort people exert in approaching
  or avoiding experiences or goals (relative to
  second language learning). How do people differ
  in motivation, and how does that influence
  outcomes in second language learning?
• Two main theoretical approaches to the study of
  motivation
• Social psychological approach (traditional)
• Cognitive approach (emerging)

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• Motivation Social psychological approach
• Integrative Motivation
• Motivation in SLA driven by a sincere and
  personal interest in the people and culture
  represented by the other language group --
  Gardner, R. C., MacIntyre, P. D. (1991). An
  Instrumental Motivation in Language Study Who
  Says It Isnt Effective? Studies in Second
  Language Acquisition, 13, 57-72, p. 58.
• Instrumental Motivation
• Motivation in SLA driven by the practical value
  and advantages of learning a new language
  (Gardner and MacIntyre, 1991, p. 58).

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• Motivation Social psychological approach
• The godfather of the social psychological
  approach in studies of motivation in SLA Robert
  C. Gardner. 100s of studies with numerous
  collaborators, going back to the 1950s.
• For a review of 75 such studies, see Masgoret,
  A., Gardner, R. (2003). Attitudes, Motivation,
  and Second Language a Learning A Meta-Analysis
  of Studies Conducted by Gardner and Associates.
  Language Learning, 53, 123163.

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• Motivation Social psychological approach
• Most studies of motivation from the social
  psychological approach use standard methodology
  for studies in affective domain self-report
  data from questionnaire correlated with
  performance data from language test.
• Gardner and MacIntyre (1991) used the Attitude /
  Motivation Test Battery with vocabulary test data
  to achieve results we might expect re
  integrative and instrumental motivation.

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• Motivation Social psychological approach
• Integrative

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• Motivation Social psychological approach
• Instrumental

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• Motivation Social psychological approach
• Over the years, Gardners many empirical studies
  have informed the development of his
  socio-educational model of second language
  acquisition.
• The model emphasizes that there are two primary
  individual difference variables involved in
  language learning, viz., ability intelligence
  and aptitude and motivation -- Gardner, R.C.
  (2006). The socio-educational model of Second
  Language Acquisition A research paradigm.
  EUROSLA Yearbook, 6, 237260, p. 241.

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• Motivation Social psychological approach
• We can see this emphasis of ability and
  motivation in the process graphic of the model

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• Motivation Social psychological approach
• It is proposed that other things being equal,
  the student with higher levels of ability (both
  intelligence and language aptitude) will tend to
  be more successful at learning the language than
  students less endowed. Similarly, other things
  being equal, students with higher levels of
  motivation will do better than students with
  lower levels (p. 241).

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• Motivation Social psychological approach
• A main feature of the socio-educational model is
  motivation (p. 242).

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• Motivation Social psychological approach
• More specifically, Gardner focuses on the link
  between three of constructs motivation,
  attitudes toward the learning situation, and
  integrativeness (i.e., an openness to the target
  language group (p. 237).

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• Motivation Social psychological approach
• The unidirectional arrows indicate that levels
  of motivation are influenced and maintained by
  Attitudes toward the Learning Situation and
  Integrativeness. The dotted line indicates that
  In some situations Instrumentality could also
  support motivation (p. 245).

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• Motivation Cognitive approach
• Intrinsic Motivation
• Learners demonstrate an intrinsic orientation if
  their rationale for engaging in a task is
  challenge, curiosity, learning or mastery -- Li,
  D. (2006). Motivation in Second Language
  Acquisition in Chinese Research Students in the
  UK. Evaluation and Research in Education, 19,
  3858, p. 40.
• Extrinsic Motivation
• If learners reasons for engaging in a task are
  to obtain rewards, grades or approval from
  others, they are considered to be extrinsically
  oriented (Li, 2006, p. 40).

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• Motivation Cognitive approach
• Li (2006) conducted a qualitative study of
  Chinese research students in the UK. Data were
  collected in semi-structured interviews with
  open-ended questions the respondents were
  prompted to reflect on their own learning
  experiences.
• Data suggest that respondents mainly adopted
  extrinsic orientations. They believed that
  learning English would facilitate their current
  research and improve their career prospects (p.
  45).

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• Motivation Cognitive approach
• For an excellent review of the cognitive approach
  in motivation studies, relative to the social
  psychological approach, see Dörnyei, Zoltán.
  (2003). Attitudes, Orientations, and Motivations
  in Language Learning Advances in Theory,
  Research, and Applications. Language Learning, 53
  (Supplement 1), 332.

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• Motivation Wright McGrory
• One study of motivation in language learning that
  draws on both these approaches (i.e., social
  psychological and cognitive) is Motivation and
  the Adult Irish Language Learner.

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