Attitudes and Motivation in Second-Language Acquisition: A Study of International Students in China from a Cultural Perspective1
Abstract
Educators, teachers, and parents in both Western and non-Western countries have long considered motivation a key to successful
academic performance. Dörnyei (2001) and Oxford and Ehrman (1992), for example, have proposed that learners’ attitudes toward
and motivation for learning the target language are important factors for second- (or foreign-) language acquisition (SLA).
... From a more global educational perspective taking the learning context into consideration, Clément and Gardner (2001 in Yo and Watkins (2011: 168) [15] categorize attitudes and motivation as influencing variables in the learning context in general. Also, the socio-educational model proposed by Gardner (1985in Lanos 2014 [4], that focuses on attitude and motivation towards second language learning, emphasizes the immense importance of attitudes and motivation in language learning. ...
... Furthermore, the motivational aspects are highly related to the students' attitude towards the language. Yo and Watkins (2011) [15] carried out a study on one University Western group and one Eastern group studying Chinese in China to investigate the contribution of motivation in self-reported Chinese language proficiency. It was found that the two elements have significant positive correlation but not as the main contributing element in self-reported language proficiency. ...
... Both groups reveal a high degree of motivation to attend English and ESP classes to learn quite similarly with 75% for the undergraduates and 76% for the Master students. This goes with some studies on motivation like Yo and Watkins (2011) [15] and Calvo (2015) [23]. More subjects in the Master groups seem to make more efforts outside the classroom with 76% than the undergraduate groups 65%. ...
... Many studies (for example, (R. C. J. A. r. o. a. l. Gardner, 1988); (Kitayama & Uchida, 2005); (Yu & Watkins, 2011) have defined 'attitude' from a socio-cultural standpoint. According to research, attitudes influence L2 accomplishment, although this relationship is mediated by motivation (Gardner, 2010, cited in Alrabai and Moskovsky, 2015, p.79). ...
The current study aims to investigate learners' attitudes regarding studying English. The purpose of this study is to discover the attitudes of Togolese EFL learners about learning English. The current study is being undertaken with students from two public universities in Togo (University of Lomé and University of Kara) as well as some high school pupils. Thus, (50) students were chosen at random from various levels [bachelor's students, master's students, and high school students] to participate in this research. To collect data for this project, questionnaires were distributed to students online. The major findings suggest that students have positive attitudes toward English learning. The findings really show that Togolese students are really motivated to learn the English language, and they give great importance to the English language.
... In a number of studies, the concept of attitude in language learning usually goes hand in hand with that of motivation (Dörnyei, Csizér & Németh, 2006;Oroujlou & Vahedi, 2011;Stegmann, 2014;Ushida, 2005;Yu &Watkins, 2010). However, the difference between the two concepts is not made clear in most of these studies. ...
According to official language act 1963, English language is treated as official language of India. So apart from English, all other foreign languages come into third foreign language category. Inadequate research attention has been paid to the learning of Chinese as a third language in India. This study explores the learning of Chinese as third language in University of Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Millia Islamia University & other foreign language institutes in Delhi, India. The study examines the motivation, purpose, strategy, attitude and problems of Indian students in Chinese language acquisition. It is based on primary research data collected through questionnaire from different universities and coaching institutes in India. For this, thirty-seven question items were designed and distributed to two hundred students selected from simple random sampling. Based on the data analysis, study concludes that the instrumental motivation is the sole reason behind third foreign language acquisition in India, and it also positively influences the proficiency of that language. The study also proves that foreign language enjoyment positively influences the attitude in third language acquisition. It also reveals that Indian students have strong desire for third language (Chinese) acquisition, however they face some obstacles which needs targeted care and help from the government and schools. In addition, this research also includes a large number of contents directly related to teaching, hoping to contribute to the substantial improvement of Chinese teaching and learning in India.
The purpose of this study was to investigate Iranian high school EFL students’ viewpoint of technology in general and CALL (computer-assisted language learning) in particular on their learning process of English. In order to collect data, a quantitative research design was applied. The quantitative data was collected through a validated questionnaire, CALL attitude instrument (CALLAI). The questionnaire was distributed in two different high schools (one male and one female high school) in Zanjan. Participants were 340 high school students who filled in CALLAI questionnaire. The data of the questionnaire was analyzed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20. Descriptive statistics including frequencies and percentages were used to analyze questionnaire items. In addition, Independent Samples Tests were applied to measure difference of attitudes by gender. Findings revealed that high school students hold positive attitude toward computer technology use in their learning process. Additionally, it was found that gender does not influence attitude of students.
Abstract - This study investigated Iranian EFL high school students’ attitude and experiences using computer technology in the process of learning English. In order to gather data, a mixed method design was used to explore students’ attitude. Quantitative data were collected through questionnaires, and qualitative data using open-ended questions. The questionnaires were distributed in two different high schools (one male and one female) in Zanjan. Participants were 340 high school students who filled in CALLAI questionnaires, a questionnaire validated for Persian speaking countries. The qualitative data were collected through open-ended questions. After data collection, the results of the quantitative and qualitative data were compared. The data of the questionnaire were analyzed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20. Descriptive statistics including frequencies and percentages were used to analyze questionnaire items. Data gathered from open-ended questions were analyzed using qualitative data analysis software NVivo 8.0. Findings revealed that high school students hold positive attitude toward computer technology use in their learning process.
Robert C Gardner is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology at the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. He obtained his Ph.D. from McGill University in 1960 and joined the University of Western Ontario in 1961. He has published more than 150 articles on second language acquisition, ethnic stereotypes, language behavior, and statistics. In addition, he is the author of two books (Social psychology and second language learning: The role of attitudes and motivation, London, England: Edward Arnold (1985); Psychological Statistics Using SPSS for Windows, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall (2001)) and co-author of two others (Attitudes and motivation in second language learning (with W E Lambert), Rowley, MA: Newbury House (1972); A Canadian social psychology of ethnic relations (with R Kalin), Toronto, ON: Methuen (1981)). He is a Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association, where he has served as Director and Chairman of the Scientific Affairs Committee, and was editor of the Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science from 1981 to 1985. In 1999, he received the Canadian Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Contributions to Education and Training. He has also served as consultant with the Ford Foundation, Manila, Republic of the Philippines, and on projects with the Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC, and the Defense Language Institute, Monterey, California.
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This study builds on previous research using the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL). Most previous SILL research has made comparisons across the entire survey or in terms of strategy categories and has stressed proficiency level at the expense of other variables. The present largescale (N = 374) study of language learning strategy use by students at three different course levels at the University of Puerto Rico relates strategy use to gender as well as to L2 proficiency level and includes analysis of variation in the use of individual strategies on the SILL. Like previous researchers, we found greater use of learning strategies among more successful learners and higher levels of strategy use by women than by men. Our analysis, however, revealed more complex patterns of use than have appeared in previous studies. With both proficiency level and gender, only some items showed significant variation, and significant variation by proficiency level did not invariably mean more frequent strategy use by more successful students. The strategies reported as used more often by the more successful students emphasized active, naturalistic practice and were used in combination with a variety of what we term bedrock strategies, which were used frequently or moderately frequently by learners at all levels. The study's generalizability and its implications for teachers and researchers are discussed.