Motivation Plays a Major Part in Second Language Acquisition - Research Paper Example

Arguments on the Idea that Motivation (a learner’s factor) Plays a Major Part in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) Introduction Individuals who can converse with a second language easily gain the acceptance and admiration of the society. At work, a person who has the mastery in communicating with a second language gets a high paying job than colleagues who only speak with their own idiom. In the community, the individual who can talk using a second language usually gain more friends and have more affiliations. But there are also some people who seem to patronise their own language so much that they refuse or find it hard to learn a second language. As every individual talk with ease in their native tongue, learning to communicate in a second language becomes more difficult particularly if the learner’s environment is unsupportive. If the learner’s family, workmates, and friends are not proficient at the new language the learning process would be hard to attain as the learner will not be able to apply the second language in everyday life. Motivation is one of the key in acquiring a second language. A number of students are motivated to learn a second language with their desire to travel and have a better future, or when a student has developed a particular liking in knowing about the customs and language of a country of interest. The educators also play a vital role in keeping the second language learner motivated. Recently, discussion on the role that motivation plays in second language acquisition is prevalent. In this paper, I would like to present the arguments for and against the idea that motivation indeed plays a major part in learning a second language. Theoretical Background Motivation can lead to language acquisition when done in a manner which is higher than what would be the case when it would be inexplicably missing. In such circumstances, there is a need to inculcate the right kind of attitude and feelings in individuals who want to acquire a second language for their own betterment that they understand the need to be motivated at all possible times [Dornyei, Csizer & Nemeth, 2006]. It is for this reason that Gardner and Lambert (1972) opined that there are in essence a couple of differential types when one talks about motivation in the related segments. These could be attributed to the integrative motivation and the instrumental motivation. The difference between these is that integrative form of motivation is more inclined with the establishment of the second language within the environs of a particular individual; on the other hand, a learner who has an instrumental motivation aims to learn the second language due to the sound performance of a single function or reason for that matter. Thus, there is a huge difference as far as their overlapping methodologies are concerned. In the integrative form of motivation, the learner has generated positive vibes and feelings with the purpose; but in the instrumental sense of motivation, the feeling is just present to capture the functional basis than anything else. The role here is to integrate the language that is being learnt rather than use it for a functional reason and then discard when the intent was consummated. The second language acquisition process thus becomes more significant when the need is to seek it from the integrative stance rather than the instrumental basis. Integrative motivation of second language learning does wonders to the learner than instrumental motivation since the individual’s interest grows beyond the mere curiosity of mastering the new lingo; the student/learner also delves into the various cultural ideologies, the people, and the set of customs that surround the new language learnt. Gardner (1982) has focused more on the setting of a classroom than a natural environment which would see individuals discussing their ideas in an acquired language. This inculcates the strengths of the acquired language in a manner which will make them look more developed and refined as compared to a natural setting where there would be little room for tolerance and less learning as well. The structured classroom setting is, thus, the way to learn the new and acquired language, as Gardner (1972) fathoms. It has also been noticed that Gardner discussed motivation in the light of three significant and slightly different elements. These include the effort, desire and the eventual affect. Effort includes the time and energy spent by an individual in learning/seeking the new language as well as the enthusiasm to know about it. Desire demonstrates the amount of energy and zest that the learner has in gaining knowledge about the new language. Affect talks about the learner’s emotional aspects concerning the language learnt. Zoltan Dornyei and others suggest that instrumental motivation and success are interlinked. Thus, there is need for accomplishment which is in direct linkage with the significance of instrumental motivation, which stems from the fact that functional reasons are more imperative to learn than becoming integrated in a second language for that matter. [Dornyei, 2001] However, instrumental basis is not complete when compared to integrative motivation. Integrative motivation is always on top. Similarly, Gardner and MacIntyre (1991) have also emphasised on the basis of instrumental motivation playing its effective and more facilitating role in learning a second language. [Gardner & MacIntyre, 1991] The paradigm shift of Zoltan Dornyei (2006) suggests that quantitative methods play a huge role in determining the language learner’s attitudes and motivational basis. Surveys thus have been earmarked for this purpose. However, there is a lot of room for having new quantitative and other research methods to find out more about the second language learner’s attitudes and motivation. Interviews and case studies can help determine the same in the times to come, as well. Second Language Acquisition through Motivation In life, every human action and decision is driven by motivation. This inner force also inspires and triggers a person’s desire to learn new things, and this includes learning a second language. Gardner and Lambert (1959, 1972) did the first study on Motivational Variables in Second Language Acquisition in 1959 and later confirmed their findings in 1972. Gardner and Lambert distinguished motivation in two types: Integrative and Instrumental Motivation. Since integrative motivation is generally characterised by the positive and genuine will of the learner to be trained with a second language, the achievement is higher with this kind of motivation. To date, a number of researchers on second language acquisition have argued that motivation plays a vital role in learning a second language. Among the researchers on second language acquisition is Vivian Cook. Posted in Cook’s website are Gardner’s Quick Motivation Test and the Ten Main Reasons Students Give for Studying a Modern Language (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/vivian.c/SLA/MotTest.htm). Although integrative motivation is said to be more effective than the instrumental basis, it has been noted that a career-oriented goal tops the reasons given by students of second language, that is, to study a modern language for future career. However, a considerable number of reasons stated have shown that both integrative and instrumental motivation encouraged the students to learn a new language (e.g., travel to different countries, become a better-educated person). It only shows that the two types of motivation are generally interconnected with each other. In the University of Essex’s (2007) profile of students, a woman studying a Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages states that among her motivations for going back to school is her enthusiasm to teach languages or embark on a job that would require her to use more than one language (http://www.essex.ac.uk/intro/mature/profiles.htm). A combination of integrative and instrumental type of motivation encouraged this student to enroll and eventually master a second language. Motivation has driven her to take the first step for the betterment of herself and her career. It is now up for the teachers to sustain the pace of the student’s motivation to learn. Dornyei and Otto (1998, p. 47) proposed a Process Model for a Second Language Motivation. The model has two dimensions: Action Sequence and Motivational Influences. Action Sequence represents the behavioural process whereby initial wishes, hopes, and desires are first transformed into goals, then into intentions, leading eventually to action and, hopefully, to the accomplishment of the goals, after which the process is submitted to final evaluation. The second dimension of the model, Motivational Influences, includes all the energy sources and motivational forces that underlie and fuel the behavioural process. (Dornyei & Otto, 1998) To have a strong motivation in doing a particular action, first and foremost, a person’s goal should be clear to be able to channel the energy sources into accomplishments; thus realizing the intent to meet a certain objective. Students are usually motivated to be successful in language learning with an encouraging environment particularly in the classroom. The teacher highlights the learner’s abilities; thus, enabling the student to see the progress in learning. Classroom discussions on interesting topics using the second language will also enhance the student’s interest in learning. The teacher has to be creative in presenting the lessons to language students. Authentic materials from the community where the language is originally spoken can help develop the students’ interest. Even students who enroll in language studies because of instrumental motivation will have more interest in the culture and the way of life of the natives of a certain country if they see actual pieces of objects (e.g., furniture, dress) from that place. An immersion at the target language community can then ensue to let the students practice what they have learnt in the classroom. Merill Swain (2005), a second language acquisition researcher, emphasised on collaborative dialogues to better learn a second language where learners help each other in “talking through” understanding the lingo. Indeed a lot of research followed after the study conducted by Gardner and Lambert in 1959 and 1972. Gardner noted that researchers have varied conceptualization regarding integrative motivation on second language acquisition. In a Joint Plenary Talk with Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics and Canadian Linguistics Association, Gardner (2005) discussed “integrative motivation from the perspective of the socio-educational model,” drawing out how ability and motivation interact with the contexts of second language acquisition. Figure 1. The Socio-Educational Model (Gardner, 2005) In the socio-educational model, it is proposed that the “individual’s motivation to learn a second language is related to two classes of variables. One is Attitudes toward the Learning Situation where the nature of the learning situation will influence a student’s level of motivation (Gardner, 2005). The other variable that is also important in influencing motivation is Integrativeness. However, without motivation, how can a person gear up in achieving the goals he wishes to pursue? Take a student who would want to learn a second language: he has the resources to fund a study on Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages or any related courses, he has the intelligence, and he is also physically fit to go to school. But his family and friends are unsupportive. Indeed, some people view the study of a second language as a threat to their native tongue, and their national identity as a whole. To permit the language of the native land to be ignored is in a sense putting the well-being of everyone as well as of the society at risk. Faced with a situation like this, can this potential language student pursue his goal? In an unfriendly environment, motivation starts within a person. Other Factors in Learning about a Second Language However, other researchers on second language acquisition stressed that motivation does not solely play the major role in successfully acquiring a language apart from the native lingo. Stephen Krashen (2002, p.19) developed the acquisition-learning hypothesis which helps interpret the “second language aptitude and attitude.” Krashen found out how language aptitude (as measured by standard tests) and attitude (affective variables) appear to be related to second language achievement. Aptitude is defined as the capacity for learning, like a new language. Research in language aptitude started in the 1960’s. American Educational Psychologist, John Carroll (as cited in Krashen, 2002), classified foreign language aptitude as the “rate at which persons at the secondary school, university and adult level learn to criterion”. Foreign language aptitude has been measured by standardised test such as the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) and the Language Aptitude Battery (LAB). Carroll stated that there are three components of modern aptitude tests: Phonetic Coding Ability, Grammatical Sensitivity, and Inductive Ability. Phonetic coding ability is the ability to store new language sounds in memory; grammatical sensitivity is defined as “the individual’s ability to demonstrate awareness of the syntactical patterning of sentences in a language; and, inductive ability is the skill to “examine language material and identify patterns and correspondence and relationships involving either meaning or grammatical form” (Carroll, as cited in Krashen, 2002, p.20). Carroll also suggested that “foreign language aptitude is most closely related with general intelligence” (as cited in Krashen, 2002, p.21). A language student with significant level of intellect is most likely to emerge successful in second language acquisition compared to other learners with lower level of intelligence quotient. An intelligent learner can easily grasp the lessons taught by the language teacher. Aptitude and attitude are hand-in-hand in enabling a person acquire a second language; but these two do not have the same effect on the learner. In Psychology, attitude is defined as the assumptions and expectations about the language as well as the language classroom. In Asian and African countries, English is usually regarded as the second language. English proficiency is taught from the primary level of schooling up to university students. In India, a study was conducted on the Attitudinal Difference and Second Language Learning with Reference to Tamil and Malayalam (Balasubramanian, 2005). Balasubramanian (2005) noted that the “multilingual situation in India enabled the speakers of one language learn another lingo through contact or migration; but it also resulted to the formation of linguistic minorities.” Balasubramanian’s study found out that the speakers from the two subject villages showed a difference with regard to their second language learning attitude. Some are more at ease using their native tongue. The study on Indians’ attitudinal difference in learning a second language discovered that “villagers of Tamil and Malayalam have an attitudinal difference with regard to their mother tongue and the second language seem to be the main reason for the variation in the quickness and readiness in learning other language among the Malayalam native speakers” (Balasubramanian, 2005). Krashen (2002) emphasised on attitudinal factors in second language acquisition. The first factor is the encourage intake that “encourage acquirers to communicate with speakers of the target language, and thereby obtain the necessary input, or intake, for language acquisition” (2002, p.21). The second factor is the attitude that enables the performer to utilize the language heard for acquisition. Simply hearing a second language with understanding appears to be necessary but is not sufficient for acquisition to take place (2002, p.21). Attitude towards the teacher and the learning environment also count in second language acquisition as it boosts the learner’s willingness to learn. In actuality, attitude is the baseline of motivation. Age likewise plays a vital role in second language acquisition. Children have the innate ability to adapt to their environment more easily than their adult counterparts. Some studies show that teaching a second language at an early age can be more effective. In a survey conducted in Scotland on the effectiveness of foreign language learning in Scottish primary schools, Joanna McPake (2003) reported that there is a “clear evidence of progression between those in the last year of primary schooling and those at the second year of secondary schooling despite the generic decline in performance in all subjects at the start of secondary education.” Second year secondary students were found to have a more extensive vocabulary (McPake, 2003). McPake (2003) concluded that the experience of learning languages in Scottish primary schools represents a good opportunity for learners. Apart from this, McPake (2003) also noted that a new language that sounds a lot like the mother tongue of the students is easily learnt compared to a language that the phonetics is far from the native lingo in an area. This has been confirmed with the survey conducted in Scotland in 2003 where students of a secondary school who are studying German “significantly outperformed students learning French.” The reason is still unclear. However, McPake suggested that this might be “partly due to the fact that the pronunciation of German is closer to Scottish English compared to that of French (2003). On the other hand, it would be difficult to learn a new language if the student feels anxious about himself and his ability to learn a second language. Anxiety does not only hinder a learner from second language learning, it also obstructs his growth as a person. To arrest language anxiety, the student must be able to face the apprehensions he is feeling (e.g. bitter history with the language or the culture of the target language community). Poor relationship with the teacher also increases the anxiety of the learner towards the subject. At the classroom level, anxiety can be reduced with the presence of supportive co-learners, and an encouraging teacher who allows the students to mingle and immerse themselves with the target language community. Conclusion A number of factors are essential in learning a new language: Motivation, Aptitude, Intelligence, Attitude, and Age. However, I believe that motivation plays a major part in attaining a higher level of self-worth through a new language. Second language learning requires motivation; not only on the part of the learner, but also on the people (e.g. family, teacher, and friends) that surrounds the language student. To make it work better, integrative motivation has to be developed first within the learner; and, the teacher will push the learner’s interest further with instrumental motivation. Encouragement must be present at all possible level and time so as to make the second language learners aware that they are doing something for their own betterment and not with the belief that they are forced to learn a whole new dictum. References Balasubramanian, G. (2005). Attitudinal difference and second language learning with reference to Tamil and Malayalam. Language in India, 5. Retrieved March 6, 2007, from http://www.languageinindia.com/march2005/gbalasubramanianattitude2.html Dornyei, Z., & Otto, I. (1998). Working papers in applied linguistics [Electronic version]. Thames Valley University, 4, 47. Dornyei, Z. (2001). Motivational Strategies in the Language Classroom. Cambridge University Press. Dornyei, Z., Csizer, K., & Nemeth, N. (2006). Motivation, Language Attitudes and Globalization. Multilingual Matters. Gardner, R., & Lambert, W. (1972). Attitudes and Motivation in Second Language Learning. Rowley, Mass: Newbury House. Gardner, R., & MacIntyre, P. (1991). An Instrumental Motivation in Language Study: Who Says It Isn’t Effective. Studies in Second Language Acquisition. Vol 13. Gardner, R. (2005). Integrative motivation and second language acquisition. Retrieved March 6, 2007, from http://publish.uwo.ca/~gardner/caaltalk5final.pdf Krashen, S. (2002). Second language acquisition and second language learning [Electronic version]. Retrieved March 6, 2007, from http://www.sdkrashen.com/SL_Acquisition_and_Learning/index.html McPake, J. (2003). The effectiveness of early language learning: Primary languages in Scotland. The Women’s Library. Retrieved March 6, 2007, from http://www.llas.ac.uk/events/llaseventarchiveitem.aspx?resourceid=1604 Swain, M. (2005). Collaborative dialogue and second language learning. Retrieved March 6, 2007, from http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/lcl/research/seminars/swain-handout.pdf Read More