Motivation as an Important Aspect in Learning of a Second Language - Essay Example

Running head: ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY Name Institution Introduction Motivation is an important aspect when it comes to the learning of a second language. This has been a major subject to of research by many scholars who have come up with various ways and strategies that can be applied in order to motivate and cultivate an interest in the learners of a particular language. Having already learnt one language, it becomes a little difficult for an individual to fully master a second language especially where the new language conflicts with the language familiar with the learner in terms of accent and pronunciation. It is therefore an obligation to those teaching second language learners to look for and employ strategies that will make their students gain an in depth understanding of the language they are studying. This paper seeks to give a review of the articles by different scholars concerning the role of motivation towards a better mastery of the second language. Research shows that infants struggle less in learning the first language which unites and connects them to their immediate environment. However, learning the second language has become a major challenge to most of the leaners due to the influence of their first language that might highly conflict with the second language. Despite the various proposals and theories forwarded by a number of scholars, it is has been shown that motivation as one of the factors plays a major role in ensuring a successful understanding of the second language. Both the students and tutors have a major role to play in ensuring their success. References Masgoret, A., & Gardner, R. (2003). Attitudes, Motivation, and Second Language Learning: A Meta-Analysis of Studies Conducted by Gardner and Associates. Language Learning, 53(1), 167-210. This article basically discusses the socio-educational models that were initially developed by Gardner. There is an in-depth discussion of the Attitude/Motivation Test Battery that is used in measuring the main constituents in this particular model. The article’s discussion revolves about distinguishing between integrativeness and attitudes towards the learning situation as the main approaches for spurring motivation among the second language learners. The article goes ahead to raise a number of hypotheses relative to the attitudes, motivations and inclinations towards achieving the second language. These hypotheses are discussed basing on the information obtained from the analysis of previous research data. However, the article majorly bases its assessment on the research that was conducted by Gardner together with his associates. The eleven subtests are focused. Eight of these subtests were initially tailored towards measuring the chief ideas in the AMTB models. The model also provides the various reasons for studying a second language. This article relates the understanding of language to the three principal machineries in the socio-educational model. Noels, K., Pelletier, L., Clement, R., & Vallerand, R. (2000). Why Are You Learning a second Language? Motivational Orientations and Self Determination Theory. Language Learning, 50, 33-63. This article discusses the learning language orientations basing on the self-determination theory. It gives an in depth explanation of the experimental surveys of the inherent motivational factors. It develops authentic and reliable tools for assessing the various subtypes of the basic components of motivation. The authors give the various experiments conducted in verifying the inspirational inclinations and autonomous efforts by the learners towards gaining a better understanding of the second language. The results obtained from the experimental data conducted on the self-determination theory are then analyzed then relationships between various inclinations like for travel, friendship and knowledge are drawn comparatively to the hypotheses that had been initially formulated. There is a mention and brief discussion of psychological contrivances for perceiving autonomy, competency and empathy. The article outlines the structures of motivation related to the studying and understanding second languages. There is an in-depth discussion of both the instrumentally influenced kind of motivation and the other type of motivation influenced by the external factors such as rewards and punishment. This paper relates the role played by these two types of motivation and the various types of orientations which second language learners may develop towards their respective second language.in a nutshell, this paper links motivation to the attitudes and orientations by the second language learners and how motivation can be cultivated to bring about an understanding of second languages by the respective students. Dornyei, Z. (2003). Attitudes, Orientations, and Motivations in Language Learning: Advances in Theory, Research, and Applications. Language learning, 53(1), 3-32. The authors of this article engage in giving a general outline of the emerging issues from the recent research studies conducted by various scholars on the motivations for learning a second language among different individuals. They also develop a theoretic background of the editorial sources that have been designated for use in this particular collection. In addition, the author goes ahead to highlight various themes and orientation and then gives a vivid description of the relevance and link them to other strategies and subject matters. He discusses Gardner’s motivational theory then gives other alternative ways from which the concept of motivation can be perceived and achieved. The author also gives a process oriented strategy for second language learners basing on the research. CSIZ´ER, K., & DO¨ RNYEI, Z. (2005). The Internal Structure of Language Learning Motivation and Its Relationship with Language Choice and Learning Effort. The Modern. Language Journal, 89(1), 175-179 This article looks at the structural equation modeling for assessing the hypothetical model relating to the internal framework pertaining to the second language. There is a vivid discussion of the of the various component factors of motivation such as political and socio-economic factors. In addition, there is the analysis of the various variables of motivation such as integrativeness, cultural vitality, instrumentality, second language vitality, the linguistic self-confidence, milieu and social influences. These factors and variables are then evaluated on how they affect motivation of the second language learners which is deemed key to the successful outcome of learning second languages. In this context, motivation has been taken as the main factor towards bringing forth an understanding of the second language. In that respect, the various aspects and components of motivation are examined and how they contribute towards an effective understanding of the second language. The experiment discussed so far is mainly based on the hypothesis that motivation is key to a successful understanding of the second language therefore making the article even more relevant to the research topic. Andrew, D.C., & Dornyei, Z. (2002). Focus on the Language Learner: Motivation, Style and Strategy. In N.Schmitt (Ed.), An introduction to Applied Linguistics (pp.170-187). London: Arnold. This article discusses the factors influencing success in learning second languages. The factors so far discussed include the time frame for they study and greatness of the study, the teacher’s competence, the method used for teaching, the types of secondary sources available, the abilities of the learner and the time allocated for learning and practicing the second language. The article also focuses on the factors affecting understanding of seconding languages but beyond the control of the tutor. The article then goes into describing the different strategies that can be employed in order to successfully enable the second language learners gain an insight of the languages they are learning as their second languages. There is a discussion of motivation as a critical and key aspect towards bringing forth a better understanding and spurring knowledge in learners undertaking second language studies. It provides the various motives to be from which the subject matter can be approached in order to ensure that these learner grasp the fundament concepts in the second languages they are undertaking to learn. In addition, the article approaches motivation from a social perspective and explains how social factors affect the learning abilities of learners and how, through motivation, these factors can be counteracted. Ushioda, E. (2010). Motivation and SLA: Bridging the gap. EUROSLA Yearbook, 10(1), 5-20. This paper discusses the motivational approach towards achieving second language learning. It looks at the role played by motivation in second language acquisition. The author goes on to talk about various strategies that have so far been applied in bringing forth an amalgamation of motivation with the other linguistic strategies as far second language acquisition is concerned. She then gives a recommendation on the strategies for linking motivational factors and the conventional research. In addition, she provides ways through which research on motivational factors can have a positive bearing on the development of a wider perception of the subject matter within the field. In a nutshell, the author starts by looking at how motivation has been sidelined from second language acquisition research, the historical background of this gap, how the two can be linked together and the reasons as to why motivation stands out to be key in second language acquisition. Basista, L., & Hill, R. (2010).The Motivational and Attitudinal Characteristics of Highly-Proficient L2 Speakers: Implications for foreign language teaching and learning. Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching, 3, 154-165. This study scrutinizes the various aspects of motivation pertaining to second language learning. In review of this, this article gives an evaluation of 4 near native second language speakers that were deemed to have appreciable degrees of eloquence. These learners are then subjected to various tests to verify the influence by the various factors such as attitudes, motivation and the socio-cultural aspects on their mastering of the second language. In addition, this paper looks at the common topics which were earlier on deemed to bring about extreme proficiency. This paper discusses every factor that has been ascertained to be critical and thereafter giving a detailed evaluation of the consequences encountered in the study of the second language. At the end of the paper, the author gives recommendations that could be embraced by future researchers in this field as far as motivation is concerned. Rubenfeld, S., Sinclair, L., & Clément, R. (2007). Second language learning and acculturation: The role of motivation and goal content congruence. Journal of Applied Linguistics, 10(3), 308-322. This paper explores the influence of different motives and aims towards learning the second language. In this paper, there is a discussion and comparison of few selected students with differing views and inclinations in their future objectives. The paper discusses the self-determination theory relative to the second language learning. There is a comparison of how motives and goals influence the understanding of the second language learners. There is introduction of acculturation concept and how it relates to the second language learning. It gives the methodology used in the experiment conducted previously. There is an in-depth discussion of the results obtained from the experimental data on the role of motivation and its influence on the understanding of the second language. The article then gives a discussion for the future research to be conducted relating to the subject matter. Run-mei, Y. (2007). Motivating English Students in Class. Sino-US English Teaching, 4(4), 11-14. This paper is a case study of the role of motivation towards the learning of the English language. There is a brief discussion on the main ideas concerning this matter and aims at presenting the consequences of tutoring for the English language learners as a second language in China. These connotations are connected to the motivational factors which are influenced by the tutor’s role, proper allocation of assignments and correct feedback. This paper evaluates the various aspects of motivation and how critical they are to the understanding of second languages. In relation to the research topic, this paper forms a better reference for this research by providing a case study of those learning English language as a second language and how motivation stands out to be key to their better mastery of the English language. It also offers a better platform for drawing comparisons of the effect of motivation on the different language learners. Kissau, S. (2006). Gender differences in second language motivation: An investigation of microand macro-level influences. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 9(1), 73–96. This article seeks to investigate how the gender differences play a role in motivation of those learning French as a second language. The paper primarily focuses on the role of the motivational factors towards understanding of the second languages by the respective learners. This paper gives more attention to the emerging issues pertaining to the recent developments in research as far as learning the second language is concerned. It traces the path followed in the trends relating to the learning of second languages. There is employment of a mixture of methods for determining whether or not gender the differences in gender have an effect on the motivational aspect. This article also gives a review of Gardner’s theory on the motivational factors as being key to the success of second language learning. Given that the paper draws more illustrations basing on the learning of French as a second language, it therefore gives a better case study for the research topic which seeks to explain and verify the role played by motivation in ensuring success as far as learning of the second language is concerned. Moreover, the paper gives a comparative analysis of the current trends in the second language learning in relation to motivation thus picturing motivation as a key ingredient for the successful outcome of learning second languages. Read More