Learners of English as a Second Language in Australia: Their Perceptions of Learning Environment and Factors Affecting Their Motivation

Abstract

This is a preliminary case study on students from a university in Japan learning English as a second language (L2). Three students volunteered to report weekly their motivational changes through a four-week English course provided by a language institute in Australia and to be interviewed twice at the beginning and the end of the course. The results show that learning experience in a new environment could help them develop the "L2 Selves"; however, the same factor they experience both inside and outside the classroom class could affect either positively or negatively their motivation. Also, their motivational intensity does not exhibit a significant change through the course. The study discusses the participants' actual experience of the primary difference in the contents of the English class between Japan and Australia may work positively their learning due to their desire to develop the English proficiency. However, the relationship between their perceptions of environmental factors reflected on their prior learning experiences and their motivational intensity could be more complex than we imagine. There may be a gap between learners' general perception of motivational factors and its influence on the deterioration and the development of motivation to learn.

Võõrkeele omandamise kogemused eestlaste mälestustes ja arvamustes

“…Klassiruumi kontekstis ongi eraldi vaadeldud just konkreetse õpisituatsiooni motivatsiooni, milles omakorda saab eristada kur suse, õpetaja ja õpirühmaspetsiifilisi motivatsioonikomponente (Dörnyei 2001: 112-113). Mitmes varasemas uurimuses on eriti rõhutatud õpimotivatsiooni sõltumist õpetajast (Dörnyei 1994;Kikuchi 2009;Matsumuto 2011). Samas võib õpetaja isiku mõju osa tähtsus erineda tulenevalt keeleõppe faasist.…”

“…Samas võib õpetaja isiku mõju osa tähtsus erineda tulenevalt keeleõppe faasist. Näiteks on Matsumuto (2011) uurimuse kohaselt õpetaja isikul suurem mõju motivatsioo nile pigem keeleõppe algusfaasis ning aja jooksul omandavad suu rema kaalu õppemeetodid. Teisalt on ka uurimusi, kus on näidatud, et õpetaja isiku roll on olulisem täiskasvanute (nn L3) õppes, mitte niivõrd laste keeleõppes (GabrysBarker 2013).…”

“…Näidetes (1) ja (2) ütlevad intervjueeritavad otse, et nende võõrkeeleõpe on kinni õpetajas (1), et kesse karakter on (2). See tulemus on kooskõlas varasemate uuri mustega, kus on näidatud, et õppijate motivatsioon sõltub suuresti õpetajast (nt Dörnyei 1994Dörnyei , 2001Kikuchi 2009;Matsumuto 2011). Kuigi uurimustes võidakse vahet teha õpetaja isiksusel ja käitumisel (vt nt Matsumuto 2011: 41-42), on need omavahel põimuvad tegurid siinkohal võetud kokku õpetaja isiku alla.…”

The influence of a study abroad program on Japanese university students’ motivation and the elaboration of motivational L2 selves

“…A new learning context where learners interact with learners of different L1s and the educational culture may have a detrimental impact if the learners experience difficulty in communicating with peers and teachers in the TL, along with unfamiliar learning activities due to the relatively lower level of proficiency and little knowledge of the values attached to the TL culture (Gu, Schweisfurth, & Day, 2010;Yu, 2013). However, by perceiving the new environment as a factor that enhances the development of the required TL skills, learners may come to regard the cultural and contextual differences as necessary challenges with some help from peers, teachers, and family members (Matsumoto, 2018;Yashima et al, 2004). Despite these discussions, researchers have not agreed on what leads the learners to view the same environment either positively or negatively, and therefore, why the same factor affects motivation negatively or positively to achieve their learning goals.…”

Motivation to Study a Second Foreign Language: A Case of Chinese University Learners of German

“…Propelled by the results of empirical studies, the development of theories on SL/FL motivation in return stimulates more empirical research. Consequently, a plethora of empirical studies can be found in the current literature that showcase the importance of motivation in SL/FL learning and interaction of motivation with various other linguistic, cultural, psychological and affective variables (e.g., Cai & Zhu, 2012; [1] Dörnyei & Ryan, 2015; [8] Flemens, 2019; [11] Grant, Huang & Pasfield-Neofitou, 2018; [14] Hernàndez, 2010; [16] Liu, 2012; [18] Matsumoto, 2017; [22] Muftah & Rafik-Galea, 2013; [24] Morreale, 2011; [23] O'Reilly, 2014; [25] Polat, Balog & Mahalingappa, 2013; [26] Qin & Dai, 2013; [27] Thompson & Erdil-Moody, 2016; [30] Ushioda, 2011; [32] Wesely, 2009; [35] Winke, 2013; [38] Xiao, 2011). [39] For example, Muftah and Rafik-Galea's (2013) [24] study of 182 Malaysian preuniversity students' English learning motivation revealed that the participants had very high motivation and positive attitudes towards learning English and that they were more instrumentally motivated.…”