Successful language learning in a corporate setting: The role of attribution theory and its relation to intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

Abstract

Attribution theory (Weiner, 1985) and self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) have been explored as contributors to L2 motivation (cf. Dörnyei, 2001) but have never been studied quantitatively in concert. In addition, students' attributions for success in learning a foreign language have never been measured through the use of a questionnaire. The aim of this paper is therefore (a) to develop a questionnaire with reliable constructs that allows to measure adult learners' attributions for their success in learning English in a corporate setting, (b) to investigate these learners' attributions, and (c) to investigate the relationship between students' attributions and the constructs of Intrinsic and Extrinsic motivation central to self-determination theory. Our main results show that among the attributions measured, interest, effort and corporate culture seemed to be the main causes that students recognised as directly involved in their success in learning English. Of all the attributional scales, interest and ability appeared to importantly contribute to intrinsic motivation, while corporate culture, encounters with foreign professionals and ability contributed to a lower extent to extrinsic motivation. It must be noted, however, that attributions for success to teacher and task were so consistently high that they could not be reliably measured with the questionnaire.

How I see it: An exploratory study on attributions and emotions in L2 learning

“…Based on this notion, the result that the learners in this study reported their L2 improvement indicates that they most likely thought their ability can be enhanced even by a short period of time of practice, leading them to feel more motivated to improve their L2 skills. This finding also lends support to the result of a study on adult learners' attributions by Kálmán and Eugenio (2015), which found that ability significantly contributed to motivation.…”

“…Similarly, the learners in the current study referred to the teacher's effective L2 instruction and praise as the reasons for their improved learning attitudes and motivation. At the same time, these attributions uniquely reflect characteristics of the learners in this study, as demonstrated by other studies (e.g., Kálmán & Eugenio, 2015;Mori et al, 2010). The two factors, increased L2 exposure and realization of L2 needs and importance, appear to have had an impact because of the context in which the learners were embedded.…”

“…Much research has looked into causal attributions and investigated them in relation to various constructs such as achievement (Dweck, 1975), learners' perceptions (Tse, 2000), motivation (Kálmán & Eugenio, 2015), self-efficacy (Hsieh & Kang, 2010;Silver, Mitchell, & Gist, 1995), self-efficacy and motivation (Hsieh & Schallert, 2008), proficiency , age, gender, and target language studied (Williams, Burden, Poulet, & Maun, 2004), as well as culture (Mori, Gobel, Thepsiri, & Pojanapunya, 2010). Many of these studies found the same factors to which learners attributed their success and failure.…”

“…They described this tendency as self-critical and concluded that such a tendency is rooted in the non-Western cultures where interdependence is emphasized, and thus modesty and acquiescence are accepted responses. Kálmán and Eugenio (2015) investigated attributions among adult learners of L2 English in a corporate setting in Hungary and found corporate culture as one of the main causes of successful learning. Many of their participants reported that they were grateful to the organization for providing the opportunity and support for their learning.…”

A study of retrospective and concurrent foreign language learning experiences: A comparative interview study in Hungary

“…Their results suggest that culture may have an impact on the attributions students give for success and failure. Similarly, Kálmán and Gutierrez (2015) found that another external factor, corporate culture, was the best predictor of success in a study measuring adult L2 learners' attributions in a corporate environment.…”