ROLE OF MOTIVATION IN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

SEMESTER:
EIGHTH (S.S)

SUBMITTED TO:
RESPECTED SIR.AZHER PERVAIZ
SUBMITTED BY:

HINA FATYMA (151)

SUMAIRA MALIK (153)
ANSA NISAR (157)

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH, UNIVERSITY OF SARGODHA

Contents

Introduction: Krashen's Affective Filter hypothesis

& Affect in Language Learning.
1. Why do people learn a second/foreign language?
2. Definitions of Motivation
3. Sources of Motivation
4. Theories of motivation
Behavioral
Cognitive
Humanistic
Social cognition
5. Factors that Affect Motivation
6. Implications & Strategies for:
Teachers
7. Conclusion
8. References
INTRODUCTION
Motivation is like food for the brain. --Peter Davies
Life takes on meaning when you become motivated, set goals and
charge after them in an unstoppable manner. -- Les Brown --
Everybody needs motivation. Everybody needs to have a reason for action.
It is a sad fact that most people in this world underachieve because they do not believe they are
capable of fulfilling their dreams.
Krashen's Affective Filter hypothesis & Affect in Language Learning

'A mental block, caused by affective factors ... that prevents input from reaching the language
acquisition device'

The Affective Filter Hypothesis-- which stipulates that a number of 'affective variables' play
a facilitative, but non-causal, role in second language acquisition. These variables
include: motivation, self-confidence and anxiety. Krashen claims that learners with high
motivation, self-confidence, a good self-image, and a low level of anxiety are better equipped for
success in second language acquisition. Low motivation, low self-esteem, and debilitating
anxiety can combine to 'raise' the affective filter and form a 'mental block' that prevents
comprehensible input from being used for acquisition. In other words. (Krashen, 1985)
Why Do People Learn a Second/Foreign Language?

Fulfill school/university requirements

Function and compete effectively in the global economy of today and the future
Increase job opportunities and salary potential
Develop intercultural sensitivity, increasing global understanding
Improve English vocabulary and language proficiency in order to communicate with
members of that language community.
 Improve critical and creative thinking skills
Improve one's education
Enhance travel and study abroad opportunities
Gain social power (prestige)

2- Definitions of Motivation
According to the Webster's, to motivate means to provide with a motive, a need or desire that
causes a person to act.
According to Gardner (1985), motivation is concerned with the question, "Why does an
organism behave as it does?
Motivation involves four aspects:
1. A Goal
2. An Effort
3. A Desire to attain the goal
4. Favorable Attitude toward the activity in question.
Motivation is a desire to achieve a goal, combined with the energy to work towards that goal.
Many researchers consider motivation as one of the main elements that determine success in
developing a second or foreign language; it determines the extent of active, personal involvement
in L2 learning. (Oxford & Shearin , 1994)
3- Sources of Motivation
"Without knowing where the roots of motivation lie, how can teachers water those roots?"
(Oxford & Shearin, 1994- p.15)
Educational psychologists point to three major sources of motivation in learning (Fisher, 1990):
1. The learners natural interest: intrinsic satisfaction
2. The teacher/institution/employment: extrinsic reward
3. Success in the task: combining satisfaction and reward

4- Theories of Motivation
Behavioral Theories
Behaviorists explain motivation in terms of external stimuli and reinforcement. The physical
environment and actions of the teacher are of prime importance.
Cognitive Theories
Cognitivists explain motivation in terms of a person's active search for meaning and satisfaction
in life. Thus, motivation is internal.
Attribution theory: (Heider, 1958; Weiner, 1974). This theory proposes that every
individual tries to explain success or failure of self and others by offering certain
"attributions." These attributions are either internal or external and are either under
control or not under control. Learners relate their failure or success to a number of
reasons: ability or effort, luck, and family background .
Humanistic Theories
They emphasize the "natural desire" of everyone to learn. They maintain that learners need to be
empowered and to have control over the learning process.
Hierarchy of Human Needs: (Abraham Maslow, 1954).
1. Physiological Needs: These are the most basic needs which are required for survival, like
food, water, sleep etc. He gave importance to these needs as they are the natural instincts,
as all other needs will become secondary until and unless this need is fulfilled.
2. Security Needs: This includes needs for safety and security. Security needs are essential
but not as vital as basic needs. Examples of security needs are longing for stable job,
welfare and health care, good employees around them etc.
3. Social Needs: As for Maslow these needs are less essential, when compared to the first
two. Social needs includes love and affection, any kind of relationships like friendship,
families. Contribution in any social or religious activity is also considered as social
needs.
4. Esteem Needs: Once the first three get satisfied, then comes the needs for things that
reveal self-respect and personal merit.
5. Self-Actualization needs: It the highest level of Maslows Hierarchy of needs. Here
people are conscious and concerned about personal growth. They are not worried about
the opinions of others nor are they interested in fulfilling them.
The essence of the hierarchy is the notion of pre-potency, which means that you are not going
to be motivated by any higher-level needs until your lower-level ones have been satisfied.
Self-Determination Theory:(Deci & Ryan, 1985) it is based on the relationship between
extrinsic and intrinsic motivation and the basic human need for autonomy. It proposes
that a person must be able to initiate and regulate, through personal choice, the effort
expended to complete a task in order for the task to be intrinsically rewarding.
Intrinsic motivation: It involves perform activity because of internal
reward like pleasure and joy, regardless of any external rewards. It is
important in education and increases learning.
Extrinsic motivation: the pursuit of some reward external to the
completion of the task, such as good grades.
Social Cognition
o Self-efficacy: (Bandura, 1986, 1997) it highlights the belief that a particular
action is possible and that the individual can accomplish it. =>judging one's own
ability and competence.
o Self-regulation: (Bandura, 1986, 1997) it highlights the establishment of goals,
the development of a plan to attain those goals, the commitment to implement that
plan, the actual implementation of the plan, and subsequent actions of reflection
and modification or redirection.
5- Factors that Affect Motivation
"Motivation to learn is a competence acquired through general experience but stimulated most
directly through modeling, communication of expectations, and direct
instruction or socialization by significant others (especially parents and teachers)." (Brophy,
1987)
"To a very large degree, students expect to learn if their teachers expect them to learn."
(Stipek, 1988)
Several factors affect students' motivation to learn a second language. Internal factors include
age, gender, religion, goals, need, interest, attitude, and self-efficacy. External factors include
encouragement, expectation, feedback, scaffolding, task presentation and rewards.
6- Implications & Strategies for L2 Learners' Motivation:
Teachers:
The greatest motivational act one person can do for another is to listen.--Roy E. Moody
Dornyei (1994) suggests
1. developing students' self-efficacy,
2. decreasing their anxiety,
3. promoting motivation-enhancing attributions,
4. encouraging students to set attainable sub-goals, and
5. increasing the attractiveness of course content.

Dornyei (1998:131) suggests

"Ten Commandments for Motivating Language Learners
1. Set a personal example with your own behavior.
2. Create a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere in the classroom.
3. Present the task properly.
4. Develop a good relationship with the learners.
5. Increase the learner's linguistic self-confidence.
6. Make the language classes interesting.
7. Promote learner autonomy.
8. Personalize the learning process.
9. Increase the learners' goal-orientedness.
 10. Familiarize learners with the target language culture.

Keller (1983).He presents an instructional design model for motivation that is based upon a
number of other theories. His model suggests a design strategy that encompasses four
components of motivation:
1. stimulating interest in the topic/ Attention,
2. creating Relevance to students' lives,
3. developing an expectancy of success and feelings of being in control /
Confidence,
4. producing Satisfaction in the outcome through intrinsic/extrinsic rewards.
Keller (1987).The ARCS Model of Motivational Design is a well-known and widely applied
model of instructional design. Simple, yet powerful, the ARCS Model is rooted in a number of
motivational theories and concepts, (see Keller, 1983) most notably expectancy-value theory
(e.g. Vroom, 1964; Porter and Lawler, 1968).
The ARCS Model identifies four essential strategy components for motivating instruction:

1. [A]ttention strategies for stimulating and sustaining curiosity and interest;

2. [R]elevance strategies that link to learners' needs, interests, and motives;
3. [C]onfidence strategies that help students develop a positive expectation for
successful achievement; and
4. [S]atisfaction strategies that provide extrinsic and intrinsic reinforcement for
effort (Keller, 1983).

7. Conclusion
Motivation is a driving force to act. Motivation is an important factor in second language
acquisition. It varies from individual to individual and situation to situation.
Developing life-long learners who are intrinsically motivated, display intellectual curiosity, find
learning enjoyable, and continue seeking knowledge after their formal instruction has ended has
always been a major goal of education. (Small, 1997)
"Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it
will burn very briefly."
Stephen R. Covey
 References
Ames, C. (1992). Classrooms: Goals, structures, and student motivation. Journal of educational
psychology, 84(3), 261.
Brown, H. D. (1994). Principles of language learning and teaching.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Self-determination theory: A macrotheory of human
motivation, development, and health. Canadian psychology/Psychologie canadienne, 49(3), 182.
Drnyei, Z. (1998). Motivation in second and foreign language learning. Language
teaching, 31(03), 117-135.
Drnyei, Z. (2003). Attitudes, orientations, and motivations in language learning: Advances in
theory, research, and applications. Language learning, 53(S1), 3-32.