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This volume - the second in this series concerned with motivation and foreign language learning - includes papers presented at a colloquium on second language motivation at the American Association for Applied Linguistics as well as a number of specially commissioned surveys.
Offering a historical and empirical account, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the socio-educational model of second language acquisition. This approach to understanding motivational variables that promote success in the learning of a second or foreign language - distinguishing between language classroom motivation and language learning motivation - is a major one in the history of this field of research. Chapters include a discussion of the definition and measurement of motivation; historical foundations of the model; recent studies with the International Attitude Motivation Test Battery for English as a foreign language in different countries; the implications of the model to the classroom context; and a discussion of criticisms and misconceptions of the model. The book provides graduate students and researchers with unique coverage of this research-oriented approach as well as serving as a source book for the area. It is ideal for courses on motivation in second language learning, or as a supplemental text for research-oriented courses in applied linguistics, educational psychology, or language research in general.
This book presents a succinct summary of various theories of motivation and an overview of some sixty years of empirical research into the role of motivation in second language acquisition, from the social psychological approach of the pioneering work of the Canadian school (Robert Gardner, Richard Cl ment, Peter MacIntyre and others) to the more recent investigations conducted by such scholars as Zolt n D rnyei, Kata Csiz r and Ema Ushioda. The insights generated by such research are then applied to the author's own investigation of the language learning motivation of undergraduates studying at the University of Cagliari on the Italian island of Sardinia.Steve Buckledee teaches English language and linguistics at the University of Cagliari, having previously worked in various state and private institutions in London, Canterbury, Oporto, Madrid, Milan and Rome. His main research interests are Second Language Acquisition and English as a Lingua Franca.
Seminar paper from the year 2009 in the subject English - Pedagogy, Didactics, Literature Studies, grade: 1,3, University of Hildesheim (Englisch als Fremdsprache), course: Language Acquisition, language: English, abstract: This paper is about motivation in second language acquisition. First the term “motivation” will be defined and explained. Afterwards this paper will explain what different kinds of motivation exist and how they help to learn language. I will focus on the work of Rod Ellis and Robert C. Gardner as well as the works of Kimberly A. Noels. The final part of the paper will discuss motivation in the classroom and how to improve the motivation of students as a teacher. For this part I will focuse on the works of J. Brophy. Motivation is often named together with aptitude. Therefore it is vital to define the difference between aptitude and motivation. Ellis (2008:75) states while aptitude describes the “cognitive abilities that underlie successful L2 acquisition, motivation involves the attitudes and affective states that influence the degree of effort that learners make to learn an L2”. So aptitude is a more or less stable component which the individual can not directly interfere with. Motivation on the other hand is a component that can change comparatively fast and can be altered by the learner himself. Gardner (2001) writes that motivation describes the driving force behind the effort of a learner. Motivation consists of three elements. The first element is “effort”. A more motivated learner will put more effort in his or her studies. He will be open to do extra work in order to improve his language skills, spend more time with studying for the language and even deal with the subject on a subconscious level. [...]
Seminar paper from the year 2017 in the subject Didactics for the subject English - Miscellaneous, grade: 1,3, University of Duisburg-Essen (Department of Anglophone Studies), language: English, abstract: "The limits of my language are the limits of my world." Ludwig Wittgenstein Ludwig Wittgenstein was a philosopher of the 19th century; his quotation underlines the importance of second language acquisition. We live in a globalised world where language is the most important way of communication. People all over the world share their cultures and beliefs through their language and interact with each other. Aside from social factors, language plays an important economic role. Nowadays it is not enough to speak one language; many employers prefer employees, who are multilingual. Moreover, many children are growing up multilingual, which is regarded as a huge advantage. In larger terms, they are seen as positive result of our globalised world. Besides this, English is the world language and connects the world. Many schools in foreign countries started offering English lessons in primary schools to increase the number of fluent English speakers. According to this, many teachers try to optimise their lessons and way of teaching. Second language acquisition has become a huge field for further research.Theories and models are getting improved in order to create better learning environments and help teachers to use authentic and optimised methods in their lessons. Many theories and models underline the significance of motivation during language acquiring processes. But how important is motivation in second language acquisition and what effect does it have while acquiring a new language? This term paper will give a brief definition of the term motivation. Then it will present some important and influential motivation theories in order to discuss the influences on second language acquisition. Finally, it will answer the question what teachers can do to increase the motivation in language classrooms. [...]
Written for students encountering the topic for the first time, this is a clear and practical introduction to second language acquisition (SLA). It explains in non-technical language how a second language is acquired; what the second language learner needs to know; and why some learners are more successful than others. The textbook introduces in a step-by-step fashion a range of fundamental concepts – such as SLA in adults and children, in formal and informal learning contexts, and in diverse socio-cultural settings – and takes an interdisciplinary approach, encouraging students to consider SLA from linguistic, psychological and social perspectives. Each chapter contains a list of key terms, a summary, and a range of graded exercises suitable for self-testing or class discussion. Providing a solid foundation in SLA, this book is set to become the leading introduction to the field for students of linguistics, psychology, and education, and trainee language teachers.
Gonzalez' (TESL, U. of Cincinnati) text developed from her own experiences as an international graduate student in the U.S., and her interest in mentoring international students when she became a college professor. She examines the effects of social, cultural, cognitive, affective/emotional, and linguistic factors on the adaption process of interna.
This book offers a succinct theoretical introduction to the basic concepts in language testing in a way that is easy to understand. In the Japanese context, this book is highly recommended for university faculty members involved in obtaining assessment literacy, teachers who want to validate their exploratory teaching and testing, or applied linguistics students new to the language testing field. The book is divided into four main sections. The first provides an overview of the principles of language testing. The next contains short extracts from the testing literature with questions which stimulate further thinking. Section 3 is a list of references with brief annotations and Section 4 a glossary of referenced testing terms.
Seminar paper from the year 2012 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 2,3, http: //www.uni-jena.de/ (Anglistik/Amerikanistik), course: Second Language Learning, language: English, abstract: "The limits of my language are the limits of my world." This quotation by Ludwig Wittgenstein, a famous philosopher of the 19th century, shows how important second language learning is in our modern society. Language is one of the main components of the society and culture of the people who speak it. People speaking different languages are important for the community in which they work and live, because they can connect different cultural groups. Besides this social factor, there is an economic need for multilingual people as well. Apart from the requirement of translators and interpreters, there are an increasing number of jobs where people are required to interact with people from foreign countries. The ability of communicating in two or more language can be an essential reason for getting your dream job. Another advantage of speaking different languages is that it makes travelling much easier and gives you the opportunity of maintaining friendships with people from all over the world. Nowadays most children start learning a second and even a third language when they are still very young. Mostly they are not aware of the benefits of speaking different languages for their later lives. They simply learn it because it is in the curriculum of their school, which is designed for the needs of society rather than for the learner's interests. This does not seem like a good point of departure for a successful learning process. So it is the teacher's major challenge to motivate the students to put effort in learning the foreign language. But how does motivation influence second language learning? This paper will define motivation and introduce different motivation theories. Then it will discuss the influences of motivation on second language learni
