Ameena Kidwai

English Language Teaching Learning a Second Language is a Battle of Heart-Role of Motivation

Ameena Kidwai

Abstract:

Motivating learners to study and use the language is one of the main challenges faced by teachers, specifically in non-English medium education system where opportunities to use English are few. Learners‘ enthusiasm may diminish over time, partly because learning English involves a lot of hard work, partly because English doesn‘t seem relevant to their lives, and partly because they rarely get an opportunity to apply their skills in real life. Motivation ―provides the primary impetuous to initiate learning the second language and later the driving force to sustain the long and often tedious learning process‖ (Dörnyei, 1998). It is, however, a very complex construct and not easy to understand.

The paper presenter as an instructor for English language in a college in Saudi Arabia proposes to explore the factors influencing second language learner motivation and also the specific approaches for generating motivation in an English language classroom. The paper also aims to discuss how motivation can become an effective tool in teaching and learning English as a second language grounded upon the previous researches on the topic.

Key Words: Motivating learners, non-English medium, education system, generating motivation, English language classroom, researches, English as a second language.

For many learners, their primary motivation is what researchers call extrinsic motivation, that is, motivation based on a reward that comes from outside, for example, the desire to get a good grade or a good job. Such rewards, though motivating, may also be problematic. For example, learners who wish to do well on a test may study only what they need to in order to successfully clear it, and after that, may lose interest in learning. Many researchers have stressed the importance of intrinsic motivation, in other words, motivation derived from learning new things, a sense of accomplishment, or the desire to pursue one‘s own interests. In fact, many researchers suggest that intrinsic motivation is a more powerful driving force than extrinsic motivation (Brown, 2001). One reason intrinsic reward tends to be especially

effective is that, coming from within the learner, they are always there to drive one‘s study— they are not years away, and they don‘t disappear when the test ends.

Motivation is known to play an important role in the achievement levels of learners when it comes to language learning, both in and outside classrooms. According to Dörnyei & Ushioda (2011) it consists of ―such factors as the attached value of a task, the rate of success expected by learners, whether learners believe they are competent enough to succeed, and what they think to be the reason for their success or failure at the task‖. It has always been acknowledged that motivating the learners to learn the target language is not a simple task. Students have frequently been found to get demotivated on facing obstacles. However, it is possible through certain strategies to help learners adopt more positive attitudes towards language learning.

Theories of motivation, among many other things, are also expected to offer insights to those who wish to motivate others. Motivation is important especially in second language or foreign language contexts. It has been observed that ―low L2 learning motivation in secondary schools and concomitant low engagement in classroom activities represent a significant problem‖ (Dörnyei, 2001).

Students have been seen to complain that second language study is tedious and boring affair (Chambers, 1999). That teachers bear no responsibility for this is hard to imagine. Much has been written about motivation and language achievement along with the many models that have been proposed to explain the relationship (eg., Clément, 1980; Gardner, 1985; MacIntyre, Clément & Noels, 1998). The different models claim that motivation is important in learning a language, for example, Gardner (2007) stresses on the need to consider the roots of motivation from the point of view of both the educational and cultural context. The reason being that language, unlike other subjects, takes on elements of another culture (i.e. pronunciations, vocabulary, language structure, etc.), something that other subjects don't. Therefore, it is important that the educationally and culturally relevant variables are considered while attempting to understand second language learning.

Different thinkers and educators have proposed ways to develop motivation. Among these Dörnyei and Csizér (1998) offer ten commandments for teachers and it might be worth our

while to list them as: ―language learners: teachers should set a personal behavior example, make sure that the class atmosphere is relaxed and pleasant, present task properly to the learners, have good teacher–student relationships, work on increasing learners‘ self–confidence, ensure that the language class is interesting to the students, promote as much as possible learners‘ autonomy, personalize the learning process, increase learners‘ goals, and make sure that learners are familiar with the target language culture‖. Williams and Burden's (1997) study too offer insights for helping the teachers. Yet many others claim and show how classroom dynamics and learning environment are important for motivating students and getting their achievement levels to go up (Clément, Dörnyei, & Noels, 1994; Gardner, 1985; Gardner, 2007). What is crucial is the fact that what happens in the classrooms can have a serious impact on the motivation and attitudes of the learners. Over time the motivation levels may decrease for many of the students as was found in a study by Gardner, Masgoret, Tennant, & Mihic (2004) for the university students learning French. Similar results were obtained Gardner and Bernaus (2004) with high school students in Spain learning English as a foreign language.

To supplement their findings Bernaus and Gardner (2008) tried to directly study the relationship between students' motivation, language achievement and teachers' didactic strategies used in the EFL class in Spain. They found out that the most powerful motivational strategies were the following: ―audio–visual resources and new technologies, group work, satisfying the students‘ needs and interests, student participation in class, good grades and fulfilment of students‘ success expectations, and praises and rewards‖. These and many more researches indicate that the teachers should use those strategies which help motivate the learners and increase their interest and attention.

Another study, quite remarkable in its approach, is by Guillautaux and Dörnyei (2008) which examines the connection between the teachers‘ motivational teaching practice and the language learning motivation of their classes. The study looked at 27 teachers and more than 1300 learners in ESOL classrooms in South Korea. The investigators developed a classroom observation tool, the motivation orientation of language teaching (MOLT), and measured students' motivation through a questionnaire. They used MOLT to assess the teachers‘ use of motivational strategies, along with a ‗post-doc‘ rating scale filled in by the observer. The

results showed a clear relationship between the motivational teaching practices of teachers and the levels of language learning motivation in their classrooms.

Enthusiasm seems to be another factor that impacts learners' motivation considerably as it is contagious and boosting. It has been found that ―if students recognize their teacher‘s enthusiasm to the task, they, too, will be enthusiastic‖ (Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2009). Classroom environment too is important for motivational levels of the class. A safe classroom environment assures the learners and encourages them to participate without any fear of embarrassment or sarcasm. They do not feel inhibited by the pressures of making errors or sounding mundane. Safe classroom tends to develop a sense of community and promote ―a palpable sense of belonging‖ (White, 1991).

We know from the above studies how important motivation is in language learning. It is for this reason that Ramage (1990) urges teachers to try to build high levels of motivation among learners so that they ―positively and actively engage in their learning until they reach their common target in L2 learning‖. Without sufficient motivation, successful language learning cannot be achieved (Csizer & Dornyei, 2005; Sugita & Takeuchi, 2010).

Factors behind Motivation

Motivation plays a substantial role in the rate and success of second language learners. Bradford (2007) in his research into the motivational orientation of Indonesians points out that the pragmatic use of English is highly valued, specifically as it relates to economic gain. The motivations effective for most Indonesian English Language Learners involve the ability to communicate in the workplace, the possibility to advance to a higher social position, and the opportunity to pursue higher levels of education. The Arab context is no different, with both Indonesia and Arab being Asian, countries with similar learner aspirations.

 Socio–economic Background For these learners, the main motivation behind learning English is attaining social prestige. The paper presenter found through interaction with the learners that they viewed English as a ticket to professional success, leading to overall upward mobility in all social and economic aspects. Therefore, the need among every strata of society in general, and these second language learners in particular is to gain proficiency in the English language.

 Higher Education English is the primary language of instruction in the higher education system today. All the esteemed colleges use English as their medium of instruction. This is another motivating factor for English language learners as they are very well aware of the fact that careers in the field of science, technology, business and commerce require a strong command over English. Intriguingly, in addition to the tertiary education system, the competitive examination scenario also reflects the predominance of English. Most of the admissions–tests and job–related tests have an entire section dedicated to testing the candidates‘ English language ability. They assess the applicant‘s expression, reading comprehension skills, language accuracy as well as vocabulary. According to the presenter‘s observation, this further motivates the second language learners to learn English.

 Employability English, being the language of international business and education, has become a vital factor in deciding one‘s employability quotient all around the world. It is observed that need for employability plays even more strongly in the minds of learners who have studied in Arabic medium as their chances of landing a well–paying job are slimmer due to lack of English language proficiency. Therefore, English for them becomes a passport to landing a prestigious job and this motivates them to opt for English as a major in college.

Approaches for Generating Motivation in Learners

Although teachers do not create motivation in students, they do create environments that either foster or hinder students‘ motivation for learning (Daniels, 2010). As cited in Guilloteaux and Dornyei (2008), Dornyei (2001) proposed four basic ways that teachers engage students in learning. First, they create a basic motivational context in the class atmosphere and by creating a rapport with the students. Second, teachers use motivational strategies to generate internal motivations and positive attitudes towards learning. Third, teacher use motivational strategies in situation–specific tasks to maintain and protect motivation. Finally, by giving praise and effective feedback, teachers push students to reflect on their own achievement in a way that that promotes long–term motivation (Guilloteaux & Dornyei, 2008).

Role of Teaching Methodology in Motivation

One of the main arguments put forward in support of Task–based language teaching includes that it is intrinsically motivating as it provides many opportunities for learners to use the language that they know without penalizing them for inevitable failures in accuracy (Willis & Willis, 2007).

Ellis (2003) too suggests that the task–based approach brings a variety of benefits to learners, of which one of the most important is motivation. Motivation is therefore likely to be seen as the key to all learning. Once students are motivated, they can complete the given tasks or desired goals (Brophy, 2005).

Through group discussions with the college learners of third year it was found that almost eighty percent of them agreed that now they were more confident of interacting with their peers even outside the classroom since they were accustomed to doing that in their language classes all the time. The learners, in the group discussion, said that interacting with one of their language teachers who doesn't speak Arabic, boosts their confidence level immensely and makes them feel that they could sustain a conversation with just about anyone in real–life.

Role of Materials in Motivation

Many writers have asserted that authentic materials motivate learners because they are intrinsically more interesting or stimulating than non– authentic materials, for example exercises course books. Advocates of this view include Allwright (1979); Freeman and Holden (1986); Little and Singleton (1991), who refer to this as the ‗classic argument‘; and Little, Devitt, and Singleton (1989), who add that authentic texts bring learners closer to the target language culture, making learning more enjoyable and therefore, more motivating.

When the learners were asked to reflect on the changes, they had observed in themselves after being in an English language course, they pointed out a change in their media habits. Most of them agreed that they had now started to read English news items, watch English films and documentaries and read English story books/novels etc. They also shared that this was because they had been exposed to these mediums in their English language classroom.

This instilled in them the habit of reading English regularly, in addition to developing their pronunciation, vocabulary and comprehension skill.

Role of the Teacher in Learner Motivation

Research into motivation in second language acquisition in recent years has focused on the factors which affect second language (L2) learners‘ motivation (e.g., Csizer & Dörnyei, 2005; Dörnyei & Clement, 2001; Dörnyei & Otto, 1998; Oxford & Shearin, 1994). The researchers concluded that teachers are one of the most determining factors of L2 learners‘ motivation (Dörnyei, 1994; Tanaka, 2005).

To a question in the group discussion regarding whether teachers motivated them to participate, most of the learners answered in the affirmative. One learner shared that the teachers told the class that they were free to make mistakes, as making mistakes was a step towards learning. Thus, they were free to speak during the activities and no more afraid of failures. Another learner said that the teachers‘ approval, applaud and constant praise made her believe that even she was worth something, with the other learners readily nodding in agreement.

The teachers, most of the learners stated, were one main source to get them looking forward to the lectures. They put them at ease to ask numerous questions, welcomed their outlook, and most importantly encouraged them in their endeavours. Students mentioned that when they participated in class discussions, they realized that even their opinions mattered, which pumped them to go further. Basically, they said that most of the teachers always seemed to know what was required and wanted for students.

Additionally, the presenter in her class observations found that teachers have to constantly encourage ‗inactive‘ learners who tended to be mere passive observers. This would sometimes wake them up and push them to be a part of the class discussions, at other times of course it had no major effect on their participation level. The studies mentioned above show how important motivation is in language learning. It is for this reason that Ramage (1990) urges teachers to try to build high levels of motivation among learners so that they ―positively and actively engage in their learning until they reach their common target in L2 learning‖.

Without sufficient motivation, successful language learning cannot be achieved (Csizer & Dornyei, 2005; Sugita & Takeuchi, 2010).

Teacher Motivation

In addition to considering the motivation of L2 learners, the research tells us that current motivation studies recognize the ―interactive relationship between teacher and student motivation‖ (Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2010). Nearly all the learners pointed out that the lectures where the teachers are enthusiastic and involved with learners, they tend to participate and learn better.

A major motivating factor was found to be the relaxed, un-intimidating learning environment where learners felt at ease to freely speak their mind and share their thoughts with the peer group and teacher. Therefore, a friendly class atmosphere is a key factor that intrinsically motivates learners.

Additionally, the teachers inculcated a discipline of respecting everyone‘s opinions in class, which in turn encouraged a democratic class environment. Another factor successful in motivating learners was encouraging real life English language usage by way of relevant home tasks, role plays, interactions and interviews in class with real people from the outside world, and the use of realia too to an extent. On the other hand, limited lesson duration of an hour and a half posed a constraint and often students are unable to get a chance to speak. This in the long run demotivated them at times to participate in class discussions. Maximizing inter–student interaction proves effective in promoting cooperative learning and this interaction gives the ESL students a chance to practice English in a less threatening setting. Effective teachers use hands–on and project–based activities to engage students in learning through exploration. Hands–on activities generally include scaffolding components, and project–based activities often incorporate the students‘ own interests and cultural backgrounds. Teachers should make students feel a sense of accomplishment, even in small, everyday activities. Celebrating milestones is an effective way of doing this. It leads to a sense of achievement, which gives rise to long–term intrinsic motivation among language learners.

To make these students come out of their anxiety of using English language, they must be encouraged to watch English movies, talk shows, news, documentaries etc. This will expose them to authentic language use in real–life, develop their understanding of humour in the second language, expand their knowledge of idiomatic usage, and thus eventually boost self–confidence. They will be able to include themselves in the mainstream global community through language acquisition, thus leading to better self– image.

It is time teachers stopped complaining about teaching challenges and took action. There is a strong need to impart positive attitude in teachers and to motivate them to continue professional development. Teachers are agents of change and carriers of new methodology, and therefore time–to–time training for their capacity building is of utmost importance to achieve positive results in the classroom. Teachers‘ increased motivation and interest reflects in students‘ language achievement. It is also recommended that teachers be provided with relevant, up–to–date materials. This ensures quality of instruction and saves time so teachers can focus on their professional practice rather than spend most of their time planning lessons. To sum up it can be stated that motivated learners are every teacher‘s dream — they are willing to work hard, add their own goals to those of the classroom, focus their attention on the tasks at hand, persevere through challenges, do not need continuous encouragement, and may even stimulate others in the classroom, promoting collaborative learning. However, we all know that the motivation behind learners‘ learning varies widely, ebbs and flows over the course of the year (or even during a single classroom activity), and stems from various sources, internal to the learner, external, or both. Tapping into motivation is crucial for language teachers because they know that motivation is one of the key factors driving language learning success. Motivation is one of the characteristics of the Language learning and teaching and it is a helpful facilitator in the Language Learning process. The process of acquiring the second/foreign language is really a battle of hearts and can be effective when both the learner and the teacher are involved in the process and derive accomplishment out of it. This is the only way to keep the motivation and interest levels high. When this is achieved all the problems of teaching and learning get resolved and better results are attained.

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