Motivational Factors in Multilingual Students' Learning Additional Languages: The Case of English and Turkish

Year 2018, , 275 - 299, 26.09.2018

Ali Dincer

https://doi.org/10.32601/ejal.464179

Cited By: 3

Abstract

The current study examined the
relationships among motivational factors (i.e., motivation types and motivational
strength, and language anxiety) in the simultaneous learning process of
additional languages. A mixed-methods design was conducted with 86 multilingual learners learning both
English and Turkish. The data were collected using a survey and follow-up open-ended
questions about the motivational factors. There were three major findings of the study. First, the motivational
factors in one language were positively correlated with the same factors in another. Second, although the learners'
motivation (i.e., intrinsic, extrinsic and integrative) and motivational
strength to continue their education showed no differences in both
languages, their L2 anxiety towards learning additional languages was statistically
different, in that learners were less anxious when learning English language than learning Turkish language. Third, multilingual learners'
interest in learning other languages and willingness to integrate in the target
language culture, the status quo of the target language in the global world and
the level of unfamiliarity of the target language seem to play a role in the learners' beliefs of motivation,
feeling in learning additional languages and intention to study languages. Overall,
the study highlighted the role of multilingualism in learning English and Turkish.
It also shed light on understanding L2 affective factors learning distinct L2s.

Keywords

Multilinguals, English, Turkish, motivation, anxiety, motivational strength

References

• Balaman Uçar, S. (2009). The preferences of Turkish university EFL students for instructional activities in relation to their motivation. (Unpublished master's thesis). Bilkent University, Ankara.
• BC & TEPAV (2013). Turkey national needs assessment of state school English language teaching. Ankara: Yorum Press and Publishing. Retrieved from http://www.tepav.org.tr/upload/files/1399388356-5.Turkey_National_ Needs_Assessment_of_State_School_English_Language_Teaching.pdf
• Boo, Z., Dörnyei, Z., & Ryan, S. (2015). L2 motivation research 2005-2014: Understanding a publication surge and a changing landscape. System, 55, 145-157. Doi: 10.1016/j.system.2015.10.006
• Budría, S., & Swedberg, P. (2014). The Impact of multilingualism on Spanish language acquisition among immigrants in Spain, (IZA Dp No:8748). Retrieved from http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2544812
• Cenoz, J. (2013). Defining multilingualism. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 33, 3-18. Doi: 10.1017/S026719051300007X
• Chen, J. F., Warden, C. A., & Chang, H. T. (2005). Motivators that do not motivate: The case of Chinese EFL learners and the influence of culture on motivation. TESOL Quarterly, 39(4), 609-633. Doi: 10.2307/3588524
• Creswell, J. W., & Clark, V. L. P. (2007). Choosing a mixed methods design. In J. W. Creswell & V. L. P. Clark (Eds.), Designing and conducting mixed methods research (pp. 58-88). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Csizér, K., & Lukács, G. (2010). The comparative analysis of motivation, attitudes and selves: The case of English and German in Hungary. System, 38(1), 1–13. Doi: 10.1016/j.system.2009.12.001
• Cummins, J. (2007). Rethinking monolingual instructional strategies in multilingual classrooms. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 10(2), 221-240, ERIC Number: EJ829536
• De Angelis, G. (2007). Third or additional language acquisition. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
• Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York, NY: Plenum Press.
• Dewaele, J. M. (2007). The effect of multilingualism, socio-biographical, and situational factors on communicative anxiety and foreign language anxiety of mature language learners. International Journal of Bilingualism, 11(4), 391-409. Doi: 10.1177/13670069070110040301
• Dewaele, J. M., & Ip, T. (2013). The link between foreign language classroom anxiety, second language tolerance of ambiguity and self-rated English proficiency among Chinese learners. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 3(1), 47–66.
• Dewaele, J. M., Petrides, K. V., & Furnham, A. (2008). The effects of trait emotional intelligence and sociobiographical variables on communicative anxiety and foreign language anxiety among adult multilinguals: A review and empirical investigation. Language Learning, 58(4), 911-960. Doi:10.1111/j.1467–9922.2008.00482.x
• Dewaele, J. M., & Wei, L. (2013). Is multilingualism linked to a higher tolerance of ambiguity?. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 16(1), 231-240. Doi: 10.1017/S1366728912000570
• Dörnyei, Z. (1990). Conceptualizing motivation in foreign language learning. Language Learning, 40(1), 45-78. Doi: 10.1111/j.1467-1770.1990.tb00954.x
• Dörnyei, Z. (1998). Motivation in second and foreign language learning. Language Teaching, 31(3), 117-135. Doi: 10.1017/S026144480001315X
• Dörnyei, Z. (2001). Motivational strategies in the language classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Dörnyei, Z. (2005). The psychology of the language learner: Individual differences in second language acquisition. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
• Dörnyei, Z. (2009). The L2 motivational self system. In Z. Dörnyei & E. Ushioda (Eds.), Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (pp. 9–42). Bristol, England: Multilingual Matters.
• Dörnyei, Z., & Al-Hoorie, A. H. (2017). The motivational foundation of learning languages other than Global English: Theoretical issues and research directions. The Modern Language Journal, 101(3), 455-468. Doi: 10.1111/modl.12408
• Duff, P. A. (2017). Commentary: Motivation for learning languages other than English in an English‐dominant world. The Modern Language Journal, 101(3), 597-607. Doi: 10.1111/modl.12416
• Gardner, R. C. (1985). Social psychology and second language learning: The roles of attitudes and motivation. London: Edward Arnold.
• Gorham, J. & Christophel, D. M. (1992). Students' perceptions of teacher behaviors as motivating and demotivating factors in college classes. Communication Quarterly, 40(3), 239-252. Doi: 10.1080/01463379209369839
• Hanson, W. E., Creswell, J. W., Plano Clark, V. L. Petska, K. S., & Creswell, J. D. (2005). Mixed methods research designs in counseling psychology. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52(2), 224-235.
• Henry, A. (2010). Contexts of possibility in simultaneous language learning: Using the L2 Motivational Self System to assess the impact of global English. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 31(2), 149-162. Doi: 10.1080/01434630903471439
• Henry, A. (2011). Examining the impact of L2 English on L3 selves: A case study. International Journal of Multilingualism, 8(3), 235-255. Doi: 10.1080/01434630903471439
• Henry, A. (2017). L2 motivation and multilingual identities. The Modern Language Journal, 101(3), 548-565. Doi: 10.1111/modl.12412
• Hoffmann, C. (2000). The spread of English and the growth of multilingualism with English in Europe. In J. Cenoz & U. Jessner (Eds.), English in Europe: The acquisition of a third language (pp: 1-21). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
• Horwitz, E. (2001). Language anxiety and achievement. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 21, 112-126. Doi: 0.1017/S0267190501000071
• House, J. (2003). English as a lingua franca: A threat to multilingualism?. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 7(4), 556–578. Doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9841.2003.00242.x
• Jaspaert, K., & Lemmens, G. (1990). Linguistic evaluation of Dutch as a third language. In M. Byram & J. Leman (Eds.), Bicultural and trilingual education: The Foyer model in Brussels (pp: 30–56). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
• Jessner, U. (2008). Teaching third languages: Findings, trends and challenges. Language Teaching, 41(1), 15–56. Doi: 10.1017/S0261444807004739
• Kemp, C. (2007). Strategic processing in grammar learning: Do multilinguals use more strategies?. International Journal of Multilingualism, 4(4), 241-261. Doi: 10.2167/ijm099.0
• König, W. (2005). Language production in Turkish–German–English trilinguals. International Journal of Multilingualism, 2(2), 135-148. Doi: 10.1080/14790710508668381
• Lai, H.T.Y. (2013). The motivation of learners of English as a foreign language. International Education Studies, 6(10), 90-101. Doi: 10.5539/ies.v6n10p90
• Lamb, M. (2004). Integrative motivation in a globalizing world. System, 32(1), 3-19. Doi: 10.1016/system.2003.04.002
• Lasagabaster, D. (2013). Attitudes and motivation in bilingual education. In C. A. Chapelle (Ed.), The encyclopedia of applied linguistics. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
• Lasagabaster, D., & Doiz, A. (2015). A longitudinal study on the impact of CLIL on affective factors. Applied Linguistics, 38(5), 688-712. Doi: 10.1093/applin/amv059
• Leung, C. (2016). English as an additional language –a genealogy of language-in-education policies and reflections on research trajectories. Language and Education, 30(2), 158-174. Doi: 10.1080/09500782.2015.1103260
• Li, Q. (2014). Differences in the motivation of Chinese learners of English in a foreign and second language context. System, 42, 451-461. Doi: 10.1016/j.system.2014.01.011
• Marshall, C., & Rossman, G. B. (2016). Designing qualitative research (4th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications.
• May, S. (2014). Introducing the “multilingual turn.” In S. May (Ed.), The multilingual turn: Implications for SLA, TESOL and bilingual education (pp. 1–6). New York: Routledge.
• Noels, K. A. (2001). Learning Spanish as a second language: Learners’ orientations and perceptions of their teachers’ communication style. Language Learning, 51(1), 107–144. Doi: 10.1111/0023-8333.00149
• Noels, K. A. (2009). The internalisation of language learning into the self and social identity. In Z. Dörnyei & E. Ushioda (Eds.), Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (pp. 295–313). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.
• Noels, K. A., Pelletier, L. G., Clément, R., & Vallerand, R. J. (2000). Why are you learning a second language? Motivational orientations and self‐determination theory. Language learning, 50(1), 57-85. Doi: 0.1111/0023-8333.00111
• Plonsky, L., & Oswald, F. L. (2014). How big is “big”? Interpreting effect sizes in L2 research. Language Learning, 64(4), 878-912. Doi: 10.1111/lang.12079
• Ryan, S. (2006). Language learning motivation within the context of globalisation: An L2 self within an imagined global community. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies: An International Journal, 3(1), 23-45. Doi:10.1207/s15427595cils0301_2
• Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
• Sağın-Şimşek, Ç. (2014). Receptive multilingualism in Turkish-Turkmen academic counseling sessions. Applied Linguistics Review, 5(1), 195-210. Doi: 10.1515/applirev-2014-0009
• Sakai, H., & Kikuchi, K. (2009). An analysis of demotivators in the EFL classroom. System, 37(1), 57-69. Doi: 10.1016/j.system.2008.09.00
• Santos, A., Cenoz, J., & Gorter, D. (2015). Communicative anxiety in English as a third language. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 1-14. Doi: 10.1080/13670050.2015.1105780
• Schmidt, R., Boraie, D., & Kassabgy, O. (1996). Foreign language motivation: Internal structure and external connections. In R. Oxford (Ed.), Language learning motivation: Pathways to the new century (Technical Report #11) (pp. 9–70). Honolulu: University of Hawaii, Second Language Teaching & Curriculum Center.
• Schmidt, R., & Watanabe, Y. (2001). Motivation, strategy use, and pedagogical preferences in foreign language learning. In Z. Dörnyei and R. Schmidt (Eds.), Motivation and second language acquisition (pp. 313–359). Honolulu: University of Hawaii, Second Language Teaching & Curriculum Center.
• Schüppert, A., & Gooskens, C. (2011). Investigating the role of language attitudes for perception abilities using reaction time. Dialectologia: Revista Electrònica, Special Issue II, 119-140.
• Skutnabb-Kangas, T., Maffi, L., & Harmon, D. (2003). Sharing a world of difference: the earth's linguistic, cultural and biological diversity. UNESCO.
• Sugita-McEown, M., Noels, K. A., & Saumure, K. D. (2014). Students' self-determined and integrative orientations and teachers' motivational support in a Japanese as a foreign language context. System, 45, 227-241. Doi: 10.1016/j.system.2014.06.001
• Swain, M. (2000). French immersion research in Canada: Recent contributions to SLA and applied linguistics. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 20(1), 199-212. Doi: 10.1017/S0267190500200123
• Ortega, L. (2013). SLA for the 21st century: Disciplinary progress, transdisciplinary relevance, and the bi/multilingual turn. Language Learning, 63(1), 1-24. Doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9922.2012.00735.x
• Thompson, A. (2009). The multilingual/bilingual dichotomy: An exploration of individual differences. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Michigan State University, USA.
• Thompson, A. (2013). The interface of language aptitude and multilingualism: Reconsidering the bilingual/multilingual dichotomy. The Modern Language Journal, 97(3), 685–701. Doi: 10.1111/j.1540-4781.2013.12034.x
• Thompson, A. S., & Aslan, E. (2015). Multilingualism, perceived positive language interaction (PPLI), and learner beliefs: What do Turkish students believe?, International Journal of Multilingualism, 12(3), 259-275. Doi: 10.1080/14790718.2014.973413
• Thompson, A. S., & Erdil-Moody, Z. (2016). Operationalizing multilingualism: language learning motivation in Turkey. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 19(3), 314-331. Doi: 10.1080/13670050.2014.985631
• Thompson, A. S., & Khawaja, A. J. (2016). Foreign language anxiety in Turkey: The role of multilingualism. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 37(2), 115-130. Doi: 10.1080/01434632.2015.1031136
• Thompson, A. S., & Lee, J. (2013). Anxiety and EFL: Does multilingualism matter?. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 16(6), 730-749. Doi:10.1080/13670050.2012.713322
• Thompson, A. S., & Lee, J. (2016). The motivational factors questionnaire in the Korean EFL context: Predicting group membership according to English proficiency and multilingual status. The Language Learning Journal, 1-23. Doi:10.1080/09571736.2015.1130082
• Ushioda, E. (2009). A person-in-context relational view of emergent motivation, self and identity. In Z. Dörnyei and E. Ushioda (Eds.), Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (pp. 215–228). Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
• Ushioda, E., & Dörnyei, Z. (2012). Motivation. In S. Gass, & A. Mackey (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 396-409). New York: Routledge.
• Ushioda, E., & Dörnyei, Z. (2017). Beyond global English: Motivation to learn languages in a multicultural world: Introduction to the special issue. The Modern Language Journal, 101(3), 451-454. Doi: 10.1111/modl.12409
• van Compernolle, R. A. (2016). Are multilingualism, tolerance of ambiguity, and attitudes toward linguistic variation related? International Journal of Multilingualism, 13(1), 61-73. Doi: 10.1080/14790718.2015.1071821
• Varisoglu, B. (2018). Motivation to learn Turkish in foreign students with different thinking styles in terms of functional and formal aspects. Educational Research and Reviews, 13(9), 328-335.
• Wei, L. (2008). Research perspectives on bilingualism and multilingualism. In Wei, L. & M. Moyer (Eds.), The Blackwell guide of research methods in bilingualism and multilingualism (pp. 3-17). Oxford: Blackwell.
• Yashima, T. (2002). Willingness to communicate in a second language: The Japanese EFL context. Modern Language Journal, 86(1), 54–66. Doi: 10.1111/1540-4781.00136
• Yashima, T. (2009). International posture and the Ideal L2 self in the Japanese EFL context. In Z. Dörnyei, & E. Ushioda (Eds.), Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (pp. 144-163). Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
• Yashima, T., Zenuk-Nishide, L., & Shimizu, K. (2004). The influence of attitudes and affect on willingness to communicate and second language communication. Language Learning, 54(1), 119-152. Doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9922.2004.00250.x