Motivation in Learning Englishl
MOTIVATION IN LEARNING ENGLISH
Argument
Learners’ motivation has become more commonly recognized as perhaps the major determining factor for successful learning in general, whether one is a high school student pushing one's way through the battery of required courses needed to graduate, or an adult learner taking distance education courses. In any learning setting, the dynamics of motivation will be different. What will help a high school student sustain motivation may not apply to an adult learner, for example. Similarly, what factors affect and enhance learner motivation in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) setting (in our case) will differ as well. Furthermore, motivation for EFL learners in a middle school or high school class will differ from the experience of an EFL adult learner.
It is important to grasp the key concepts of motivation as they are understood in the realm of education. Motivation is an unconscious, psychological process that varies by individual over time. It is a social process which can be affected by past experiences and environment. According to psychologists, intrinsic motivation refers to a source of motivation which emanates from within the learner. Extrinsic motivation refers to motivation which is sourced by the expectation of a tangible reward. Ideally, the learner will have a healthy combination of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation working for themselves. The extrinsic element may help push the learner through tougher times by helping them keep their eye on the goal, such as a foreign language certificate, or a decent TOEFL score, for example. Instrumental motivation (which closely correlates to extrinsic motivation) applies to the language learner who holds a specific, more isolated purpose for learning a foreign language, such as qualifying for a job, or achieving higher social status. Taking into account the latest socio- political changes Romania has faced – the integration of our country into European Union, the
Argument
Learners’ motivation has become more commonly recognized as perhaps the major determining factor for successful learning in general, whether one is a high school student pushing one's way through the battery of required courses needed to graduate, or an adult learner taking distance education courses. In any learning setting, the dynamics of motivation will be different. What will help a high school student sustain motivation may not apply to an adult learner, for example. Similarly, what factors affect and enhance learner motivation in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) setting (in our case) will differ as well. Furthermore, motivation for EFL learners in a middle school or high school class will differ from the experience of an EFL adult learner.
It is important to grasp the key concepts of motivation as they are understood in the realm of education. Motivation is an unconscious, psychological process that varies by individual over time. It is a social process which can be affected by past experiences and environment. According to psychologists, intrinsic motivation refers to a source of motivation which emanates from within the learner. Extrinsic motivation refers to motivation which is sourced by the expectation of a tangible reward. Ideally, the learner will have a healthy combination of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation working for themselves. The extrinsic element may help push the learner through tougher times by helping them keep their eye on the goal, such as a foreign language certificate, or a decent TOEFL score, for example. Instrumental motivation (which closely correlates to extrinsic motivation) applies to the language learner who holds a specific, more isolated purpose for learning a foreign language, such as qualifying for a job, or achieving higher social status. Taking into account the latest socio- political changes Romania has faced – the integration of our country into European Union, the
Bibliography: Breen M. P. and Littlejohn, A. P. “Classroom Decision-Making”. Cambridge University Press, 2000 Harmer, Jeremy: “The Pactice of English Language Teaching”, Longman Grigoroiu, Gabriela: “An English Language Teaching Reader’, Tipografia Universtitatii din Craiova, 2002