Motivational Structures among Learners with Different Levels of L2 Proficiency: The Case of Korean Young Learners of English
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This paper aims to study motivational structures among learners with different levels of English proficiency. Subjects were 34 sixth graders attending J primary school in Seoul. Their L2 learning attitudes or motivational constructs were closely studied by conducting in-depth interviews with individual learners and gathering reflection papers. In order to assess their English proficiency, a standardized oral test was administered and according to the outcomes of the test, learners were grouped into four; low intermediate, intermediate, high intermediate and advanced groups. Based upon interview and reflection data, subjects’ motivational constructs were qualitatively described and then, their structures were analyzed by English proficiency. The results of the analyses showed that as for the affective dimension, the more positive learners were, the more proficient they were. In the self-concept-related dimension, debilitating factors such as anxiety and lack of confidence dominated over positive factors among all learner groups, with some exceptions in the advanced group. Instrumental features of learning English were found among all learner groups, whereas goal-oriented constructs emerged among learners only in the high intermediate and advanced groups. These findings suggest that learner attitudes are significantly related to the English proficiency of Korean primary learners, their motivational structures being qualitatively different among learners with different levels of L2 proficiency, except in the instrumental dimension. From these findings, pedagogical implications were briefly discussed.
Abstract
This paper aims to study motivational structures among learners with different levels of English proficiency. Subjects were 34 sixth graders attending J primary school in Seoul. Their L2 learning attitudes or motivational constructs were closely studied by conducting in-depth interviews with individual learners and gathering reflection papers. In order to assess their English proficiency, a standardized oral test was administered and according to the outcomes of the test, learners were grouped into four; low intermediate, intermediate, high intermediate and advanced groups. Based upon interview and reflection data, subjects’ motivational constructs were qualitatively described and then, their structures were analyzed by English proficiency. The results of the analyses showed that as for the affective dimension, the more positive learners were, the more proficient they were. In the self-concept-related dimension, debilitating factors such as anxiety and lack of confidence dominated over positive factors among all learner groups, with some exceptions in the advanced group. Instrumental features of learning English were found among all learner groups, whereas goal-oriented constructs emerged among learners only in the high intermediate and advanced groups. These findings suggest that learner attitudes are significantly related to the English proficiency of Korean primary learners, their motivational structures being qualitatively different among learners with different levels of L2 proficiency, except in the instrumental dimension. From these findings, pedagogical implications were briefly discussed.
참고문헌 (48)
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