일본어 학습자의 학습동기와상급 학습자에 대한 태도-제2언어 동기적 자아체계의 관점에서-

Abstract

This study examines if any correlation exists between 1) a learner’s Japaneseproficiency 2) attitude toward advanced Japanese learners as target language speakersand 3) motivation for learning Japanese with a focus on the “affective factor” amongother learner factors. This study assumes for the purpose of analysis that advanced Japanese learners(with/without overseas experience) in classes are the “pseudo-L2 ideal self” of mostJapanese learners. The analysis was conducted with 101 Japanese Interpretation andTranslation majors (30 males and 71 females) who have taken classes given inJapanese. The examination of advanced Japanese learners shows three factors: “imageof competence and success,” “exotic or negative image” and “socioeconomic image.”In terms of the relationship between academic motivation and attitude towardadvanced learners, poorly motivated students do not consider advanced learners astheir L2 ideal self. This tendency appears more prominent in their attitude towardadvanced learners with no overseas experience. In other words, the less academicallymotivated students are, the less respect they have for language proficiency ofadvanced learners with no overseas experience. Considering the fact that thesestudents express relatively less weak positive image of Japanese speakers withoverseas experience, it may be concluded that the students avoid acknowledgingadvanced learners with no overseas experience and thus underestimate their abilityand hard work because they do not want to recognize their own lack of motivationand the proficiency gap between themselves and advanced learners. The study resultsmay be interpreted that the subject students are poorly motivated not because theydo not realize the need to study but because they are experiencing complacent metacognition, according to which they do not admit the importance of studying and determine that the efforts required are beyond their ability as an attempt to avoidhard work. This is in contrast with the observation that highly motivated studentshave a high regard for the ability and diligence of advanced learners regardless theirhaving overseas experience or not.