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Motivation, Language Learning Strategies, and Course Performance Among English Speaking College Students Learning a Romance Language
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Flemens, Kathia |
| Copyright Year | 2008 |
| Abstract | Only 8% of American college students study a foreign language (Christian, Johnson, Malone & Rifkin, 2003). Part of the reason stems from a decrease in foreign language requirements from four to two years at many secondary scl~ools, thus reducing the number of students exposed to foreign language learning (Brecht & Rivers, 2000; Congressional Hearing Document, 2001). This creates a shortage of qualified human resources proficient in a second language at a time when an influx of immigration and globalization have created an increasing need to learn a foreign language (General Accounting Office, 2002). Meeting the human capital foreign language deficit requires substantial research to provide methods and techniques in teaching and producing a foreign language proficient U.S. workforce (General Accounting Office, 2002). Language-learning strategy use and motivation have been found to correlate highly with language proficiency (Bremner, 1999; Gardner, Masgoret, & Tremblay, 1997). This study examined the relationship between language-learning strategies, motivation, and expected course grades of English-speaking college students learning a romance language. The entire accessible population of approximately 256 English-speaking college students learning a romance language was invited to participate in a non-experimental, quantitative, exploratory (correlational) and explanatory (comparative) study. The Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) developed by Oxford (1990) was used to measure frequency of student language-learning strategy use. The three subscales, Motivational Intensity, Desire to Learn the Language, and Attitudes Toward Learning the Language, developed by Gardner in 1985 measured students' Motivation. Cronbach's alphas were used to provide estimates of reliability for each of the six individual language-learning strategies and for the three motivation sub-scales. Results indicated that both the Motivation (.94) and the SILL (.93) scales were reliable for measuring the motivation and frequency of language-learning strategy use of respondents. Factor analysis were conducted to test for the emergence of six factors and to establish construct validity for the SILL and for the Motivation scales. The eigen value revealed 13 factors explaining 64.6% of the total variance for the SILL and five factors for the Motivation scale which explained 40.1% of the variance. Independent t-tests, ANOVA with LSD and Scheffe post hoc comparisons were conducted to see if the frequency of language-learning strategies used differed significantly according to the demographic characteristics, motivation, or languagelearning experiences of English-speaking college students learning a romance language. Results of the I-test and ANOVA demonstrated that there were significant differences in expected course grades according to gender @ = .03), age @ = ,011, college grade level O, = .01), and number of languages spoken (j~ = .OO). Independent t-tests, and ANOVAs were also conducted to test differences in language-learning strategies according to demographic characteristics and language-learning experience. Gender proposed to have the most effect on the difference in the frequency of use of almost all the language-learning strategies except for Affective language-learning strategies. Multiple regression analyses with the stepwise method was used to see if demographic characteristics, language-learning experiences, and motivation, were significant explanatory variables of the frequency of use of language-learning strategies used by English-speaking college students learning a romance language. Motivational Intensity (t = 6.45, p = .000, j? = .44) was the strongest explanatory variable for the total SILL as well as for the breakdown of the subscales. The results of the regression analysis for hypothesis one was partially supported because Attitude Towards Learning the Language, years spent stz~dying a language, Motivational Intensity, grade level, and Affective Strategies were explanatory variables of expected course grade, with Motivational Intensity (t = 3.89, p = ,000, /? = .32) as the most important predictor. The analysis of individual language-learning strategies indicated Metacognitive (t = 4.27, p = .000, = .45) and Affective (t = -4.52, p = .000, /? = -.34) strategies as being significant predictors of expected course grade. The results of for Hypothesis two was partially supported since the other strategies were not significant predictors of expected course grade. Independent t-tests were conducted for hypothesis three testing to see if women had significant higher frequencies of use of language-learning strategies than do men. The results revealed that female respondents did have higher frequencies of use of language-learning strategies than their male counterparts except for Compensation and Affective strategies. Therefore, Hypothesis three was partially supported. TABLE O F CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABSTRACT LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY Introduction and Background Purpose Definitions of Terms Justification Delimitations and Scope CHAPTER 11: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE, THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK, RESEARCH QUESTIONS, AND HYPOTHESES Review of the Literature Learning Theories Second Language Acquisition Motivation and Language Acquisition Language Learning Strategies and Second Language Acquisition Defining and Measuring Language Learning Strategies The Influence of Gender and Language Proficiency on Language Learning Strategy Use and Second Language Acquisition Synopsis of the Literature Conclusions Recommendations Proposed Research Strategy Theoretical Framework Research Questions Hypotheses xvii TABLE OF CONTENTS Continued Page CHAPTER 111: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research Design Population and Sampling Plan Target Population Accessible Population Sampling Plan: Total Accessible Sample Size Eligibility Criteria and Exclusion Criteria Setting Instrumentation Part 1 : Demographic Characteristics Part 2: Language Learning Experience CHAPTER 111: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY, Con't Part 3: Motivation Part 4: Language Learning Strategies Procedures: Ethical Considerations and Data Collection Methods Methods of Data Analysis Reliability and Validity Analysis Research Questions Hypotheses Evaluation of Research Methods Internal Validity External Validity CHAPTER IV: RESULTS Psychometric Analysis of the Survey Instruments Reliability and Validity of the Motivation Reliability and Validity of the SILL Research Questions Research Question 1: Demographic Characteristics, Languagelearning experiences, Motivation, Language-Learning strategies and Expected Course Grade Research Question 2: Differences in Expected Course Grade According to Demographic Characteristics, and Language-Learning Experiences Research Question 3: Differences in Language-Learning Strategies according to Demographic Characteristics and Language-Learning Experiences Research Question 4: Demographic Characteristics, LanguageLearning Experience, Motivation, Frequency of Use of LanguageLearning Strategies Research Hypotheses Hypothesis 1 : Explanatory Variable of Expected Course Grade Hypothesis 2: Expected Course Grade and Language-Learning Strategies Hypothesis 3: Differences in the Frequency of Language-Learning Strategy Use According to Gender Summary CHAPTER V: DISCUSSION Interpretations Psychometric Findings Related to the Motivation Construct and Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) Research Questions Research Question 1 : Demographic Characteristics, Languagelearning experiences, Motivation, Language-Learning strategies used and Expected Course Grade of English-Speaking College Students Learning a Romance Language Research Question 2: Differences in Expected Course Grade According to Demographic Characteristics, and LanguageLearning Experiences Research Question 3: Differences in Language-Learning Strategies Use according to Demographic Characteristics and Language-Learning Experiences Research Question 4: Demographic Characteristics, LanguageLearning Experience, Motivation, Explanatory Variables of Frequency of Use of Language-Learning Strategies Hypotheses Hypothesis 1 : Explanatory Variable of Expected Course Grade Hypothesis 2: Expected Course Grade and Order of Importance of Language-Learning Strategies Hypothesis 3: Differences in the Frequency of Language-Learning Strategy Use According to Male and Female Practical Implications Conclusions Limitations Recommendations for Future Study REFERENCES BIBLIOGRAPHY APPENDIX Appendix A: Survey (Spanish Class Version) Appendix B: Survey (French Class Version) Appendix C: Survey (Italian Class Version) Appendix D: Permission to Use Instruments Appendix E: George Mason University HSRB Approval Appendix F: George Mason HSRB Consent Form Appendix G: Lynn University IRB Approval |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://spiral.lynn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1240&context=etds&httpsredir=1&referer= |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
