Research- motivation in second language learning

liverpool lad

Hi there. I am looking to do research into the lack of motivation that, at times, exists within second language learning. The focus of the study will be based on Irish. I understand that not all students are unmotivated and there are a lot of students that really enjoy Irish, but I am looking to investigate this a bit further- try to motivate learners of Irish, implement some changes and maintain the interest when and where possible.

I'm just looking for any insight any language teachers may have or experiences you may have. I am a NQT so I don't have years of experience behind me. I will look into the curriculum and it's restrictions, the school culture, enjoyment of Irish classes, activities and strategies - and try focus on where the disengagement occurs and why this is an issue, being a language that is learned from Primary School. It might be interesting to compare the feelings towards French,Spanish and German - and even the chosen level for examination in a subject they study for 5-6 years, compared to learning Irish from the beginning of their education experience.

Any comments based on this (from any teachers) would be extremely welcomed and appreciated. Thanks.

katydid

liverpool lad wrote: »

Hi there. I am looking to do research into the lack of motivation that, at times, exists within second language learning. The focus of the study will be based on Irish. I understand that not all students are unmotivated and there are a lot of students that really enjoy Irish, but I am looking to investigate this a bit further- try to motivate learners of Irish, implement some changes and maintain the interest when and where possible.

I'm just looking for any insight any language teachers may have or experiences you may have. I am a NQT so I don't have years of experience behind me. I will look into the curriculum and it's restrictions, the school culture, enjoyment of Irish classes, activities and strategies - and try focus on where the disengagement occurs and why this is an issue, being a language that is learned from Primary School. It might be interesting to compare the feelings towards French,Spanish and German - and even the chosen level for examination in a subject they study for 5-6 years, compared to learning Irish from the beginning of their education experience.

Any comments based on this (from any teachers) would be extremely welcomed and appreciated. Thanks.

I have been teaching Modern Languages (French and German) now for over thirty years, and I think that the difference between this and Irish is that the students can see some use for the language they are learning in terms of the former.

While obviously they don't see or hear French or German on a daily basis, they know they are used daily in certain parts of the world, and that they may some day have a reason to use them for holiday or business reasons. (Of course, that doesn't motivate everyone - some people simply have no interest anyway, and see no strong incentive for learning languages)

The demotivator for foreign languages is of course, the pervasiveness of English. "Why do we have to learn French? Everyone speaks English". It's hard to argue with that one.

Getting back to Irish; whatever chance you have of motivating students to learn a language they might use one day, the reality is that the chances of ever having to use Irish, or even the chances of coming in contact with it once they leave school are practically zero. Plus they pick up the negative vibes from parents and family, and from society in general.

liverpool lad

katydid wrote: »

I have been teaching Modern Languages (French and German) now for over thirty years, and I think that the difference between this and Irish is that the students can see some use for the language they are learning in terms of the former.

While obviously they don't see or hear French or German on a daily basis, they know they are used daily in certain parts of the world, and that they may some day have a reason to use them for holiday or business reasons. (Of course, that doesn't motivate everyone - some people simply have no interest anyway, and see no strong incentive for learning languages)

The demotivator for foreign languages is of course, the pervasiveness of English. "Why do we have to learn French? Everyone speaks English". It's hard to argue with that one.

Getting back to Irish; whatever chance you have of motivating students to learn a language they might use one day, the reality is that the chances of ever having to use Irish, or even the chances of coming in contact with it once they leave school are practically zero. Plus they pick up the negative vibes from parents and family, and from society in general.

Thank you very much for the reply. That is the mindset and ideology I think that exists, and is true in reality. It is interesting how An Ghaeltacht is still popular, and student's enjoy speaking Irish when it is taken outside of the realms of the classroom. I think a lot leans towards the curriculum too and how it is so structured. Though, its use in the living and working world has been diminished.


Any other points or reiterations will also be extremely appreciated.

gaiscioch

The major problem with teaching Irish, as I see it, is class sizes, and the range within them.

How on earth are kids supposed to learn to speak it when it's impossible for a single teacher to facilitate conversation-based classes for 30 students going from very good to desperately bad, with members of the latter understandably being frequently disruptive within such a less-structured classroom environment? What sort of quality control can a teacher have over the quality of the language of so many kids? When I taught English as a Foreign Language (EFL) there was never more than 15 students per class. That allowed CLT and other interactive teaching techniques to be utilised. Even the reluctant "have to attend English class as a Visa requirement" EFL students learned in that environment.

Far better to "teach" Irish in this large secondary school classroom context by having a dull, structured but disciplined old-style teaching methodology. Control wins out over facilitating language acquisition. It's shockingly obvious what's going on, and how wrong it is. It does zero for student motivation. Indeed, even if all the students were within the same range, I suspect the number of questions 30 such students would have for a single teacher would act as an impediment towards a natural flow of conversation language (i.e. the teacher would be stretched in the speedy answering of them all) and demotivate the kids who can't find the words/sentences they need in time.

The trip to An Ghaeltacht is still one of the outstanding positive experiences of secondary school, but how many of those kids come back into classrooms that are so large and diverse in ability that the kids get dispirited and demotivated? The talent which is wasted and the positivity which is crushed by the existing class sizes is demotivating not only the students.

Make the classes smaller - our science and art classes, for instance, never have more than 24 students but in practice this usually means around 15 students as the class of 30 is divided - and give the kids the attention they need. Then, watch them flourish with confidence and a sense of achievement. It's hard for the average non-academic teenager to flourish when s/he is taking notes or making translations most of the time. Lastly, start putting language laboratories in schools - even the standard square/rectangular desks are inappropriate for conversation in groups. A language-learning classroom should be very different from the conventional class-facing-teacher room design.

katydid

gaiscioch wrote: »

The major problem with teaching Irish, as I see it, is class sizes, and the range within them.

How on earth are kids supposed to learn to speak it when it's impossible for a single teacher to facilitate conversation-based classes for 30 students going from very good to desperately bad, with members of the latter understandably being frequently disruptive within such a less-structured classroom environment? What sort of quality control can a teacher have over the quality of the language of so many kids? When I taught English as a Foreign Language (EFL) there was never more than 15 students per class. That allowed CLT and other interactive teaching techniques to be utilised. Even the reluctant "have to attend English class as a Visa requirement" EFL students learned in that environment.

Far better to "teach" Irish in this large secondary school classroom context by having a dull, structured but disciplined old-style teaching methodology. Control wins out over facilitating language acquisition. It's shockingly obvious what's going on, and how wrong it is. It does zero for student motivation. Indeed, even if all the students were within the same range, I suspect the number of questions 30 such students would have for a single teacher would act as an impediment towards a natural flow of conversation language (i.e. the teacher would be stretched in the speedy answering of them all) and demotivate the kids who can't find the words/sentences they need in time.

The trip to An Ghaeltacht is still one of the outstanding positive experiences of secondary school, but how many of those kids come back into classrooms that are so large and diverse in ability that the kids get dispirited and demotivated? The talent which is wasted and the positivity which is crushed by the existing class sizes is demotivating not only the students.

Make the classes smaller - our science and art classes, for instance, never have more than 24 students but in practice this usually means around 15 students as the class of 30 is divided - and give the kids the attention they need. Then, watch them flourish with confidence and a sense of achievement. It's hard for the average non-academic teenager to flourish when s/he is taking notes or making translations most of the time. Lastly, start putting language laboratories in schools - even the standard square/rectangular desks are inappropriate for conversation in groups. A language-learning classroom should be very different from the conventional class-facing-teacher room design.

That's a good point about class size, but since the curriculum is not based on conversational Irish, it wouldn't do much for motivation at second level, especially in the senior cycle. Thank God they don't study Peig any more, that put more people off Irish than anything else, but there is still literature to be read, essays to be written, etc. All in a language that they know they will never use once they do the LC.

Classroom conversation is all very well, but even if they were to drastically change the curriculum and take away all the literature and essays, while it might lead to more motivated students in the classroom context, how do you motivate when they know it's purely an academic subject without application outside the walls of the school?