Effects of motivation on foreign language teaching and learning

【Abstract】Motivation is probably the most frequently used catch-all term for explaining the success or failure of virtually complex task. It is easy to figure that success in a task is due simply to the fact that someone is “motivated.” It is easy in second language learning to claim that a learner will be successful with the proper motivation. Such claims are of course not erroneous，for countless studies and experiments in human learning have shown that motivation is a key to learning.

【key words】motivation，foreign language teaching

Motivation is commonly thought of as an inner drive，impulse，emotion，or desire that moves one to a particular action. Or，in more technical terms，motivation refers to “the choices people make as to what experiences or goals they will approach or avoid，and the degree of effort they will exert in that respect.” If a student perceives a goal and if the goal is sufficiently attractive，he will be strongly motivated to do whatever is necessary to reach that goal. We can make a useful distinction between short-term goals and long-tern goals. Long-term goals might have something to do with a wish to get a better job at some future date or a desire to communicate with members of a target language community. Short-term goals might include such things as wanting to pass an end-of-semester test or wanting to finish a unit in a book. In general，strongly motivated students with long-term goals are probably easier to teach than those who have no such goals and therefore no real drive.

1 Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

In educational psychology a distinction is usually made between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation，the former of which is sometimes thought to relate to long-term success and the latter more to short-term success. Intrinsic motivation is usually defined as motivation which is guided by an interest in the task itself in which one is engaged，whereas extrinsic motivation is said to be guided by external stimuli，such as parental approval，offer of a reward，threat of punishment，a good grade，etc. Doctor Wen qiu-fang calls the former deep motivation and the latter surface motivation. In organizational or academic settings，it is probably advantageous to be able to tap both kinds of motivation（Madeline E. Ehrman 1996）. The main reason for students with intrinsic motivation to learn is to enhance their ability and get respect from others，thus improving their social position. So intrinsic motivation is very powerful and is likely to lead to deep learning since an intrinsically motivated learner will take every opportunity to satisfy the motivation- driven needs to expand and deepen knowledge. On the other hand，an exclusively intrinsically motivated learner may not pay sufficient attention to the program or organizational requirement to pass necessary hurdles or to take full advantage of the resources of the teaching program. But one might realize that intrinsic motivation is the psychological foundation from which students can get enthusiasm to learn.

2 Instrumental motivation and integrative motivation

Of particular relevance to the study of second language learning is the distinction between instrumental and integrative motivation，which was first suggested by Gardner and Lambert（1959 .In fact，when Gardner first put forward these terms，he made a major distinction between “motivation” and “orientation” Orientations refer to reasons for studying a second language，which is only one of the components of motivation. But quite a lot of researchers have neglected their differences and equated motivation to orientation. An instrumental orientation refers to an orientation to acquire a language as a means for attaining instrumental goals：furthering a career，reading technical material，translation and so forth，which emphasize the practical value and advantages of learning a new language. While an integrative orientation is employed when learners wish to integrate themselves within the culture of the second language group，to identify themselves with and become a part of that society. Gardner and MacIntyre（1991）have pointed out that it is not so much the orientation that promotes achievement but rather the motivation. If an integrative or instrumental orientation is not linked with heightened motivation to learn the second language，it is difficult to see how either could promote proficiency.

In the Chinese learning context，most students learn English for instrumental reasons alone，and their ultimate purpose is to get Band 4 or Band 6 certificate and to find a good job after graduation. Of course，there are some students who have real interests in the English language and the culture itself and who might have a chance to study and live abroad. The ultimate purpose of these students is to acquire communicative competence and to integrate with the target language community.

As a result，the learner is less likely to expand effort to achieve cumulative progress. Some researchers even went so far as to claim that integrative motivation was absolutely essential for successful second language learning. But Yasmeen Lukmani（1972）demonstrated that instrumental motivation can also be effective and that students with higher instrumental motivation scored higher in tests of English proficiency. Brajkachru（1977，1992）has also noted that in third world countries where English has become an international language，English can be acquired very successfully for instrumental reasons alone. Even Gardner himself has recently found that certain contexts point toward instrumental orientation as an effective motive for language success（Gardner and MacIntyre 1991），and others favor integrative motivation（Gardner Day and MacIntyre 1992）. A.M. Seuren（1984）posits that relative importance of integrative motivation or instrumental motivation depends to a larger extent on the context in which the language is learned. It is now suggested that an integrative orientation may not inevitably lead to superior achievement in foreign language learning，if the cultural context is one in which the acquisition of the foreign language has obvious practical value（Burstall 1979）.

参考文献

[1]Bilaystflk，Ellen. 1978. A theoretical model of second language learning. Vol 28，Nol，69-83

[2]Brown，H. 1994. Principles of Language Learning Teaching.（3rd ed）. Englewood Cliffs，NJ：Prentice-Hall Regents

作者簡介

李冰（1981.03——），女，山东人，现任东北大学秦皇岛分校语言学院讲师，硕士研究生，研究方向为英语语言学及应用语言学。

（作者单位：东北大学秦皇岛分校语言学院）