Motivation as a Factor of Language Learning Outcomes
Motivation is one of the factors that lead to the formation of awareness of the need for action. External motives often greatly influence the formation and development of internal motivation. A favorable learning environment and a positive attitude toward the teacher, in particular, encourage students to attend lessons, demonstrate an interest in the topic, and complete all assignments.
It is worth noting that “teachers can make a positive contribution to students’ motivation” (Lightbown & Spada, 2009, p. 110). External motivation refers to the influence of social factors and societal expectations on students’ actions during their studies. It sets the student up to move forward from the beginning of the language-learning process.
Students should be interested in educational materials, which can be books in the original language, videos, and game materials. The formation of positive motivation is facilitated by a favorable atmosphere in the classroom, the involvement of students in group activities, and an interesting presentation of the material (Lightbown & Spada, 2009). In addition, teachers develop a student’s interest through their personal examples. Speaking about my case, the motivation is positive since learning a language is to increase my qualifications as a specialist.
How Motivation Factor Explains Language Learning Outcomes
Thus, motivation might help explain positive language learning outcomes through the prism of increased engagement and self-reports. Setting a specific goal has a certain effect on me as the primary motivating factor. Identifying tasks and thinking about the potential benefits of my learning process is interesting. Achieving positive learning outcomes is manifested in the fact that motivation is based on the right goal, which is long-term in my case. I need to spend more time understanding the required idea and assessing available resources, and motivation is the best driver for my further activities.
The influence of motivation on the process of learning a second language is relatively strong. Consequently, the learning process becomes complex without it since the results depend on this aspect. The teacher’s main task is to maintain positive motivation, which allows students to learn the language in the long term. It is necessary to find the golden mean by which students will receive positive emotions. Therefore, motivation is an essential core determining success in language learning.
Reference
Lightbown, P. M., & Spada, N. (2009). How languages are learned. Oxford University Press.