Growth language mindsets (i.e., beliefs that language ability can be improved) are found to sustain learners' motivation and resilience in challenging situations. Considering that migrants who are speakers of languages other than the dominant ones often face challenging daily communications, we examined important but understudied questions of…

Internalizing Western culture can facilitate English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners' motivation to learn and confidence to use English. However, the role of heritage cultural internalization and the interactive impact of Western and heritage cultural internalizations on English learning are unclear. We surveyed 172 EFL students from Macao…

Research suggests that students put more effort into language learning when they feel that it is a voluntary and self-relevant activity or they enjoy the process of mastering that language (i.e., they have a more self-determined orientation). This orientation is fostered when learners feel autonomous, competent, and related to others in their…

Drawing from Self-Determination Theory and diverse theories of language learning motivation, we present a framework that (1) represents a range of orientations that students may take towards learning German, and (2) explains how these orientations are connected to language learning engagement and diverse linguistic and non-linguistic outcomes. We…

Positive psychology encompasses the study of positive outcomes, optimal functioning, and resilience in difficult circumstances. In the context of language learning, positive outcomes include academic engagement, self-determined motivation, persistence in language learning, and eventually becoming a proficient user of the language. These…

The motivation of 145 learners of Chinese was examined in light of self-determination theory through a questionnaire survey. The results showed that the more learners felt they were learning Chinese because it was personally meaningful and fun, the more they engaged in the learning process. This orientation was promoted to the extent that learners…

Assesses the validity and reliability of a scale of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for second language learning, and examines the relations between these types of motivation and the four orientations discussed by Clement and Kruidenier (1983). Results are discussed with reference to how intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are relevant to…

This study examined how two motivational substrates may be differentially important depending upon the learner's language background. Students registered in German classes (N = 99) completed a questionnaire that assessed (a) their intrinsic, extrinsic, integrative, and instrumental reasons for learning German; (b) their feelings of autonomy,…

This study investigates the motivation for learning French, the ethnic identities, and the decision to pursue post-secondary education in French of anglophone graduates of intensive French language programs in high school. Sixty-two graduates of either French immersion, Advanced Placement French, or the International Baccalaureate French program…

Students in lower-level Spanish classes completed a questionnaire assessing intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for learning Spanish, feelings of autonomy and competence in language learning, integrative orientation, and perceptions of teachers' communication style. Results of a path analysis showed that the more controlling the teacher was…

Examined self-determination theory (SDT) in the language learning context. Involved the development of a valid and reliable instrument to assess different subtypes of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and explored the link between these motivational sub-types and various orientations to language learning. Showed instrumental orientation and the…

Examined a model in which perceptions of autonomy support and informative feedback from teachers sustain generalized feelings of autonomy and competence in language learning Followed up on an earlier study by examining how integrative orientation relates to intrinsic and extrinsic orientations, which in turn support feelings of intrinsic…

A study of college students' motivation for learning, and other social-psychological aspects of second language learning, found students learn German for instrumental, friendship, travel, identification/influence, and knowledge reasons. Fluency was related to motivation, and students of German heritage had higher self-confidence in the German…

Replicates previous research on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for language learning in French Canadian students of English and considers the relations between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and integrative orientation. Quebecois university students completed a questionnaire addressing their reasons for learning English. (Author/VWL)