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ERIC Number: EJ1238811
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2576-2907
EISSN: N/A
Motivation and Aptitude: A Partial Validation of ECT-L2A
Kim, Peter
Studies in Applied Linguistics & TESOL, v19 n2 p19-38 2019
Energy Conservation Theory of Second Language Acquisition (ECT-L2A) (Han, Bao, & Wiita, 2017b), an interdisciplinary theory juxtaposing a physics perspective and an applied linguistics perspective, conceptualizes individuals' ultimate attainment as a function of dynamic transformation of endogenous and exogenous energies throughout the learning process. ECTL2A predicts, "inter alia," (1) that beginning L2 learners should show stronger motivation than end-state learners, (2) that developing learners should show higher motivation than that of beginners, and (3) that beginning, developing, and end-state learners should exhibit similar profiles in aptitude. These predictions were tested with 56 ESL learners. Correlation analyses were conducted on learners' aptitude, motivation, years of study, and performance on a timed grammaticality judgment test. The results showed that: (1) with increase in proficiency and years of study, there was a decrease in motivation; (2) the effect of aptitude diminished as learners made progress towards the target language; (3) combined effect of aptitude and motivation correlated positively with the their L2 attainment, but its effects diminished as the proficiency level of the groups became more advanced.
Teachers College, Columbia University. 525 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027. e-mail: tcsalt@tc.columbia.edu; Web site: https://tesolal.columbia.edu
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Two Year Colleges; Postsecondary Education; Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New York (New York)
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Modern Language Aptitude Test
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A