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14"Interpretation and researches"
International scientific journal volume 1 issue 1
ENHANCING INTRINSIC MOTIVATION TO LEAN IN ADULTS
Xolmatova Nozimaxon Iqbol qizi Teshabayeva Nasibaxon Ibroximovna
English language teachers, Fergana Academic Lyceum of Ministry of Internal
Affairs, Republic of Uzbekistan https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7497824
Abstract: It is true that motivation plays important role in learning English language. Many adults learn English in order to study or work abroad. In order to overcome difficulties in this process, intrinsic motivation is very important. In this article, we collected data about the effects and results of intrinsic motivation in adult learners.
Key words: Intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, adults, language acquisition, amotivated students
Various theories, as well as ideas, are held in different studies of second language acquisition. The main fact is that by studying all these theories and ideas one by one one can be certain that learning the L2 is a difficult process, and it depends on some factors and hypotheses. we enjoy teaching English as a second language to different age group students. The main reason for this is that whenever they have difficulties in various aspects, we are there to help them, by distinguishing the sort of the problem and attempting to solve them using several methods and skills. This type of assistance benefits not only the student but also the teacher to grow professionally.
As we were supposed to explore some information and write a summary on a chosen topic of second language acquisition, my decision was to examine factors that enhance intrinsic motivation to learn in adults. The learning process demands a long time and persistence in challenging situations. The most vital psychological theory in language acquisition is motivation, which is connected to different outcomes, such as performance, learning, curiosity, and persistence. As academic learning of language occurs in the schoolroom, motivation is the utmost variables in SLA, due to attitudes toward learning and coordination of mental processes build an assimilated design that evolves language acquisition. There are three conceptual perspectives of behavior; intrinsic, extrinsic, and amotivated. Intrinsically motivated learners study for the sake of learning, as they engage in enjoyable and satisfying activities. Only intrinsically motivated students can learn the language during their whole lives because they have a burning desire to be in a community of people of the target language. However, not every student in a class can be motivated, so the aim
of conducting this case study is to prove that instructors can use effective teaching strategies to inspire amotivated students. There have been made plenty of research works on motivation, however, only an insignificant number of the intrinsic approach of adult learners' motivation has been investigated, also, the aspects that affect adults learning motivation stay under-theorized and under-researched.
In this paper, we will review intrinsic motivation to learn among adults pursuing the necessity it has in the utilization in teachingand learning a second language acquisition. Before searching for the relevant articles, I had a question about why adults learn L2. So many researches have been done so far on motivation. Here I will indicate some of them:
According to Vallerand &Pelletier (1993), Integrated Motivation is related to psychological results and consequences that are connected to academicsphere which involve learning activities, recreation, sports. Students are more inclined to learn a second language for a wide range of reasons like; respect, friendship, knowledge, understanding, travel, prestige. In a research study conducted by Belmerchi and Hummel (1998), the main reasons to study L2 were to comprehend foreign songs and to be able to use the internet.
Kyriacous and Kobori (1998) have explored that the fact that in learners' future career and advanced study English can assist as a lingua franca. Their foundation showed that important reasoning for affecting a learner's motivation to study are learners' preference for career-making and advanced study. Furthermore, they noted effects on students' desire to acquire English and on preservice teachers' drive to be an instructor of the English language appears to apply to a many of places.
However, Payne (2000) claims that working people can become motivated to learn ESL after realizing that they can communicate with schoolteachers of their children or talk to unknown people. Workers with prospects expect that with learning English, they have more chances for work. For this reason, taking notes with hearing an expression that can be used in the common world may be of actualapplication to workers. Helping them better coordinate in a bilingual community is the best development for their personal growth. There is a great role of teachers, who help learners strengthen their motivation, inspiration by showing that learning English can be an adventure for the mind, means to cultural awareness, a better career, and the key to the world's peace. (Oxford and Shearin, 1994). Intrinsic motivation and academic performance are positively correlated according to a research study by Gottfried (1990). Therefore, it is expected that intrinsically motivated learners stay in school. The results show that the most inspired students are those who experience success.
Houle (1961) devised the typology which is a theoretical framework for describing the motivation of adult learners. He interweaved 10 women and 12 men,
overall 22adults to find the reasons why they were engaged in educational activities for a long time. Relying on their motivation there are three types of adult learners; -learning-oriented -activity-oriented -goal-oriented
Those who were learning-oriented experienced learning as a permanent activity, not occasional, social benefits like job promotion were connected to goal-oriented ones with direct objectives. Lastly, the primary reason for activity-oriented adults was to participate in learning activities. Although Houle's typology has been widely accepted, there were some critics, like Boshier and Collins (1983) claimed the theory to be rather simplistic to comprehend the motivation to learn in adults.
On the other hand, in the past fifty years, the overall understanding of adults' motivation to learn has been explored based on Houle's taxonomy. Detailed information about them can be found in several studies which use Boshier's (1971) Education Participation Scale. Satisfaction and personal growth are dominant motivations to learn among adults.
To conduct the case study, we decided to choose an adult student who has some difficulties in studying, to be more precise, the participant who does not want to study, despite attending extra classes. Being unmotivated adult learner, this potential candidate perfectly matches my case study requirements.
There is a group of ten students at the Language Centre where we give extra lessons. From them eight students are females and 2 are males, their level is intermediate. Most of them are from 9th to 11th grade students, however, the potential candidate for my case study is 26 years old lady, who has already settled down, having a family and a job.
S, the chosen participant is an English Language Teacher, who works at school and teaches primary school pupils. After graduation from the University, she got married, gave birth to two children, and was working as a teacher for a couple of years. During her stay at home, her level of English Language knowledge decreased significantly, so one possible solution to the problem was attending extra classes, however, even after three months of studying, there were no improvements. Therefore, one day we asked her to stay after the lesson to discuss her problem.
After the conversation with the subject, we concluded that the main reason for little progress was a lack of motivation. Therefore, we offered her to take part in my case study, which is "Enhancing intrinsic motivation to learn in adults", she agreed unenthusiastically. From this moment we started collecting data about my subject.
During the interview, personal and background information was collected, my participant is 26 years old lady who is fluent in Uzbek and Russian languages, the former is her native language, the latter she learned in kindergarten and at home
while playing with friends in the yard. S acquired two languages through a behavioral approach. When it comes to English, S was forced by her mother to learn it from the age of 12 and further become an ELT but reading books and discussing them were her preferred activities. Being taught through grammar-translation method and learning vocabulary she was able to enter to University. Her preferences were listening to music and watching movies, especially Harry Potter.The desire to be able to read the best seller of J.K. Rowling "Harry Potter" burned her motivation to learn English.
Before starting the research work, the participant was told that the invertigator was interested only in enhancing intrinsic motivation to learn in adults using various strategies. In addition, the subject was informed about the Contest form and she signed it, fully understanding the importance of conducting the investigation herself. In this part, we decided to get information about the participant and her level of motivation using various methods, which are:
1) Interview
2) Pre-research individual motivation test
3) Post-research individual motivation test
Firstly, our subject was interviewed to gain personal data about her background. Namely age, gender, what languages she speaks and at what well, health report, family status, and support, as all this collected data was an indicator of positive correlation with Intrinsic Motivation. Secondly, S was asked to take the individual motivation test, to analyze her existing behavior. The rate of her learning motivation was low, so together with the participant, we agreed to have two different types of activities, which can help increase her motivation. The first one is in-class activities. The second one is out-of-class activities. 'Unmotivated' learners become engaged in-class activities with the assistance of teachers. To elicit intrinsic motivation in my subject, we asked her during the lesson to write down 10 questions with answers about the main reasons for her learning L2. The identifying reasons helped to set clear achievable goals. Furthermore, another beneficial activity in the classroom was set, keeping in mind that S enjoyed reading and exchanging impressions and thoughts with others, we organized a Debate Club in the group. The participant was elected as a leader and had to choose the topic for each discussion. At the end of each debate, participants could get feedback from their peers and from me, the instructor. When it comes to out-of-class activities, I offered to watch selected motivational videos and listen to TED TALKS, and later reflect upon them in written form or just by recording her thoughts on a mobile phone. The participant admitted that the case study was becoming more and more intriguing, she got interested in completing it and to know the results. Ultimately, post-research test was taken as well as analyzed.In the first part of the research the participant was interviewed to collect
data. The interview covered some background information about the age, her marital status, how many languages she speaks, the methods used to learn them, what inspired her to learn.
Overall, after looking at the whole data carefully, it can be assumed that, commonly, instructors come across unmotivated students in their teaching experience. Every learner has their own personality, in other words, they are individuals. For this reason, it is vital for instructors to collect more general data about their adult students, in this way instructors can identify learner profiles, Furthermore, one teaching material cannot be applied to all learners, a variety of teaching strategies is required. The teacher's main purpose should be to determine the learner's needs related to motivation and create a teaching plan that boosts self-inspiration. Here teachers' knowledge of different teaching strategies can influence motivation in a positive way, supporting the student's inborn motivation. In addition, by following certain factors, such as installing good teacher-learner contact, creating target language, in this case English, atmosphere, enhancing self-confidence, engaging lessons, instructors can create effective and enjoyable classes. By considering these factors, teachers are likely to drive and enhance long-term motivation in adult learners.
We consider that the English language is becoming a world language, so for professional reasons, many adult learners become motivated to learn the language. Nevertheless, only learners who learn the language for the learning's sake and enjoy the process become successful in language acquisition.
Further implications
Many types of research have been done on motivation of adult learners, and these works reveal that mostly adult learners are intrinsically motivated, in other words, they are learning for learning's sake. Despite this not many detailed explorations have been done on innate aspects of adult students, in addition, the circumstances that affect their studying inspiration stay neither theorized nor researched.
References:
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