Methodology in Language Learning: Devising Motivational Strategies

 

 

Given the widespread problems observed with regard to the insufficient commitment and enthusiasm of language learners, as well as the high rate of language learning failure, L2 teachers have traditionally been on the lookout for techniques they can apply to enhance student motivation. There is a wealth of materials that classroom practitioners can apply to promote their motivational teaching practice and to create a motivating classroom environment. Therefore, an unexpected new challenge arose: the need to organize the possible motivational strategies in a structure that offers a wide range of options for teachers to choose from yet which avoids being daunting and making readers feel how complex the domain is and how much they are not doing. The Dörnyei-Ottó process model described earlier and consisted of four main dimensions:

 

1.    creating the basic motivational conditions,

2.    generating initial student motivation,

3.    maintaining and protecting motivation,

4.    encouraging positive retrospective self-evaluation.

 

These motivational facets are further broken down to concrete motivational strategies and techniques, covering a wide range of areas from ‘Making the teaching materials relevant to the learners’ through ‘Setting specific learner goals’ to ‘Increasing learner satisfaction.’

 

 

 

 

It was argued that in developing a motivation-sensitive teaching practice it is not the quantity but the quality of the selected strategies that matters. Accordingly, we should aim at becoming good enough motivators rather than striving unreasonably to achieve ‘Supermotivator’ status. A few well-chosen strategies that suit both the teacher and the learners might take one beyond the motivational threshold, creating an overall positive motivational climate in the classroom. Some of the most motivating teachers often rely only on a few basic techniques. ‘Promoting self-motivating  strategies,’ which is different from the other motivational scaffolding techniques in that it passes the ownership of motivation from the teacher to the students: By applying self-motivating strategies, learners assume responsibility and regulatory control of their own motivational disposition. Because contemporary learning theories in educational psychology presume an active contribution of the learner as an agent in constructing knowledge, a shift toward a conception of motivation that is at least partly owned by the learner makes intuitive sense. It is important to realize, however, that learners will not automatically take ownership of their motivational disposition but need to be supported in this process.

 

How can we describe the possible self-motivating strategies? Most psychological investigations in this area pioneering conceptualization of action control mechanisms, which constitute a subclass of selfregulatory strategies concerning the learners’ motivational regulatory function.

 

 

 

 

Commitment control strategies for helping to preserve or increase the learners’ original goal commitment (e.g., keeping in mind favorable expectations or positive incentives and rewards; focusing on what would happen if the original intention failed). Metacognitive control strategies for monitoring and controlling concentration, and for curtailing unnecessary procrastination (e.g., identifying recurring distractions and developing defensive routines; focusing on the first steps to take in a course of action). Satiation control strategies for eliminating boredom and adding extra attraction or interest to the task (e.g., adding a twist to the task; using one’s fantasy to liven up the task). Emotion control strategies for managing disruptive emotional states or moods, and for generating emotions that are conducive to implementing one’s intentions (e.g., self-encouragement; using relaxation and meditation techniques). Environmental control strategies for eliminating negative environmental influences and exploiting positive environmental influences by making the environment an ally in the pursuit of a difficult goal (e.g., eliminating distractions; asking friends to help one not to allow to do something). Self-consequating: Identifying and administering self-provided extrinsic rewards or punishments for reinforcing one’s desire to reach particular goals associated with completing an academic task. The rewards can be concrete such as buying an ice-cream or more subtle such as making self-praising verbal statements. Interest enhancement: Increasing one’s intrinsic motivation by using strategies that promote the immediate enjoyment or situational interest of an activity, for example by turning the task into a game. Environmental structuring: Decreasing the possibility of off-task behavior by reducing the probability of encountering distractions or reducing the intensity of distractions. Self-handicapping: Manufacturing obstructions before or during a task to make the task more difficult. By doing so, students in effect create a kind of ‘win-win’ situation for themselves because if they fail, they can use the obstacle as a mitigating circumstance, and if they succeed against the odds, that puts them in a particularly good light. Attribution control: self-handicapping entails the students’ a priori manipulation of the causal attributions that they can make once the outcome of an academic task has been obtained. Causal attributions, however, can also be manipulated after task completion in a way that they positively impact motivation by the purposeful. Efficacy management: Monitoring, evaluating, and purposefully controlling one’s own self-efficacy for tasks by applying one of three methods: (a) proximal goal setting—that is, breaking complex tasks into simpler and more easily completed segments, associated with straightforward, specific, and short-term goals, (b) defensive pessimism—highlighting one’s level of unpreparedness or lack of ability in order to increase anxiety that will strategically increase one’s effort to prepare, and (c) efficacy self-talk—engaging in thoughts or subvocal statements, such as “You can do it!” to increase one’s perceived self-efficacy. Emotion regulation: Regulating one’s emotional experience in a constructive way, for example by reducing negative affective response or using wishful thinking.

 

It is obvious that the two taxonomies outlined above overlap. For example, ‘Interest enhancement’ appears to be akin to my ‘Satiation control,’ and his concepts of ‘Environmental structuring’ and ‘Emotion regulation’ seem to correspond closely to my ‘Environmental control’ and ‘Emotion control.’ This shows that, similarly to learning strategies, the key issue in this domain is not necessarily the exact list or taxonomy of the relevant mechanisms but rather the underlying capacity that leads learners to apply such mechanisms. This selection and internalization process can be scaffolded by using the same approaches as described with learning strategies

 

©

 

University of Oxford - post gradual studies 2009 'English Language Teaching'

 

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