ERIC Number: EJ1222315
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1916-4742
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Chinese Learners of Portuguese and Spanish Majors in Macau: A Comparative Case-Study of Motivation Aspects
Kharlay, Oskana; Bagheri, Martin; Philips, Jeremy D.
English Language Teaching, v12 n8 p54-68 2019
This study investigated multiple learning motivation aspects of Chinese university students in Macau majoring in Spanish and Portuguese. A mixed methods research was employed by using questionnaires and interviews. 181 learners (96 Portuguese and 85 Spanish majors) were surveyed about ten language-learning motivation dimensions by using a questionnaire. A subset of participants from questionnaires were later given follow-up interviews. Quantitative and qualitative data indicated that the students in these majors had strong intrinsic motivation but limited integrative motivation towards the target language community. Other motivational pull-factors were the heritage connection between the language and the place of study and interest in the pop-culture associated related to the target language. Students reported a decline in motivation during the middle years of study, however, Spanish students' interest resurged by the end of year three. There was also a gender imbalance, suggesting that career-related aspects of motivations were stronger among males. The results also revealed that language learners had an ideal-self that was multilingual and cosmopolitan but did not aspire to integrate into a specific target-language community.
Descriptors: Spanish, Portuguese, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Majors (Students), Student Motivation, Foreign Countries, College Students, Popular Culture, Gender Differences, Student Attitudes, Learning Motivation, Self Concept, Comparative Analysis, Employment Opportunities, Cultural Background
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Macau
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A