In the UK foreign language learning at school and university is in decline. There is general agreement that there exists a widespread perception that foreign languages are neither useful nor profitable for English mother-tongue speakers. However, the European Union and the UK Government promote the idea of multilingualism and linguistic diversity in an attempt to maintain the capacity in the population. Nevertheless, one has to be motivated to expend effort for an outcome which generally is poorly rewarded. It is interesting, therefore, to know why certain adults learn or improve their competence in a foreign language when Europeans are increasingly learning English as a lingua franca. What is the motivation of such learners? The research investigates the motivation of 1,000 English mother-tongue speakers who are enthusiastic learners of various European languages. The study seeks to discriminate between the micro-level (i.e. individual learning), meso-level (i.e., educational infrastructure) and the macro-level (i.e., the influence of Europe and globalisation). The data acquired reveals the very complex reasons for this learning. Drawing from previous studies of motivation in industry, educational research and other psychological investigations, the inquiry takes a fresh look at diverse variables suggesting that certain factors and trends are evident which will be of use to language policy makers in the European Union, Canada and the United States as they attempt to maintain diversity within the foreign language curriculum. What are the reasons for language learning and are there certain profiles of language learners?.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:523585 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Pickett, Martin Douglas |
| Publisher | University of Portsmouth |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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