1

Why are college foreign language student’s self-efficacy, attitude, and motivation so different? Presenter: Yin-Jin Lin

Advisor: Dr. Pi-Ying HsuOctober 14, 2013

2

Citation

Hsieh, P. (2008). Why are college foreign language student’s self-efficacy, attitude, and motivation so different? ProQuest Education Journals, 38(1), 76-94.

3

Introduction

Literature Review

Methodology

Results

Discussion

Reflection

Contents

4

• Among several motivational constructs within the area of learners’ beliefs, self-efficacy has contributed substantially to our understanding of students motivation and achievement.

Introduction

5

• Students’ motivation can be seen through their cognitive, behavioral, and emotional engagement on academic tasks. (Fredicks, Bluemenfeld & Paris, 2004)

Introduction

6

AMTB= Attitude/Motivation Test Battery

Introduction

interest

attitude

motivation

anxiety instrumentalorientation

integrativeorientation

7

Background

As foreign language learning is considered a challenge subject where many learners fail to do well, learner’s motivation in language is therefore especially important to examine.

8

Research Questions

How well do foreign language student’s self-efficacy, interest, attitude, motivation, and anxiety predict their foreign language achievement?

Do successful and unsuccessful foreign language students and students with varying levels of self-efficacy differ in their endorsement of the different AMTB variables?

What is the interaction between heritage connection and group status on student’s endorsement of the different AMTB variables?

I

II

III

9

Literature Review

There are at least three basic indicators of learner motivation: (1) learner’s effort(2) learner’s desire to learn the language(3) learner’s satisfaction with learning

(Gardner, 1985)

10

• Instumental • Ex: To get a good job

• Integrated• Ex: To develop better

communicate skills

motivation

Literature Review

11

Literature Review

Self-efficacy has contributed substantially to our understanding of student motivation and achievement.

(Bandura, 1986)

The researchers supported that self-efficacy beliefs are proposed to influence student’s motivation and achievement are good predictors of success.

(Multon, Brown, & Lent, 1991; Pajares, 1996, 1997; Pajares & Urdan, 2006; Valentine, DuBois, & Cooper, 2004)

12

Literature Review

There are four leading sources for how learners develop self-efficacy for a given task, there are:

(1) Learner’s past performance(2) Observations of how well others do(3) Verbal persuation from others(4) Physiological indexes. (Schunk, 1991)

13

Research Gap

Simply acknowledging the importance of learner motivation and how motivation relates to learners’ achievement does not allow us to understand fully how students develop motivation or how we can motivate students and sustain their level of motivation.

14

Purpose

• The study was to examine the relationship between educational psychology theories (self-efficacy beliefs) and foreign language learning motivation.

15

Methodology

249students

53% male

47% female

44% Spanish

32% German

24% French

16

Methodology

successfulgroup

unsuccessfulgroup

Classified by students

themselves

17

Texas

Median age of 20 year-old

Methodology

During the Fall semester

1. 7-scores questionnaire

2. AMTB

18

Procedure

I• Fall semester after received grades from

mid-term exam

II• Completed two questionnaires during the

beginning of one class period

III

• Students asked to fill out some background information

IV

• The instructors provided students’ final course grades at the end of the semester

1. A list of 7-scores questionnaire Self-efficacy was measured by asking participants to circle “yes” or “no”

2. Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) Motivation, attitude, anxiety, instrumental

orientation, and integrative orientation

Ex: 1. Gender 2. Do they had heritage connection to the language

they were learning.

19

RESULTS

Research Question 1

How well do foreign language student’s self-efficacy, interest, attitude, motivation, and anxiety predict their foreign language achievement?

20

RESULTS

AMTBIn addition to student’s self-efficacy beliefs, their attitude and anxiety were also good predictors of language achievement.

Research Question 1

21

RESULTS

Research Question 2

Do successful and unsuccessful foreign language students and students with varying levels of self-efficacy differ in their endorsement of the different AMTB variables?

22

RESULTS

AMTB

Research Question 2

successful students

1. Integratied orientation2. Higher self-efficacy 3. Higher interest in learning

Unsuccessful students

1. Instrumental orientation2. Higher anxiety 3. Negative attitude

23

RESULTS

Research Question 3

What is the interaction between heritage connection and group status on student’s endorsement of the different AMTB variables?

24

RESULTS

AMTBThe two groups of heritage students reported having equally

high positive attitudes toward the language they were learning.

Research Question 3

25

Discussion

1. Higher self-efficacy can influence effort, persistence, and achievement.

2. Successful students reported being more integratively oriented and wanting to learn foreign language so as to interact with individuals of target culture.

3. Unsuccessful students reported significantly more anxiety toward foreign language class.

4. No difference in the endorsement of integrative orientation between successful and unsuccessful non-heritage students.

26

Future Study Beginning Mid-term

AMTB Questionnaire

Collecting Questionnaires

7-scores Questionnaire

November

Proposal Defense

Data Analysis

December

Conducting the studyJanuary

December

January

27