A large facet of this study is to expose how motivations to learn French are subject to change over the course of language instruction depending upon the perception of the students in the class. Interview participants were asked to state their own opinion on how their motivation has waxed or waned throughout the semester. Their perceptions and attitudes towards their motivation and how this class has affected their motivational behavior and overall investment in learning the language will be discussed in this section.
4.2.3.1 “I was more optimistic before” –Sarah
Sarah’s previous enthusiasm for language learning had come from inspiring high school teachers and an intense love for the things relating to the French culture. Initially, she exhibits a very high integrative motivation and was searching for more insight into the French culture throughout the class, as well as becoming more grammatically and conversationally
knowledgeable in the French language. When asked towards the end of the semester if her motivation had changed, she responded:
I was more optimistic about [French before]. I was looking forward to it where I just really wanted to learn the language and now I just feel like I haven’t really been learning as much as I wish I had. I’m learning more grammar and just trying to write it even though…we’re learning more grammar, but not really more words. So he expects us to write sentences because we know the grammar, but we don’t know actually what words to put in it.
(Sarah, personal communication, November 16, 2011) Although her motivation to learn the language in terms of integrative orientations seems to not have changed (i.e., she still loves French culture and wants to be fluent in the language someday), her immediate desire to learn the language in this French class has lowered because her individual expectations were not met. Consequently, her rate of acquisition based upon her current learning environment is assumed to be lower than if the expectations of this class she originally had were met and cultivated.
4.2.3.2 “If only slightly” –Peter
Peter, who originally held high instrumental motivations for learning French, noticed a small decrease in his motivational behavior. Much like Sarah, his original reasons for learning French because of his future career in the Air Force has not seemed to alter; however, his immediate desire to learn the language has decreased in his opinion:
[My motivation has changed], if only slightly. Just because I realized that not every professor is ‘fantabulous’. I understand that it may not be as fun as it was in high school, but it is definitely still entertaining.
(Peter, personal communication, November 15, 2011) For him, the reason lies within the classroom environment—specifically, how the teacher
approaches language learning in the classroom. While we can determine that the instructor of this French class may have had some responsibility in sustaining the higher level of motivation in these students, it is also important to note that their deep-seated reasons to learn French has not been altered by the classroom experience. For example, Peter says about his career:
Peter: I don’t intend to pursue a career maybe specifically in France or Canada or Niger or any of these solely French-speaking cultures, but because my career is going to send me in that region where some people speak French, some people speak Arabic and a lot of different dialects, that somewhat interests me to learn about the culture.
Researcher: But only from a career perspective.
Peter: Yeah. That’s what I was thinking at the time, strictly a career perspective. It is interesting. It’s good to know. I don’t think I’ll go out of my way to learn all the nuances of every single individual culture though.
(Peter, personal communication, November 15, 2011) His dedication to learning about the North African culture specifically for professional reasons, and his intense affirmation of continuing to learn French the following semester at the same university, is a strong indication that his instrumental motives are still high. His personal goal of achieving a communicable knowledge of French is a much stronger indication of his language learning success than the slightly negative classroom experience he has outlined over the course of the current semester.
4.2.3.3 “I still really like it” –Kim
Kim, originally placed at having low integrative motivation, did not seem to change her motivational behaviors over the course of the semester. She states:
My attitude was pretty positive [at the beginning]. I was kind of excited to learn
something new. I thought it would be difficult –and it is—but I still really like it. [I think my attitude] is about the same [now].
(Kim, personal communication, November 15, 2011) Because she did not have strong motivations initially to learn the language, aside from fulfilling the College of Liberal Arts language requirement, she does not pinpoint any particular reason for why her motivations would have shifted over the semester. Additionally, since this is her first attempt at learning the French language, any change in motivation would have been introduced sometime over the four months of instruction. In the end, however, the low integrative
motivational orientation in this individual rests relatively the same, as does her attitude toward learning about the French culture (e.g. that French would be difficult but interesting).
4.2.3.4 “I’m in college and have other things to worry about” –Alyssa
Alyssa, initially categorized as exhibiting low integrative motivation for learning French, has indicated a decrease in motivation over the course of the semester. She attributes this to the added stress of being a college student and having less time to dedicate to her classes—even those she enjoys:
[My motivation has changed] maybe just because I’m in college and I have other things to worry about and other classes to focus on then just French. Whereas in high school, I had other classes too, but I had more time so I could focus more on the language. And right here it’s like,’ Oh my God, this is so hard.’ Now I have to worry about Anthropology class and other classes too.
(Alyssa, personal communication, November 16, 2011) The difficulty of the class and the decreased amount of time to dedicate to her French studies, as compared with her previous experiences in learning French, has contributed to an overall decrease in motivation in her opinion.
Overall, Sarah, Peter and Alyssa have all indicated that their motivation to learn French over the course of the semester has waned, whereas Kim indicates her motivations have remained consistent. It is interesting to note that not one interview participate intimates an increase in overall motivation to learn French after 4 months of instruction during this beginner level class at MAU.