Success in language learning

Why are some students successful at language learning whilst others

are not ?
If we knew the answer to that question the job of teaching and
learning a language will be easy. We dont, of course, but we can point to a
number of factors which seem to have a strong effect on a students success
or failure.
People involved in language teaching often say that students who
really want to learn will succeed whatever the circumstances in which they
study. All students can think of situations in which certain motivated
students do significantly better than their peers; students frequently succeed
in what appear to be unfavourable conditions; they succeed despite using
methods which experts consider unsatisfactory. In the face of such
phenomena it seem reasonable to suggest that motivation that students bring
to class is the biggest single factor affecting their success.
Motivation is some kind of internal drive that encourages somebody
to pursue a course of action. If we perceive a goal (that is, something we
wish to achieve) and that goal is sufficiently attractive, we ill be strongly
motivated to do whatever is necessary to reach that goal. Goals can be of
different types; for example if we are determined to own a new compact disc
player, a bike or a horse we may work overtime in order to earn the
necessary money. If we want to win a TV general knowledge quiz we may
put in incredibly long hours of fact-learning activity.
Language learners who are motivated perceive goals of various kinds.
We can make a useful distinction between short- term goals and long- term
goals. Long term goals might have something to do with a wish to get a
better job at some future date, or a desire to be able to communicate with
members of a target language community. Sort- term goals might include
such things as wanting to pass an end- of semester test or writing to finish a
unit in a book.
In general strongly motivated students with long- term goals are
probably easier to teach than those who have no such goals ( and therefore
no real drive ). For such students short-term goals will often provide the only
motivation they feel.
What kind of motivation do students have ? Is it always the same ?
We will separate it into two main categories : extrinsic motivation, which is

concerned with factors outside the classroom, and intrinsic motivation.

Which is concerned with what takes place inside the classroom.
For the integrative motivation students need to be attracted by the
culture of the target language community, and in the strong form of the
integrative motivation they wish to integrate themselves into that culture. A
weaker form of such motivation would be the desire to know as much as
possible about the culture of the TLC.
Instrumental motivation describes a situation in which students
believe that mastery of the target language will be instrumental in getting
hem a job, position or status. The language is an instrument in their
attainment of such a goal .
Many other factors have an impact upon a students level of extrinsic
motivation and most of these have to do with his or her attitude to the
language. This in turn will be affected by the attitude of those who have
influence with that student; if the parents are very much against the ( culture
of the ) language this will probably affect his or her motivation in a negative
way. If they are very much in favour of the language this might have the
opposite effect. The students peers ( his or her equals ) will also be in a
powerful position to affect his or her attitude as will other members of the
students community.
Another factor affecting the attitude of students is their previous
experiences as language learners. If they were successful then they may be
pre- disposed to success now. Failure then may mean that they expect failure
now.
What can teachers do about extrinsic motivation and students attitude ?
It is clear that we cannot create it since it comes into the classroom from
outside . It is clear, too, that students have to be prepared to take some
responsibility for their own learning. But with that in mind we can still do
some our best to ensure that students view the language and the learning
experience in a positive light. We can do this by creating a positive attitude
to the language and its speakers, and we can try to be certain that we are
supportive and encouraging to our students rather than critical and
destructive.
While it is reasonable to suppose that many adult learners have some
degree of extrinsic motivation, and while it is clear that the attitude of
students can be affected by members of their communities, there can be no
doubt that intrinsic motivation plays a vital part in most students success or
failure as language learners. Many students bring no extrinsic motivation to
the classroom. They may even have negative feelings about language
learning. For them what happens into the classroom will be of vital

importance in determining their attitude to the language, and in supplying

motivation, which we have suggested is a vital component in successful
language learning. As we have also suggested above, what happens in the
classroom will have an important effect on students who are already in some
way extrinsically motivated. We can consider factors affecting intrinsic
motivation under the headings of physical conditions, methods, the
teacher and success.
Physical condition has a great influence on learning and can alter a
students motivation either positively or negatively. Classrooms that are
badly lit and overcrowded can excessively de-motivating, but unfortunately
many of them exist in schools. Vitally important will be the board : is it
easily visible ? Is the surface in good condition ?, etc. In general, teachers
should presumably try to make their classrooms as pleasant as possible.
Even where the conditions are bad it may be possible to improve the
atmosphere with posters , students work, etc. on the walls.
We can say, then, that the atmosphere in which a language is learnt is
vitally important, the cold greyness of much institutionalized education must
be compensated for in some way if it is not to have a negative effect on
motivation.
The method by which students are taught must have some effect on
their motivation. If they find it deadly boring they will probably become demotivated, whereas if they have confidence in the method they will find it
motivating. But perhaps this is the most difficult area of all to be certain of.
We said earlier that a really motivated student will probably succeed
whatever method ( within reason) is used. It is also true that different
students are more or less sympathetic to any particular method depending
upon their expectations. Teachers can easily recall students who felt that
there was not enough grammar or enough conversation (depending on the
students taste at the time )! Despite various attempts there is unfortunately
no research which clearly shows the success of one method over another.
What we do know, however, is that if the student loses the confidence in the
method he or she will become de-motivated. And the students confidence in
the method is largely in the hands of the most important factor affecting
intrinsic motivation, the teacher.
Whether the student likes the teacher or not may not be very
significant. What can be said, though, is that two teachers using the same
method can have vastly different results. How then can we asses the qualities
a teacher needs to help providing intrinsic motivation ?
In the first place the teachers personality matters a lot (and yet this is the
most difficult area to quantify or train for). But beyond that it is clear that

teachers need to do everything possible to create a good rapport with their

students. Partly this happens by such things as treating all the students the
same.
Lastly teachers clearly need to be able to show that they know their subjector in the words of an experienced EFL teacher If you dont know what
youre talking about they soon see through you ! They should be able to
give clear instructions and examples and as far as possible have answers to
the students questions.
Success or lack of it plays a vital part in the motivational drive of a
student. Both complete failure and complete success may be de-motivating.
It will be the teachers job to set goals and tasks at which most of his or her
students can be successful- or rather tasks which most of his or her students
can be successful- or rather tasks which he or she could realistically expect
the students to be able to achieve. To give students very high challenge
activities ( high because the level of difficulty for the students is extreme )
will also be the case that low challenge activities are equally de-motivating.
If the motivation that they have when faced with the right level of challenge.
Much of the teachers work in the classroom concerns getting the
level of challenge right : this involves the type of task set, the speed
expected from the student, etc.
Ultimately the students success or failure is in their own hands, but
the teacher can influence the course of events in the students favour.
To know exactly how or why your students are motivated will mean
finding out how they feel about learning English at the beginning of a
course. It is unlikely that everyone in the class will have the same
motivation, and we have already said that motivation is a mixture of
different factors. Nevertheless it is possible to make some general statements
about motivational factors for different age groups and different levels.
More than anything, children are curious, and this in itself is
motivating. At the same time their span of attention or concentration is less
than that of an adult. Children will often seek teacher approval : the fact that
the teacher notices them and shows them appreciation for what they are
doing is of vital importance.
Children need frequent changes of activity : they need activities
which are exciting and stimulate their curiosity : they need to be involved in
something active ( they will usually not sit and listen !), and they need to be
appreciated by the teacher, an important figure for them. It is unlikely that
they will have any motivation outside these considerations, and so almost
everything for them will depend on the attitude and behaviour of the teacher.

Adolescents are perhaps the most interesting students to teach, but

they can also present the teacher with more problems than any other age
group.
We can certainly not expect any extrinsic motivation from the
majority of our students- particularly the younger ones. We may hope,
however, that the students attitude has been positively influenced by those
around them. We have to remember that adolescents are often brittle! They
will probably not be inspired by mere curiosity, and the teacher approval is
no longer of vital importance. Indeed, the teacher may not be the leader, but
rather the potential enemy. Peer approval will, however, be important.
The teacher should never, then, forget that adolescents need to be seen
in a good light by their peers, and that with the changes taking place at that
age they are easily prone to humiliation if the teacher is careless with
criticism. But adolescents also can be highly intelligent if stimulated, and
dedicated if involved. At this age, getting the level of challenge right is vital.
Where this level is too low, the students may simply switch off ; where
the level is too high they may become discouraged and de-motivated. It is
the teachers task, too, to put language teaching into an interesting context
for the students. More than anything else they have to be involved in the task
and eager to accomplish it.
Adult beginners are in some way the easiest people to teach ! Firstly
they may well come to the classroom with a high degree of extrinsic
motivation. Secondly they will often succeed very quickly. Goals within the
class ( learning a certain piece of language or finishing a unit ) are easy to
perceive and relatively easy to achieve.
But it is still difficult to start learning a foreign language, and
unrealistic challenge coupled with a negative teacher attitude can have
disastrous effects on students motivation.
Adult intermediate students may well be motivated extrinsically.
They may well have positive feelings about the way they are treated in the
classroom in which they are studying. Success may be motivating, and the
perception of having more advanced English may be primary goal.
It is for the latter reason that problems often arise. Beginners, as we
have said, easily perceive success; since everything is new, anything learnt is
a success. But intermediate students already know a lot and may not
perceive any progress. Alternatively they may be overwhelmed by the new
complexity of the language.
Our job would seem to be that of showing the students that there is
still a lot to learn ( without making this fact demoralizing) and then setting

realistic goals for them to achieve. Once again, a major factor seems to be
getting the level of challenge right.
Adult advanced students are often highly motivated. If they were not
they would not see the need to continue with language study when they have
already achieved so much. Like some intermediate students ( but even more
so ) they will find progress more difficult to perceive. Much of the time may
not be learning anything new but learning better how to use what they
already know.
The teacher has a responsibility to point this fact out and to show the
students what it is they will achieve at this level : it is a different kind of
achievement. Many advanced teachers expect too much from their students,
feeling that the setting of tasks and goals is in some way demeaning. But just
because advanced students have difficulty in perceiving progress and
success they may will need the clarity that the setting of short-term goals,
tasks, etc. can give them.
In conclusion, there are many different reasons for learning a
language, and we have said that we are mainly concerned with a classroom
situation in which general English is being studied. We have included both
those students who have themselves made the decision to study and also
those for whom the study of a language is a compulsory part of their
education.
We have suggested many different factors that may affect a students
motivation, stressing that a strongly motivated student is in a far better
position as a learner than a student who is not motivated.
Most importantly we have said that both positively motivated
students and those who do not have this motivation can be strongly affected
by what happens in the classroom. Thus, for example, the students with no
long-term goals may nevertheless be highly motivated by realistic shortterm goals within the learning process.
We have seen that the teachers personality and the rapport he or she
is able to establish with the students are of vital importance : so is based
both on a knowledge of techniques and activities and upon our ability to
inspire confidence in our students and have answers to their questions.
Teachers, too, must realize the important effect success has on
motivation. They must be able to assess the students ability so that the latter
are faced with the right degree of challenge : success, in other words, should
not be too easy or too difficult.