Paper Example on Motivation of Heritage Students in Foreign Language Classrooms

Abstract

The aim of this action research was to explore how ineffective instructional strategies and teacher professional development affect the motivation of heritage students in foreign language classrooms. The study focused on a high school in a mainly Latino neighborhood. A mixed research method was applied to collect quantitative data from 72 high school students and qualitative data from 3 teachers. A cross-sectional research design and a random stratified sampling technique were applied to include 18 students from each of the grades (9, 10, 11, and 12). The results showed a negative attitude towards learning their native languages. The majority of the students admitted that they already know what they need to know about their native language. In brief, 72.2% of the students either disagreed or strongly disagreed that they desire to improve their skills in their native language by being attentive in class. Also, 43% of the respondents strongly disagreed that they enjoy learning and practicing their native language in class while 66.7% of them believed that their native language is not applicable to higher learning. The teachers involved in the study admitted that they are having difficulties trying to engage native Spanish speakers. Based on the qualitative and quantitative findings, teachers need to identify intrinsic forms of motivation to motivate native speakers to take Spanish more seriously.

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Introduction

Background Information

High schools across the United States offer International students an excellent opportunity to learn their native languages. However, it remains unclear whether such students are interested in learning their native languages. For linguistic teachers, grabbing the attention of students is not enough. Rather, a motivated class where students are interested in learning and practicing their listening and speaking skills creates a strong sense of accomplishment among teachers. As Pick, Wolfram, and Lopez (2011) noted, the study of linguistics is crucial in helping learners and teachers to appreciate the variance in semantics, phonetics, morphology and syntax exhibited by native and foreign languages. Students tend to develop varying attitude towards foreign and native language, an aspect that influences their behaviors and performance in classrooms.

Research Problem

This study is informed by the researcher's experience with students in a school dominated by Latin American students. On several occasions, the students appeared disinterested with learning Spanish, which is their native language. The students' performance also revealed alarming trend, where the learners are failing tests and lack desire to learn a language that they grew up speaking. The educator observed that Therefore, the study was based on a possibility that lack of motivation among students was due to the assumption that they were learning what they already know. Such a possibility is a potential threat to learning since it can deny such students a chance to expand their skills regarding their native languages. For instance, the oral skills that used in informal setting, especially at home, differ greatly from the formal communication skills that students learn in class. Additionally, a significant number of teachers are not qualified to teach heritage language learners (Chandrasekaran, 2008). A majority of the teachers are trained to teach Spanish as a foreign language to monolingual English proficient students. Moreover, teachers have reported the lack of a curriculum that supports the need of heritage language learners. Textbooks, curriculum guides, and other relevant learning materials are scarce. Tools and assessment materials for students are also scarce (Eckerson, 2015) . Therefore, there is a need to investigate the reasons such negative attitudes towards learning native languages.

A teacher needs to identify the factors affecting the learning processes for their students to benefit fully from the foreign language programs (You & Dornyei, 2016). However, it is of the essence for the instructors to employ techniques that will motivate the learners and enhance their desire to learn about the foreign and native languages to master concepts and theories in linguistics. Students who lack motivation are likely to lose interest in certain subjects, a situation that makes it imperative for the teachers to analyze the problem to inform their teaching methods and approaches.

Research Objective

The aim of this study is to explore how ineffective instructional strategies and teacher professional development affect the motivation of heritage students in foreign language classrooms. The research has also extended its objective to study their willingness to accepting mediocrity in foreign language classrooms. The research also aims to establish how the lack of an appropriate curriculum with the necessary materials affects student motivation in learning foreign language. The study also investigates the effects of teacher qualification and the lack of proper instructional materials on motivating students to learn foreign language.

Research Questions

What is the attitude of high school students towards learning their native language in class?

Why do students in foreign language classes lack motivation to learn their own native language?

Why do students accept being mediocre and lack ambition towards their own language?

How are linguistic educators in secondary schools dealing with student's lack of motivation in studying their native languages?

How does teacher qualification affect the motivation of heritage students in learning foreign languages?

How does a nonnative speaker as a teacher influence adversely the motivation of heritage learners to learn foreign languages?

Does the lack of appropriate curriculum especially textbooks and tools for assessment affect student motivation toward learning foreign languages?

How does the lack of proper instructional strategies influence the motivation of the students to learn the Spanish language?

Literature Review

Motivation in Learning Linguistics

Arousing the learners' motivation is the key to a successful learning process when teaching both the foreign and native languages. It inspires the learners to develop the desire of knowing the new language to expand their vocabulary and understanding of the second language. The learning environment is an essential factor that can influence the learning processes that a teacher should consider to successfully impact on his/ her students (Dornyei, Henry & MacIntyre, 2014; Dornyei, Henry & Muir, 2015). It can either encourage or discourage the students to pursue their goals in academics. According to Dornyei, Henry, and Muir (2015), instructors who are committed to meeting the needs of their students beyond their expectations are always concerned about the learning environment as a key motivator. For instance, assessing the deficiencies and the individual capabilities and learning resources can help teachers to design appropriate motivational programs (Dornyei, Henry & Muir, 2015). Such programs will always inspire their students to appreciate the significance of learning both the foreign and native languages.

The benefits of motivating students during the learning processes cannot be underestimated. This owes to the fact that it improves their perceptions and attitude towards the languages. As suggested by Dornyei, Henry and Muir (2015), a student with a negative attitude towards a given subjected is likely to lack interest of learning it and eventually register poor grades. Motivation also allows students to develop a desire to participate in new and challenging exercises such as those involving the learning of the foreign language (Dailey, 2009). Conferring to Dornyei, Henry and MacIntyre (2014), some students who are drive by desire to tackle new challenges in linguistics are unlikely to develop desire to learning their native language in classrooms. However, designing appropriate motivational strategies can improve the attitude and participation of such students in learning their native language, particularly if they are passionate about linguistics. According to Dailey (2009) and Williams and Williams (2011), the motivation of linguistic students helps them to establish and maintain healthy teacher-student relationships that create a favorable learning environment. Teachers ought to consider motivating their students to enjoy and acquire knowledge of the foreign and native languages.

Challenges of Learning Native Language in Classrooms

Students experience more difficulties when learning their native language in classroom than when learning a foreign language (Richards, 2015). Students who are used to speaking their native language tend to take it lightly when it comes to learning it in classroom (Richards, 2015). This owe to the fact that some assume that they already understand the language and can still pass without further efforts and studies. Whereas speaking a native language should be advantageous to an individual learning the native language in classroom, it is imperative for an individual to appreciate the need for mastering the syntax, phonetics, syntax, morphology and syntax governing the writing and use of the language (Ishihara & Cohen, 2014). Mastering such aspects play essential role in helping the learners to expand their knowledge on the native language, hence appreciate it and use it more c...