Motivation is the driving force which causes us to achieve goals.
Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task itself, and exists within the individual rather than relying on any external pressure.
Extrinsic motivation comes from outside of the individual. Common extrinsic motivations are rewards like money and grades,
coercion and threat of punishment.
Gardner and Lambert (1959) developed an approach to motivation which has influenced various studies in L2 motivation to the present day. They made the distinction between integrative motivation and instrumental motivation. In their definition, integrative motivation is positive attitudes toward the target language group and a willingness to integrate into the target language community, whereas instrumental motivation refers to practical reasons for learning a language, such as to gain social recognition or to get a better job.
The effect of motivation on second language learners.
Motivation plays a significant role in the process of learning a second language. Language teachers cannot effectively teach a language if they do not understand the relationship between motivation and its effect on second language acquisition. The core of motivation is what might be called passion. Passion, which relates to a person’s goals and desires, is intrinsic. Successful learners know their preferences, their strengths and weaknesses, and effectively utilize strengths and compensate for weaknesses. Successful language learning is linked to the learner’s passion. Instructors should find ways to connect to this passion.
Learners need quality instruction, input, interaction, and opportunities for meaningful output, not only to make progress, but also to maintain motivation for language learning. What a good teacher must do, then, is not only tap into the sources of intrinsic motivation, but also find ways to connect intrinsic motivation with external motivational factors which can be brought to a classroom setting. This is especially significant when English is not seen as important to the students’ immediate needs, other than to pass exams.
Since learners have different purposes for studying a language, it is important for instructors to identify the purposes and the needs of the students and develop proper motivational strategies. Students should understand why they need to make an effort, how long they must sustain an activity, how hard they should pursue it, and how motivated they feel towards their pursuits. Motivation fluctuates. It is very challenging to keep language learners’ motivation at a high level all the time. While designing a language course teachers must take into consideration that each learners’ interests and expectations are different.
