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On A Tribute to Wallace E. Lambert

R. C. Gardner

Department of Psychology

University of Western Ontario

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Bob Gardner’s chapter warmed another cockle of my heart because “only yesterday” we were sharing tea bags (one bag lasted at least a week) all hours of the day and night, not only in Montreal but also in Cambridge (where Bob was on a “pre-doc” with John Carroll) or Cornell (where I was a visiting professor) discussing and arguing about the underlying factors that determine foreign language achievement. We also had few restrictions on our speculations since the technical literature was not extensive.” (p. 221).

Lambert, W. E. (1991). “And then add your two cents Worth” Chapter 11 in A.G. Reynolds (Ed.) Bilingualism, multiculturalism, and second language acquisition: The McGill Conference in Honour of Wallace E. Lambert. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

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“This theory, in brief, holds that an individual successfully acquiring a second language gradually adopts various aspects of behavior which characterize members of another linguistic-cultural group. The learner’s ethnocentric tendencies and his attitudes toward the other group are believed to determine his success in learning the new language. His motivation to learn is thought to be determined by his attitudes and by his orientation toward learning a second language.” ( p.114).

Lambert, W. E. (1963). Psychological approaches to the study of language. Part II: On second language acquisition and bilingualism. Modern Language Journal, 14, 114-121.

Theory

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“We reasoned that some process like identification, extended to a whole ethnolinguistic community and coupled with an inquisitiveness and sincere interest in the other group, must underlie the long-term motivation needed to master a second language.” ( p. 12).

Gardner, R. C. & Lambert, W. E. (1972). Attitudes and motivation in second language acquisition. Rowley, MA: Newbury House.

Integrativeness

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The orientation is “instrumental” in form, for example, if the purposes of language study reflect the more utilitarian value of linguistic achievement, such as getting ahead in one’s occupation, and is “integrative”, for example, if the student is oriented to learn more about the other cultural community as if he desired to become a potential member of the group.” ( p. 102).

Lambert, W. E. (1967). A social psychology of bilingualism. Journal of Social Issues, 23, 91-109.

Orientations

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“… the more proficient one becomes in a second language the more he may find his place in is original membership group is modified at the same time as the other linguistic cultural group becomes something more than a reference group for him. It may in fact become a second membership group for him. Depending upon the compatibility of the two cultures, he may experience feelings of chagrin or regret as he loses ties in one group, mixed with the fearful anticipation of entering a relatively new group.” (p. 114).

Lambert, W. E. (1963). Psychological approaches to the study of language. Part II: On second language acquisition and bilingualism. Modern Language Journal, 14, 114-121.

Identity

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“… let us consider the acquisition of a second language as entailing a series of barriers to overcome. In these terms, the vocabulary barrier would be the easier to overcome as experience with the language progresses. The cultural barrier is more resistant. To overcome this barrier, one must assimilate those aspects of a different culture which influence language behavior.” ( p.103).

Lambert, W. E. (1956). Developmental aspects of second-language acquisition: III. A description of developmental changes. The Journal of Social Psychology, 43, 99-104.

Barriers

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“The Gardner team first had to be certain that their claims of an important associational role played by attitudes and motivation in the learning process. This called for multiple replications across regional sites and age groups. The association is undeniably there. Furthermore, it is now very well established that the attitude-motivation cluster of variables (what Gardner calls the “integrative motive” is statistically independent of the aptitude-verbal intelligence cluster, …” (Lambert, 1991, pp. 221-222).

Integrative Motivation

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Constructs Measured by the

Attitude Motivation Test Battery (AMTB)

Integrativeness

Attitudes toward the Learning Situation

Motivation

Language Anxiety

Instrumental Orientation

Parental Encouragement

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Types of our Studies of Integrative Motivation

Achievement in the Second Language

Language drop-outs

Language attrition

Cultural Excursions

Causal Models

Teaching Strategies and Teacher Motivation

Laboratory (experimental) studies

Curriculum Innovations

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Country Younger Students Older Students

Grades Self-ratings Grades Self-ratings

Croatia .50 .67 .40 .63

Poland .47 .64 .47 .63

Romania .21 .54 .40 .51

Spain .39 .54 .45 .53

Brazil .44 .57 .48 .57

Japan .61 .47

Median r .44 .59 .45 .55

Correlations of Integrative Motivation scores and English Achievement

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Gardner, R. C. (1985). Social Psychology and Second Language Learning: The Role of Attitudes and Motivation. London, GB: Edward Arnold.

Gardner, R. C. (2010). Motivation and Second Language Acquisition: The Socio-Educational Model. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.

Two books on the Topic