Self-Determination, Motivation

and the Learning of Chinese as

a Heritage Language

Group Members: Psyche KEUNG Shuet

Illie TANG Weizhi

Joy ZHENG Yuan

Classroom Group Presentation

Med: Methods of Research and Enquiry-TCSL (Part-time Group)

Instructor: Dr. LAI Chun & Dr. Bennan Zhang

Research Evaluation and Discussion

Self-Determination, Motivation, and the

Learning of Chinese as a Heritage LanguageAuthors

Ruxandra Comanaru, Kimberly A. Noels

Abstract

Aim & method: the motivation of 145 learners of Chinese was examined in light of self-determination theory through a questionnaire survey.

Results: the more learners felt personally meaningful and fun (self-concept), the more they engaged. There were few differences between heritage learners who Chinese L1 & English L1 social psychology standpoint, regardless of Chinese proficiency, subgroups of heritage language learners may be more alike than different.

Abstract

Abstract: Check

The sample and methods briefly described.

Results of the study summarized.

The relevance and importance of the study not mentioned.

Representative overview of the topic, background details.

Keywords

Heritage Language Learning

Self-Determination Theory (SDT)

Second Language Acquisition (SLA)

Social Identity

Ethnic Identity

Chinese

Motivation

The Literature Review

Background of

Heritage Language Learning (HL)

A significant social, political, and economic issue in North America.

Linguistically and social-psychologically different from FL (knowledge of the language, motivation, attitude, goals)

Recent overviews: more work on linguistic profile of HL learners vs. non-HL learners, but less on motivational & affective profiles

(see Brintion, Kagan, & Bauckus, 2008; He & Xiao, 2008)

Background of

Heritage Language Learning (HL): Check

Key relevant studies surveyed.

Defining the HL learners

Differ from FL learners: background knowledge, language skills, familiarity with the culture, motivation, and other factors make them a special class of language learners (Kondo-Brown,2005; Duff,2008; Campbell & Rosenthal, 2000; Lee, 2005)

Within the HL category:

“student who is raised in a home where a non-English language is spoken…” (Valdes, 2001)

“the ancestral language of an individual or group, regardless of whether that language is still used in the home” (Fishman, 2001; Noels, 2005)

“a heritage motivation” (Van Desusen-School, 2003)

LOOK INTO affective factors that differentiates groups of learners.

“goal directed, expends effort, persistent, attentive, has desires, exhibits positive effect, aroused, expectancies, self-confidence, reasons” (Gardner,2006)

Most important Prediction of proficiency: Motivational intensity the sustained effort

Motivation for HL learners

…to gain linguistic skills, to enhance career opportunities, to fulfill academic requirements

Theoretically (Gardner, 1985):

1. Integrative orientation: interest, positive attitudes and desire for social interactions with the language community

2. Instrumental orientation: goal of learning a language to achieve certain pragmatic benefits (e.g. job requirement)

1&2 to predict motivation and language proficiency

Defining Motivation

Self- Determination theory (SDT)(self-concept, internalization)

“self determination is the quality of human functioning that involves the experience of choice…and internal perceived locus of control” (Deci&Ryan, 2000)

1.Intrinsic motivation:Based solely on interest and pleasure, “in the absence of a reward contingency or control”, voluntarily, approach it with imagination and creativity, curiosity and enthusiasm.

2. Extrinsic motivation

a. External regulation, in order to achieve a reward or avoid a punishment.

b. Introjected regulation: in order to temper internal pressures, for ego enhancement

c. Identified regulation: for personal relevant reasons

d. Integrated regulation: already intergrated the process of learning into one’s being, consistent with other life goals (Deci & Ryan. 1985)

Defining Motivation

Defining Motivation: Check

An coherent and objective summary of the current

state of the theoretical framework of the study.

Learners of Chinese in Canada: large-scale Chinese Migration since 90s

Conditions for achieving bilingual proficiency: home, school and societal factors, feelings of pride and belonging to the culture (Li,2006)

Positive Chinese learning experience: ethnic pride, exposure to Chinese media, practice of Chinese customs, and self-assessed proficiency

A supportive community for HL maintenance

Chinese HL Learning

Chinese HL Learning: Check

Background to understand how the study fits in with

other research.

For optimal psychological functioning(Deci & Ryan, 1985)

Autonomy: feeling of pursuing this activity for one’s

own will, for personal desires, without external factors

key to more internalized regulation and stronger SD

Competence: perception of ability in performing the

activity

Relatedness: a sense of warmth, security, and

connection between the learners and other people in

that social context

Relevant Study Background

Investigates the social-psychological

differences and similarities between :

HL and non-HL learners in university-level

Chinese classes,

Subgroups of HL learners

Relevant Study Background

SDT

intrinsic motivation: feelings of pride and belonging to the culture

extrinsic motivation:

- Autonomy (Key)

- Relatedness

- competency

Relevant Study Background

Relevant Study Background:

Check

More relevant research background.

Background to understand how the study fits in with

other research.

Research Objectives

To explore the similarities and differences in the

motivational profiles of subgroups of language learners

(Comparison).

To extend previous research to a group of HL learners who

have relatively ready access to their language community.

To discover whether intrinsic and self-determined extrinsic

orientations predict motivated engagement in the learning

process and language community (Correlation).

To consider the relations between orientations and

autonomy, competence and relatedness (Correlation).

Research Objective

3 Groups

Orientation related internal similarities and differences.

Orientation × Engagement in Learning Process/Community.

Orientation × Psychological Needs (Autonomy,

Competence and Relatedness)

Research Objectives: Check

Clear objectives of the study

within the theoretical framework

Methods

Methods

Survey Research with questionnaire that consisted of

assessment instruments adapted from existing

measures to fit the Chinese language context.

Survey location: outside of class

Survey duration: one week

Research Design: Check

Ethic issues informed

All items and variables are clearly defined.

“One week outside the class” may cause problems,

which includes external influential factors, Changing

minds .etc. How could we know that they students

complete the survey individually?

Sampling

Size: 145 university level students in total

Convenience sampling

Sampling: Check

Total sampling size and group sampling size are all

larger than 30 (minimum requirement).

Why these 145? The sample background and course

information is not mentioned. What is “University

Level”, What is the background information of this

“credit-bearing Chinese courses”?

Sampling: Groups

Parental Linguistic Background and

L1

Total 145

Chinese-Chinese Group

71

English-Chinese Group

36

Non-Chinese Group

33

Response Rate: 96.5%

Factual Information

Gender

L1

Parental Linguistic Background

Ethnic Background

Status of Residency (including length of residence)

Origin

Chinese Language Proficiency Level

Subgroup: Chinese-Chinese

Gender

men

women

Parental Linguistic Background

Both parentswere Chinesenativespeakers

Level

Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

•All Chinese or hyphenated

background

•Age Range: 18~33

(M=20.49, SD=2.77)

•Almost 90% were

Canadian citizens or PR

Subgroup: English-Chinese

Gender

Men

Women

Parental Linguistic Background

Both parentswere Chinesenativespeakers

Level

Beginner

Intermediate

•Age Range: 18~24 (M=19.97,

SD=1.57)

Ethnical Background

Chinese

Mixed

Subgroup: Non-Chinese

Gender

Men

Women

•Age Range: 18~54 (M=22.26,

SD=6.06)

•Age that Started Learning Chinese:

15~47 (M=20.59, SD=5.89)

•Year of Taking Chinese Courses: 1~4

(M=1.55, SD=0.92)

•All Canadian Citizens and Canadian

or European Descents.

Level

Beginner

Intermediate

Grouping: Check

Grouping criteria were stated and the factual

information of each subgroup was given.

Why three groups? Why distinct EC and CC?

The components of students in each group vary a lot.

Sample size are different-Notes 3.

L1 and parental linguistic background as grouping

criteria are relatively ambiguous.

Instruments: Question Type

Closed-ended questions with rating scale 1 (‘does not

correspond at all’) to 7 (‘correspond exactly’).

Single-item indices.

Open-ended questions

Instruments: Check

All adapted from existing measures.

Cronbach’s alpha index of internal consistency is

taken into account.

Whether these instruments fit the Chinese language

context is not justified.

The validity and reliability of the instruments need to

be further checked.

Motivational Orientations-Instruments

Randomly adopted from Noels et al (2000)

33 items in total

SDT 29

Intrinsic Motivation

11

Extrinsic Motivation

18

Integrated Regulation

4

Identified Regulation

6

IntrojectedRegulation

5

External Regulation

7

Amotivation4

Motivational Orientations-Questionnaire Statements

• I love doing it.

• It is fun.Intrinsic Motivation

• It is an important part of how I define myself.Integrated Regulation

• Knowing Chinese helps me achieve goals that are important to me.

Identified Regulation

• Would feel guilty if I didn’t know Chinese.Introjected Regulation

• To gain the benefits which taking Chinese will provide.

External Regulation

• I don’t know.

• I cannot come to understand why I’m Studying Chinese.Amotivation

Motivational Orientations-Results

Means analyses: a 3 × 6 mixed-model ANOVA.

Psychological Needs: Self-perceptions of autonomy,

competence and relatedness-Instruments

adapted from Noels, Clement,

& Pelletier (1999)

19 items in total

Autonomy 4Competence

4Relatedness

11

Psychological Needs: Self-perceptions of autonomy,

competence and relatedness-Questionnaire Statements

• I study Chinese out of personal choice.Autonomy

• I have developed very good abilities as a Chinese student.Competence

• I feel a certain connection with Chinese and the Chinese-speaking world.

• In my relationships with other people in my Chinese class, I feel supported.

Relatedness

Psychological Needs: Self-perceptions of autonomy,

competence and relatedness-Results

Autonomy: NC>EC>CC

Relatedness: EC=CC>NC

Competence: No significant differences.

Engagement in learning-Instruments

15 items in total

MotivationalIntensity

10 items adapted from Gardner, Tremblay, and

Masgoret’s (1997)

Intention to Continue

5 items adapted from Noels et al. (1999)

Engagement in learning-Questionnaire

Statements

• I make a point [of] trying to understand all of the Chinese I see and hear.

MotivationalIntensity

• I intend to study Chinese again in the future.

Intention to Continue

Engagement in learning-Results

One-way ANOVA.

No significant differences.

Community Engagement-Instruments

7 items in total

Frequency 1

Quality 1Language

Use 1Chinese Identity 4

Adapted from the identity sub-scale of Luhtanen and Crocker’s (1992)

Community Engagement-Results

Frequency: EC=CC>NC

Language Use: CC>EC>NC

Quality: Same

Chinese Identity: Independent t-test comparing the

two HL groups’ levels of Chinese identity did not yield

a significant difference.

Community Engagement:

Check

Reverse-coded.

Mixed question types are used without being justified.

Reasons for learning Chinese-Instruments

Open-ended question: “In your own words, why are

you learning Chinese?”

Coded in coding scheme including ‘intrinsic,’

‘extrinsic,’ and ‘amotivation’ categories.

Sample Size: 87 out of 145Sample Origin

English-Chinese

Chinese-Chinese

Non-Chinese

SDT Reflected Answers

0102030405060708090

100

SDT not Reflected

SDT Reflected

Open-ended questions was used without being

justified.

Coding category changed without being justified.

Coding guidelines and examples are not provided.

Interrater (or intrarater) reliability not reported·

Information about the coders not provided.

Reasons for learning Chinese: Check

Statistical Methods:

Check All statistical methods used are clearly stated.

Data are well summarized an presented with

description and graphical methods.

Why Post Hoc Turkey?

Correlation Analyses

Orientations × Learning Engagement-TABLE 2

Orientations × Community Engagement-TABLE 3

Regression Analyses

Relative contribution of each of the psychological

needs to feelings of Self-Determination.

SDI: Self-Determination Index

Discussion and Conclusion

Chinese Chinese vs English

Chinese

Degree of linguistic proficiency X motivation.

Chinese Group vs. Non Chinese

Group

Chinese Groups:

Self-Determined Orientation of

Engagement

All groups of learners :

Self-determined orientations not consistently predict一致預計language use

Supporting a Self-Determined,

Intrinsic Orientation

The Implication of the Results for Pedagogy Discussed

Pedagog

y

Theory

multiple orientations inappropriateness of framing orientations as categorical and

exclusive.

Suggestions As to the Direction of

Future Research Provided

Consider HL learners with more varied degrees of

ancestral relatedness.

Qualitative study: Individual study greater depth of

analysis.

Longitudinal research : shifts in orientations, causal

directions, long-term consequences.

Thank You!