Motivation

Motivation generally
Note: you can usually recognise if you are motivated in an activity by behaviour that shows a) effort, b) attention, c) persistence.

There are lots of technical and academic documents about how motivation is understood. A practical tool you could use to assess your motivation score in key aspects is this academic motivation quiz; the quiz helps to identify areas of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation.

Motivation and independent learning
Consider the following nine steps for independent learning to help you think about designing a learning plan that is motivating. Also look at the study planning section of the wiki.


 * 1) have clear goals
 * 2) create your own goals
 * 3) apply knowledge outside class
 * 4) consider the learning process
 * 5) identify preferred styles and strategies
 * 6) have choice
 * 7) generate your own tasks
 * 8) teach what you learn
 * 9) research

Generally, independent learners need to understand what (and why) they are learning, they need choice, and they need time for reflection. It is difficult to give very practical advice to maximise your motivation. The nine steps mentioned above take account of motivation theories. Below there is some more theory and some practical things to consider.

Theory of motivation in language learning and some practical tips
A common conceptualisation of motivation in language learning is that there should be three elements present: goal salience, valence, and self-efficacy. What do these mean for practical learning?


 * Give yourself rewards for achieving targets e.g. treat yourself to something fun;
 * Pay attention to any avoidance behaviour (do you get distracted and start doing housework instead of your study tasks for example) and what you can do to minimise it;
 * Spend some time before doing activities thinking about why you are doing it and what you hope to gain;
 * Believe in yourself but if you get stuck, consider who can help - never give up; think positively; research shows that people are more successful when they do NOT attribute failure automatically to ability or other internal causes: work harder; work smarter; change your approach. "Failure is a detour, not a dead-end".

Specifically in relation to language learning, there has been a long-established means of thinking about motivation: integrative and instrumental motivation. Integrative motivation involves some desire to integrate yourself into the culture of the language e.g. a passion for American cowboy films. Instrumental motivation relates to what you can get out of studying the language e.g. a better job. If you are interested in a practical test of motivation under this conceptualisation, you can search for the  'attitude/motivation test battery' on the internet. It is commonly believed that integrative motivation links better to language success.


 * Choose topics to read or listen to that are personally interesting

 

In addition to the above, you should


 * frequently consider your needs;
 * measure your success against targets you set yourself;
 * re-assess (through reflection) on your satisfaction with what you are achieving through the tasks or approaches you are taking; if you are not satisfied, change what you are doing.