The contribution of motivation and emotions to language learning autonomy in the Hungarian secondary school classroom: The results of a questionnaire study
-
Ágnes Albert
Abstract
The aim of the research presented in this chapter was to investigate the extent to which emotions and motivation affect the autonomy of students learning English in secondary schools in Hungary. The rationale of our study is that although learner autonomy is increasingly seen as an important goal in education, Hungarian learners’ autonomy seems to decrease rather than increase in higher grades (Albert et al. 2018a, 2018b). To shed light on the relationship of these constructs in the secondary school context, we designed a complex study, where students’ autonomous learning behavior and their autonomous use of technology (Benson 2013), components of the L2 motivational Self System (Dörnyei 2005, 2009) and nine positive and negative emotions (Pekrun 2006) were measured with the help of a standardized questionnaire (N = 337). Based on regression analyses, our results show that emotions and motivation-related scales contribute to students’ autonomous learning behavior and their autonomous use of technology in different ways, with the emotion of curiosity being the only scale with significant impact on both scales of autonomy. In addition, while positive emotions played a positive role in shaping autonomy, the contribution of negative emotions was mixed. Moreover, our findings suggest that in the Hungarian context negative language learning experiences are more likely to lead to autonomy than positive ones. As for pedagogical implications, we argue that classroom learning should provide the basis for enhancing learner autonomy by using activities and tasks that prompt learners’ curiosity, that are motivating, and that allow for positive emotional experiences.
Abstract
The aim of the research presented in this chapter was to investigate the extent to which emotions and motivation affect the autonomy of students learning English in secondary schools in Hungary. The rationale of our study is that although learner autonomy is increasingly seen as an important goal in education, Hungarian learners’ autonomy seems to decrease rather than increase in higher grades (Albert et al. 2018a, 2018b). To shed light on the relationship of these constructs in the secondary school context, we designed a complex study, where students’ autonomous learning behavior and their autonomous use of technology (Benson 2013), components of the L2 motivational Self System (Dörnyei 2005, 2009) and nine positive and negative emotions (Pekrun 2006) were measured with the help of a standardized questionnaire (N = 337). Based on regression analyses, our results show that emotions and motivation-related scales contribute to students’ autonomous learning behavior and their autonomous use of technology in different ways, with the emotion of curiosity being the only scale with significant impact on both scales of autonomy. In addition, while positive emotions played a positive role in shaping autonomy, the contribution of negative emotions was mixed. Moreover, our findings suggest that in the Hungarian context negative language learning experiences are more likely to lead to autonomy than positive ones. As for pedagogical implications, we argue that classroom learning should provide the basis for enhancing learner autonomy by using activities and tasks that prompt learners’ curiosity, that are motivating, and that allow for positive emotional experiences.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
- Learning disabilities as external individual differences in second language acquisition 9
- The role of memory in the acquisition of vocabulary and grammar in the first language and in English as a foreign language 31
- Individual differences and young learners’ L2 vocabulary development: The case of language aptitude and exposure to subtitled TV series 65
- ‘In love with English’: A mixed-methods investigation of Flemish children’s spontaneous engagement with out-of-school exposure 87
- The relation between out-of-school exposure to English and English vocabulary development in Dutch primary school pupils 109
- Lexical profiles of children and adolescent EFL learners in the semantic domain of animals 133
- The contribution of motivation and emotions to language learning autonomy in the Hungarian secondary school classroom: The results of a questionnaire study 155
- Effects of authentic communication experiences on linguistic self-confidence: Individual differences in perceptions among Japanese primary school students 177
- Emotion and motivation in younger learners’ second foreign language acquisition 203
- Secondary school pupils’ language choice satisfaction in the L3 classroom: The roles of teaching, motivation, language choice and language classroom anxiety 225
- Index 261
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
- Learning disabilities as external individual differences in second language acquisition 9
- The role of memory in the acquisition of vocabulary and grammar in the first language and in English as a foreign language 31
- Individual differences and young learners’ L2 vocabulary development: The case of language aptitude and exposure to subtitled TV series 65
- ‘In love with English’: A mixed-methods investigation of Flemish children’s spontaneous engagement with out-of-school exposure 87
- The relation between out-of-school exposure to English and English vocabulary development in Dutch primary school pupils 109
- Lexical profiles of children and adolescent EFL learners in the semantic domain of animals 133
- The contribution of motivation and emotions to language learning autonomy in the Hungarian secondary school classroom: The results of a questionnaire study 155
- Effects of authentic communication experiences on linguistic self-confidence: Individual differences in perceptions among Japanese primary school students 177
- Emotion and motivation in younger learners’ second foreign language acquisition 203
- Secondary school pupils’ language choice satisfaction in the L3 classroom: The roles of teaching, motivation, language choice and language classroom anxiety 225
- Index 261
