Abstract
This article reports on a case study that investigated changes in the motivation of Chinese ESL learners over a three month period of residence in an English-speaking environment. The participants consisted of 11 Chinese ESL learners, who were tertiary students and taking general or academic English courses in New Zealand. They took part in the present research shortly after their arrival in New Zealand. Data were collected over a period of three months using qualitative data collection instruments such as learner diaries and individual interviews. The results revealed some dynamic changes in the motivation of Chinese ESL learners over a three month period of residence in an English-speaking country. According to the similarities and differences in their motivation, they were categorized into five learner types. In general, the learners belonging to the first three types were able to maintain or increase their overall motivation. The learners in the last two types were not able to maintain their overall motivation: Their motivation decreased over the three months.
Highlights
The current literature on second or foreign language (L2) learning motivation emphasizes that L2 motivation is dynamic and changes over time during the L2 learning process
The results revealed some dynamic changes in the motivation of Chinese ESL learners over a three month period of residence in an English-speaking country
Since L2 motivation is dynamic and changes all the time as a result of learners’ learning experiences (Ellis, 2004), there was a need to examine how the experience of learning an L2 in both school and in more naturalistic contexts causes dynamic changes in learners’ L2 motivation
Summary
The current literature on second or foreign language (L2) learning motivation emphasizes that L2 motivation is dynamic and changes over time during the L2 learning process. The aim of the present study is to explore how Chinese ESL learners’ English learning experiences during a three month period of residence in an English-speaking environment influence their motivation and lead to motivational changes For this purpose, the researcher conducted a qualitative diary study with 11 Chinese ESL learners to track them over time in their school and naturalistic settings during a three month period of residence in New Zealand. The researcher conducted a qualitative diary study with 11 Chinese ESL learners to track them over time in their school and naturalistic settings during a three month period of residence in New Zealand This in-depth investigation of Chinese ESL learners’ experiences and perceptions of learning English in New Zealand provided insights from elt.ccsenet.org
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