Exploring the motivations and emotions of Filipino learners of languages other than English: a structural equation modelling approach

Abstract

ABSTRACT Despite rich insights that the experience of Global South countries like the Philippines could offer in understanding emerging trends in SLA research, i.e. learning languages other than English (LOTEs), studies conducted in this context are few and far apart. The study explored the motivations and emotions of 389 Filipino learners of LOTEs who accomplished a 76-item questionnaire. Six factors of LOTE motivation and two factors of LOTE emotions were simultaneously analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Composite reliability measures showed that these factors were valid and reliable. Six sets of model fit measures indicated a good fit for the final SEM model. Initial and final direct effects showed that the six factors of LOTE motivation significantly influenced LOTE enjoyment and LOTE anxiety. Against the backdrop of studies dominated by the Japanese and Chinese experiences, the Filipino experience has shown to be equally susceptible to the influences of globalisation and the hegemony of English on learning languages other than English. The final SEM model of LOTE learning among Filipinos is instructive of the multifaceted LOTE motivation, but it also captures the effects of motivational constructs in the ‘flowering of emotions’ in the context of learners acquiring a language other than English.