Individual differences in second language acquisition: attitudes, learner subjectivity, and L2 pragmatic norms

Abstract

Anecdotal reports from classroom language teachers suggest that students’ professed positive attitudes towards learning English and their language-related behaviors often do not match. Many claim “interest” in the language and, when pushed to explain, the learners tend to state that “it is necessary” to study English for their future careers or for study abroad. Very few seem to be motivated to acculturate to the target language culture or norms of communication. These reports motivated my decision to look into the attitudes of EFL learners in the form of a study of individual differences, specifically, one which focuses on the relationship among attitudes, learner self-identity, and willingness to accommodate to L2 pragmatic norms. This paper reports on evidence of the extent Japanese EFL learners seek to adopt L2 communicative norms. The descriptive account explores learners’ self-reports on attitudes towards the target language, subjective reactions to L2 pragmatic norms, and motivations towards accommodating to those norms. While the level of resistance to acquiring proficiency in the use of L2 pragmatic norms is not strong, the learners’ accounts indicate their efforts to establish a L2 self-identity compatible with their own individual goals.