Motivational Factors in Learning an L2: A Study on Intrinsic/Extrinsic Motivation, Classroom Materials and Teachers’ Behaviors

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore intrinsic and extrinsic motivations toward learning Spanish, French, and Mandarin as foreign languages. Also, this study investigates which are the main factors that influence the learners’ motivation of the L2, focusing on two specific aspects within the classroom: the materials used in this learning process and the teacher’s behaviors. A sample of 173 high school L2 students (9-12) was selected. The results showed that among the top 10 reasons that justified their L2 learning process, 6 were based on intrinsic factors and 4 on extrinsic ones. Also, these results showed that the most preferred materials by the students to learn are those related to audio-visual resources. Lastly, regarding the teachers’ motivational practices, the results showed that learners value as the most important motivational factors some teacher’s personality traits.