The contribution of motivation and emotions to language learning autonomy in the Hungarian secondary school classroom: The results of a questionnaire study

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.