Motivation zum Fremdsprachenstudium in einem englischsprachigen Land: Das Beispiel Australien

Like other English-speaking countries Australia is known for its monolingual mindset and some have argued that the growing dominance of English as an international language will further strengthen this attitude. Nevertheless, Australian universities have in recent years seen an increase in students learning a language as part of their degree. This article investigates the L2 motivation of Australian university students to learn a European language. The data analysis of several studies reveals a twofold motivation; first, learners consider language skills as an add-on qualification; and second, learners see proficiency in another language as part of their identity and personal development. The findings are discussed in the Australian context and it will be argued that globalisation increases the need for multilingual speakers even if their L1 is English. The article concludes by discussing some of the study’s implications for curriculum design