Emergent Motivation in the English Classroom Setting

Putting forward the notion that a source of foreignness may result in adaptive demands for students during the linguaculture learning process, this pilot study explored negative and positive attitudes toward English learning among Japanese undergraduate students. This paper discusses the model of engagement and resistance, which proposes a view of language learning from the perspective of adaptive demands caused by language and cultural patterns that are foreign to the learner. To better understand the negative and positive attitudes students hold toward English learning, this study distributed questionnaires designed to determine the level of interest among participants, including a self-evaluation component for their own English learning. A content analysis was subsequently conducted to code the obtained responses. The main findings were that participants not only resisted the linguaculture learning process, but also exhibit mixed states (i.e., a psychological condition in which the learner simultaneously engages in and resists the linguaculture learning process). These findings and the elaborated theory should help educators better understand how learners encounter resistance and motivation within the language learning process. In turn, this should aid in the development of teaching strategies aimed at motivating students who are learning foreign languages