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Universidad Estatal a Distancia Escuela de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades Ctedra de Enseanza del Ingls 5184 Investigacin en la Enseanza del Ingls II

MOTIVATION AND ITS ROLE ON THE ACQUISITION OF A SECOND LANGUAGE DURING THE SCHOOL YEARS Norka Ivannia Urea Cruz

11/17/2012

Content
CHAPTER I - INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 4 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 4 Justification ............................................................................................................................................. 5 Objectives................................................................................................................................................. 6 General objective: ................................................................................................................................. 6 Specific objectives:................................................................................................................................ 6 Statement of the problem ....................................................................................................................... 7 Hypothesis................................................................................................................................................ 8 CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE .......................................................................................................... 9 Theoretical Framework .......................................................................................................................... 9 Population and Work Design ............................................................................................................... 12 Population ........................................................................................................................................... 12 Work Design........................................................................................................................................ 13 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK ....................................................................................... 16 Methodological framework .................................................................................................................. 16 CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS OF DATA COLLECTION ......................................................................................... 19 General Analysis ................................................................................................................................... 19 First Instrument .................................................................................................................................... 19 Second Instrument ................................................................................................................................ 19 Third instrument................................................................................................................................... 19 Detailed Data Analysis .......................................................................................................................... 19 CHAPTER V CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS............................................................................. 20 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................................ 20 Recommendations ................................................................................................................................. 20 CHAPTER VI BIBLIOGRAPHY AND ANNEXES ............................................................................................. 21 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................................... 21 Annexes .................................................................................................................................................. 25 INSTRUMENT 1 ................................................................................................................................ 25 INSTRUMENT 2 ................................................................................................................................ 27

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INSTRUMENT 3 ................................................................................................................................ 29

CHAPTER I - INTRODUCTION
Introduction One problem in todays education is the poor English level the students have since the beginning of their school life up to end of it, for this reason, it is the present researchs intention to try and establish if one of the causes for such problem is the lack of motivation the students have towards the second language. This research is being held at a school in San Carlos where there is evidence of the poor English level the students have by the time they finish elementary school. Juan Bautista Sols Rodrguez its a public school, one of the biggest schools in the area with almost a thousand students signed for the present year, the school is located in the central part of the city and for this reason it has students who belong to diverse social statuses. The school is constantly taking under renovation and the principal makes all the efforts to maintain it the best possible not only in terms if infrastructure but also in terms of education. It is because of the above reasons that finding a solution to the problem its so important. The students motivation towards English lessons are a huge challenge to overcome for an ever-growing and important school in the area that is always looking for better options to have academic excellence. In the following pages determining the possibility of finding a solution to the motivation problem in the school is a main goal as well as trying to help the teachers handling the issue the best way possible with the idea of helping the students to enjoy English classes and hopefully to find the language useful for their future lives.

5 Justification The purpose of this research is to demonstrate that motivation is a key element when it comes to learning and/or acquiring a second language during childs school years. By conducting surveys with the population in question, interviews and comparisons between the levels of interest that the students have towards English as well as the materials that the student finds more appealing it will be possible to determine whether the motivation is a key element in acquiring the second language. At the end of this research it will be possible to determine if the reason for the students to finish elementary school with such a poor level of English acquisition and usage is because they are not motivated enough to learn the second language or if, on the contrary, there is another reason for this to be happening.

6 Objectives General objective: To determine the role that motivation plays in the learning process, and the level of motivation that the population under study has, towards English language.

Specific objectives: 1. Determine if the materials and activities used during class time are motivating enough for the students from 1st until 6th grade.
2. Determine the students level of interest towards the language since 1st grade and until 6th

grade.
3. Compare the students from 1st to 6th grades in relation to their attitude towards English. 4. Contrast the teaching style towards English lessons with the students attitude towards it.

7 Statement of the problem Many factors can be causing that the students at Juan Bautista Sols Rodrguez Elementary School graduate with a poor English level, for the purpose of the research the focus will be on determining if the level of motivation the students have towards the second language is playing a key role in the students interest, learning and attitude towards the language. Based on previous analysis and data collected, the evidence is that the students interest related to the language is not as good as it should be and conducting this research is a mean to understand the reason for such behavior and to determine whether motivation is the key or not in order to take the necessary actions. The reason to work with this topic is helping the students realizing that English lessons are great, and to help the teachers understand that the best way to have committed students in the class is by helping them to like the class, to keep them motivated in relation to the learning process.

8 Hypothesis

What could be causing 6th graders to perform poorly in English, is it the level of motivation or their interest towards a second language?

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Theoretical Framework The importance of keeping the students motivated during class is very much related to the students development, understanding and attitude towards the language; showing that cultural diversity is a positive and natural part of life (Coures, 2006); It helps the students appreciate and embrace the fact of learning a different language better.

It is important to explain that the problem described at the beginning of this research paper has existed since ever and the evidence of such problem is that the students performance in English along our public schools is very poor. The reason why is it so important to try to determine the cause or causes it is because something needs to be done, it is inexplicable how a student in our public education system who receives English since the first grade up to the sixth grade do not ended up bilingual by the time he/she enters high school and what the present paper aims to establish is if that lack of preparation is due to a lack of cultural understanding about the culture represented by the language being taught; when you let the students acknowledge that others' customs and values are valid for them. (Coures, 2006) you are helping not only to develop tolerance but also to create in the students that sense of belonging, not only to their culture but to other cultures as well, specially that represented by the second language.

Our world's survival may depend on better understanding of both the interconnectedness and diversity of its people (Coures, 2006), it is for this reason that helping students understand

10 who they are, where they come from, who they are surrounded by and mostly who they share the world with is essential in developing in them a real interest in the cultures different than theirs.

Acculturation refers to a process of change that a person or group undergoes when livin g in [or knowing about] another culture and involves decisions about incorporating values and life skills of a country of origin into lifestyles in a new country (Selvamanickam, Zgryza, Gorman, 2001), according to this definition it is possible to say that a person who is in contact or at least understands a culture that is different than his/her own can interact in a better way that a person who do not have that understanding, is for this reason that this paper deals with such acculturation view in order to help teachers understand that cultural understanding is not just a random word used in the curricula, it is above all a strategy for helping the students get in touch with the culture represented by the second language.

Taking a young children overseas to a foreign country with a different language can be a challenging and sometimes traumatic experience for children, however if the child accomplished what is called the biculturalism (Berry, 2011) it becomes really easy for them to accept and embrace the new culture he/she is exposed to. The same thing happens with children and the foreign language in school, children are exposed to the new language with no understanding of what it is good for, how can help it them in the future and furthermore how can they deal with it when they know nothing about the culture in which such language is spoken, no wonder why kids learn little about the target language, they turn into entities that just repeats to the teachers inputs with no meaning at all, for this reason it is very understandable that kids do not end elementary school been bilingual, because they just dont have a reason to learn and be interest

11 in something they do not understand. This bicultural integration pretends that a child successfully blends the cultures of the host country with the country of origin (Berry, 1990) and in the classroom teachers should aim for the same, trying to incorporate contents that have meaning to children and that they can relate to real situations, this way the students will develop interest in the target language.

Language and culture are from the start inseparably connected (Buttjes, 1990), for this reason teachers need to realize that there is no English learning and understanding in an ESL classroom unless there is a cultural understanding. For many children any language that is different to their native tongue is difficult, it is something unnatural and something challenging in most cases and it is the teachers responsibility to make sure that the experience of a second language learning is as enhancing and less traumatic and frustrating as possible and the best way to get the best results in a ESL class is by helping the students understand and appreciate the content they are being presented to. If the kids find way to identify themselves with the culture of the second language it will be easier to them to feel more comfortable in foreign language situations and they will be more open to it; It is widely agreed that satisfactory identity development and positive self-esteem in young people is linked to cultural identification (Selvamanickam, Zgryza, Gorman, 2001).

Culture is central to learning. It plays a role not only in communicating and receiving information, but also in shaping the thinking process of groups and individuals. A pedagogy that acknowledges, responds to, and celebrates fundamental cultures offers full, equitable access to education for students from all cultures. (Education Alliance, 2006), because of this is that

12 teachers need to be more understanding when it comes to learning a second language, and provide the students with all the necessary tools for them to keep it up with the target language, it is the teachers responsibility to develop and encourage in the student a positive attitude towards the second language and to help them relate what they are learning with real and concrete situations. Population and Work Design Population

Population is a combination of all the objects, subjects or members that obey to a set of specifications (Polit and Hungler). For this study the population selected are the students from 1st to 6th grade with different educational and socio-economical statues, in order to guarantee that the population will be representative for the research the study will be conducted at a public school, where students follows MEPs syllabus. For the purpose of getting sufficient and efficient information that allows contrasting the results, it is necessary to take one group of students per each grade who will be randomly selected to avoid any alteration of the results, the researcher takes into consideration one group of first graders, one group of second graders, one group of third graders, one group of fourth graders, one group of fifth graders and one group of sixth graders, in order to determine their level of motivation in all of the 6th different grades and based on the results, to determine if the materials and activities are appealing enough for all of them. The school is located in Ciudad Quesada, 200 meters. South from San Roques Catholic Church, with a population of nearly 700 students in two different schedules, rotating in the morning and afternoon shift; Juan Bautista Sols Rodrguez was founded in the year 1952 by a

13 group of neighbors who saw the need of opening another school in town, it started as a small school in the house of a neighbor and in 1953 the land where the school is now, was donated and the construction process started, today is one of the biggest public schools in the area and the second one with more students, all of them from very different and varied social, economic and educational statuses. The school has 15 classrooms that have all the basic services and resources, a white and a blackboard, a teachers desk, students desks (approximately for 40 students per classroom), and a closet with materials. There is one dining room with capacity to receive approximately 50 students at a time. There is one computer laboratory with approximately 15 computers that it can be used by both teachers and students. The school has a gym that was recently renovate, there are also two storage rooms, two classrooms for special subjects (aulas de recurso), one classroom for significant curricular accommodations (apoyo fijo en problemas de aprendizaje) and one teachers lounge, on the second floor the school has a ballet and music hall and in front of the school there is the secretary and the principals office. The school staff consists of 40 teachers, only two of them are in charge of the English classes for all the school, imparting 3 lessons a week per group, there is also the administrative personnel who takes care of everything not related to education. Work Design

This research will mainly focus on the students performance in the English subject and in proving or disproving if one of the reasons why some students have a very hard time with English is because they do not feel motivated to learn and like the language. Todays teaching methods allow the teachers to use the imagination, there are tons of fun and interesting material,

14 appealing to all ages and the teachers must use those resources in order to help the students like English classes, teachers must avoid at all cost the repetition and memorization that some teachers still use as a valid teaching method, English is a subject that needs encouragement from the teacher; no teacher can expect to have a student who has never had a contact with other language different than his mother tongue that from the very first feel comfortable interacting in a different language, motivation is very important to involve students with the learning and to help them understand that English language can be very fun and very satisfactory.

In order to achieve the goals, a series of instruments will be applied to both the teachers and the students with the idea to evaluate the students motivation and the teachers application of motivating activities in the classroom, the main goal is to reach a conclusion, that helps determine if the poor level of English the students graduate with by the time they finish school is because of the lack of motivation towards the second language they receive during class time, or if, on the contrary, motivation is just fine and the cause is something else.

The data will be collected by using the interview, the survey and the observation. The interviews intention is to interview the English teachers at Juan Bautista Sols Rodrguez with the idea of getting an clear view on how classes are conducted, if such classes uses motivation to keep the students interest in the lesson as well as the level of commitment and interest the teachers have in using motivation as a tool for helping the students learn and appreciate the second language. Another way to collect the data will be by conducting a survey, it will be done with one randomly selected group of students from first to sixth grade and it will focus on learning the level of motivation the students have in relation to English lessons and the

15 understanding of the second language. Finally the observation aims to put all the data collected with the other two instruments under the microscope to determine if what the students and teachers told or did during the instruments application is correct and to learn more about the students and teachers behavior.

The method being used for this research is a mixed one since it will use elements of the qualitative as well as the quantitative method; it focuses on gathering data to acquire knowledge and provide a possible explanation for the phenomenon, purpose of this investigation (in this case, the level of motivation of elementary school students). This research looks only to explain the phenomenon, not modify it since the modification of the curricula in order to meet the students needs in terms of motivation can be the topic of a completely separate research. The primary idea is to find out how things are right now and if they are beneficial or prejudicial to students language learning process, all of this with the only idea of providing a theory that might help other teachers, parents and students in the future.

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CHAPTER III METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK

Methodological framework In order to help the reader understand the purpose and goal of the research it is important to describe the methods and techniques used in order to achieve the objectives and in order to elaborate on the final results based on the hypothesis. Based on previous teaching experiences it is possible to describe some techniques that have worked in particular classroom environments for particular students or groups of students, for example, regarding motivation it is important to always caught the students attention first, never begin a class while the students are talking or playing or laughing; one thing that works wonders in controlling the level of excitement of a classroom is to use a calm and soothing tone to start the lesson, a teacher that yells or seems anxious will transmit those feelings to the students and the class will become a complete mess, one technique that works great is to get to class and encourage the students to put everything away, no pencils, pens, books, etc., on the desk, that way the students attention will be focused in the teacher and not on something else. Once the class is under control it is time to get started, a fun activity works great with all levels but it is important to know what kind of activities works best for each grade, for example 1st cycle students love to sing, they participate and have tons of fun but 2 nd cycle students feel ashamed of making a fool of themselves, finding the proper activity to suit the students better is the most important thing when it comes to motivation, to help the students embrace the new learning with fun and interactive tasks goes a long way when teaching English. Songs are a fun way to learn and to participate in a classroom but, as mentioned above, it is not for all grades,

17 however it is a great ice-breaker with small kids. Another good technique when trying to have a motivated class is to use real life objects, kids respond better to things they can relate to their real lives than with things that are just a representation of something that might or might not be related to the kids reality, having artifacts and tools and toys that the kid can play with and touch and feel is a great way to involved them with the learning process. To support the main objective of the research, getting in touch with the students is the way to go, interacting with the students and taking to them, their interests and attitude towards English brings a valuable information on the completion of the research, therefore the instruments used to find answers needs to think on the students needs as well as on the teachers appreciation towards the way English is taught in Costa Rican schools, an action plan includes to interview the English teachers in order to understand how they see English lessons and above all how they teach English lessons, the way a teacher conducts a class is closely related to the level of motivation the students have; no matter how the syllabus is design, is the teachers role to keep the students interest towards the lesson and more important towards the language. Another strategy is to conduct a class observation to see how the students and the teacher interact together, how is the level of intrinsic motivation the students have towards language and the level of commitment in the classroom, from both parts, teachers and students. The last instrument is a questionnaire among the students, the questionnaire aims to find the level of motivation the students have in relation to English language in general as well as to the language class and the teacher, specific questions will be presented to the children to try to understand their point of view, since after all, the research is centered in finding a solution to the problem of low level caused by the lack of motivation in the classroom. The validity of the instruments is as well as the reliability are determine by the degree in which the instruments measure and give the

18 expected results and both of them are subject to the answers and the results obtained once the data is collected, each instruments was constructed taking those elements into consideration and the intention is that both are as valid and as reliable as needed. The methodology used is a mixed one since it has component of both qualitative and quantitative research, the survey and the observation sheet are part of the qualitative method since they aim to get a subjective response from both, the teachers and the students as well as an appreciation from the researchers part; the questionnaire is part of the quantitative method that searches to have certain information put together in order to compare the results. Once the data is collected the next step is to find the conclusions and recommendations that fit the purpose of the entire work, from understanding the point of view of the teachers and students to getting a personal perspective of the things that happens in the classroom, the job is to reach an understanding to establish is the hypothesis described at the beginning of the paper is right or wrong; this action research educational study is considering the data collected from a school with a real problem with the intention of reflecting about the particular situation and coming up with solutions and/or recommendations in order for the school to create an action plan to face the situation the best way possible.

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CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS OF DATA COLLECTION

General Analysis

First Instrument

Second Instrument

Third instrument

Detailed Data Analysis

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CHAPTER V CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Conclusions

Recommendations

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CHAPTER VI BIBLIOGRAPHY AND ANNEXES

Bibliography

Alberta Teachers Association. (n.d.) Understanding ESL Learners: Moving Toward ResponsivenessA Guide for Teachers. Retrieved

Cultural from: alist-

http://www.teachers.ab.ca/SiteCollectionDocuments/ATA/Publications/Speci Councils/ESL-3-

6%20Moving%20Toward%20Cultural%20Responsiveness.pdf

Alsayed, M. (2003). Factors That Contribute to Success in Learning English as a Foreign Language. Damascus University Journal. 19, 21-44.

Berry, J. W. (2011). Integration and Multiculturalism: Ways towards Social Solidarity. Papers on Social Representations. 20, 2.1-2.21.

Buttjes, D. (1990). Teaching Foreign Language and Culture: Social Impact and Political Significance. Language Learning Journal, 2, 53-57.

Cakir, I. (2006). Developing Cultural Awareness In Foreign Language Teaching. Kirikkale, Turkey: Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education.

22 Clouet, R. (2006, January 5). Between ones own culture and the target culture: The language teacher as intercultural mediator. Porta Linguarum, pp 53-62.

Cole M, Hakkarainen P, Bredikyte M. (2010). Culture and Early Childhood Learning. Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development. 1- 6.

Coures, J. M. (2006). Helping Children Understand Other Cultures. Houston, Texas: University of Houston.

Idrees, A. (n.d.). Teaching and Learning Culture of a Second Language. Alzaeim Alazhari: Alzaeim Alazhari University.

Kuo, M. & Lai, Ch. (n.d.). Linguistics across Cultures: The Impact of Culture on Second Language Learning. Retrieved from: http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED496079.pdf

Lessard-Clouston, M. (1997). Towards an Understanding of Culture in L2/FL Education. Retrieved from: http://iteslj.org/Articles/Lessard-Clouston-Culture.html

McGee, K. (n.d.). How Cultural Differences May Affect Student Performance. Retrieved from: http://www.greatschools.org/special-education/support/704-cultural-differences-studentperformance.gs

23 Pardede, P. (n.d.). The Inevitability of Incorporating Culture into a Foreign Language Classroom. Indonesia: Universitas Kirsten Indonesia.

Riabov,

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(1998).

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(n.d.).

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Selvamanickam S. Zgryza M. Gorman D. (2011). Coping in a New World: The Social and Emotional Wellbeing of Young People From Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds. Retrieved from:

http://www.cmy.net.au/Assets/171/1/Coping_in_a_New_World.pdf

Tang, R. (1999). The Place of "Culture" in the Foreign Language Classroom: A Reflection . Retrieved from: http://iteslj.org/Articles/Tang-Culture.html

Thanasoulas, D. (2001). The Importance Of Teaching Culture In The Foreign Language Classroom. Retrieved from: http://radicalpedagogy.icaap.org/content/issue3_3/7-

thanasoulas.html

Uzun, K. (2011). Teaching A Foreign Language and Foreign Culture to Young Learners. International Journal of Business, Humanities and Technology. 1, 152-164.

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Zion, S. (et al). (2005). Understanding Culture. Tempe, Arizona: Arizona State University.

25 Annexes INSTRUMENT 1 Universidad Estatal a Distancia Escuela de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades Ctedra de Enseanza del Ingles 5184 Investigacin en la Enseanza del Ingls II Researcher: Norka Ivannia Urea Cruz Lesson Observation for Teachers and Students School: Date of observation: Subject: Name of the observer: Length of lesson: Class:

TEACHER 3 1. The teacher plans effectively and sets the objectives clearly. 2. The teacher relates the material to real life situations. 3. The teacher shows comprehension of the importance of teaching cultural understanding. 4. The teaching methods aim to teach with a clear view of what the second language represents to the students. 5. The material helps in the understanding of the target language. 6. Teacher uses materials to show the importance of the culture represented by the second language. 7. Teacher caught the students attention towards the second language. 2 1 0

26 8. Teacher praised the students regularly for their good effort and achievements. 9. Students work is assessed thoroughly making sure they understand the material. 10. Teacher fosters productive outcomes. STUDENTS 3 1. The students are interested on the target language. 2. Students feel praised regularly for their good effort and achievements. 3. Students understand the material. 4. Students have cultural understanding on the culture represented by the L2. 5. Students work is assessed thoroughly. 6. Students feel comfortable using the second language in the classroom. 7. Students are self-conscious about interacting in English. 8. The students feel identify with the material. 9. Students produced productive outcomes. 10. Students understand the importance of using English. Comments by the observer: 2 1 0

3. Totally

2. Partially

1. Scarcely

0. No

27 INSTRUMENT 2 Universidad Estatal a Distancia Escuela de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades Ctedra de Enseanza del Ingles 5184 Investigacin en la Enseanza del Ingls II Researcher: Norka Ivannia Urea Cruz Personal Interview Teachers name: School:

Interviewers name:

Date of interview:

Purpose of interview To make a general evaluation of the opinion teachers have regarding MEPs syllabus and how it contributes to the students understanding and acceptance of the new language and into the application the students can give it in their daily lives. Specific objectives 1. To learn teachers opinions. 2. To gather information and make an evaluation of the syllabus. 3. To know if teachers apply cultural understanding in the classroom. 4. To understand if the teacher teaches cultural understanding. Questions 1. Do you have a clear idea of what cultural understanding means?

28 2. Do you help your students to have cultural understanding as a means to apply the new language into real life situations? 3. Do the students show interest during English class? 4. What are some techniques you use to help students understanding why is important to learn English? 5. Do you think that students respond to an English lesson they can relate with their lives better than one where they just have to memorize things? 6. Is it possible to make the students like, the English subject better if they can relate the target language with their real lives? 7. Do you think that MEPs syllabus gives the teachers all the necessary tools and guidelines in order to help the students understand English subject better? 8. What techniques or materials would you use in order to make the students like the English subject better? 9. Is it possible to have students in public schools graduate from sixth grade with a good English level? Why? 10. What would you change in the syllabus to make it better in helping students keep it up with English subject?

29 INSTRUMENT 3 Universidad Estatal a Distancia Escuela de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades Ctedra de Enseanza del Ingles 5184 Investigacin en la Enseanza del Ingls II Researcher: Norka Ivannia Urea Cruz Case Study 1. Determine and define the research questions: a. Establishes the focus of the study by forming questions about the situation or problem. b. Determining a purpose for the study: 2. Select the cases and determine data gathering and analysis techniques: a. Determine what approaches to use in selecting unique or typical situations to examine in depth. b. Decide which instruments and data gathering approaches to use. 3. Prepare to collect the data: a. Determine the procedure to follow. 4. Collect data in the field: a. Search for the sources of evidence. b. Observe carefully. c. Maintain a relationship between the issue and the evidence collected. 5. Evaluate and analyze the data: a. Interpret the results of your data. 6. Prepare the report: a. The data must be easy to read and understand by others.

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