English Learning Motivation and Its Causal Factors among Korean Elementary School Students

This study examines how English learning is perceived by Korean elementary school youth and what motivations or demotivations they have. An English class in a local primary school participated in the study. Thirty two students were measured on their goals of English learning, L2 attitudes, perceived significance of English study, instrumentality and motivational intention (defined by their persistence in English learning). Data were collected through survey questionnaire, student and teacher interviews, and English learning autobiographies written by students. The findings show that instrumentality was the dominant form of motivation (64%), followed by social imperative (22%) and international posture (Yashima, 2002, 14%). The students generally have positive attitude toward English, and the level of their perceived significance of English study was fairly high. Motivational intention in this population has the highest correlation with their international posture, but not with instrumentality nor with social imperative. These findings suggest that general interest in foreign countries and different cultures is a significant indicator of language motivation. While parents are seen as an important factor influencing motivation, peer pressure in class forms a cause of demotivation, which can be mostly explainable by their different levels of English proficiency. Potential interpretations of the findings and implications for L2 pedagogy are discussed.