특수목적영어 학습 및 평가에 미치는 학습동기와 학습전략에 관한 연구

Motivation and strategies in ESP learning and assessment: A case of military English in South Korea

The aim of the present study was to investigate and assess the roles of learning motivation and learning strategies in the learning of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Accumulated research has emphasized the important roles that learning motivation and learning strategies play in second language (L2) learning; however, few studies have been conducted which focus on the ESP context, and more specifically on the learning and assessment of military English. One hundred and eighteen South Korean college students were recruited to participate in this study and completed a series of surveys measuring their achievement motivation to learn both general English and military English, the learning strategies used in general English learning, and their military English achievement. Further, participants English proficiency and military performance were the control variables measured in the study. Results indicated that learners motivation to learn military English was the strongest predictor of military English achievement, followed by their motivation to learn general English, which displayed indirect (albeit not statistically significant) effects on military English achievement. However, no association between learners’ military English achievement and English learning strategies was found, raising the possibility of devising an independent assessment set of language learning strategies for use in military English. To follow is an in-depth discussion of its pedagogical and research implications.