Demotivation in Second Language Acquisition

Insights from Japan

By (author) Keita Kikuchi

Publication date:

05 August 2015

Publisher

Multilingual Matters

Dimensions:

234x156mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9781783093946

SLA literature tends to focus predominantly on what motivates language learners, but what demotivates them has not been widely discussed. This book, focusing exclusively on demotivation, will help readers to understand motivational issues from a different perspective. The aims of the work are threefold: to present the current developments of demotivation research in the field of SLA and bridge motivational theory/research and demotivation research; to promote the understanding of possible causes of demotivation; and to expand the focus of demotivation research through a reflection on current motivation theory/research and a discussion of methodological issues. The research presented in this book is situated in Japanese English-teaching contexts and will serve as a foundation for anyone wishing to better understand the causes of demotivation in SLA and to explore the topic in their own contexts.

Introduction

1 Understanding Demotivation

2 Prior Focus of Demotivation Studies

3 The Importance of Demotivators in Second Language Acquisition

4 A Survey Study to Test Demotivator Models

5 Learner and Teacher Perceptions of Demotivators

6 Learner Reflections: Demotivators in Secondary School

7 Uncovering Demotivators Beyond the Classroom

8 Summary of Findings from Studies of Demotivators

9 Motivational Strategies and Demotivation

10 Future Explorations of Demotivators

References

Appendices

This is an ambitious and timely exploration into the neglected issue of demotivation. Demotivation has been a pervasive problem for language teachers yet largely ignored by researchers until relatively recently. Through a series of carefully designed studies of learners studying English as a foreign language in Japanese schools, Kikuchi convincingly argues for demotivation and demotivators as the legitimate target of inquiry that expands the breadth of L2 research.