Motivating students of non-linguistic specialities learning foreign languages

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Motivating students of non-linguistic specialities learning foreign languages

The articlefocuses on the problem of motivating students of non-linguistic specialities learning foreign language. The study takes a backward look at some tools, techniques, technologies and methods of increasing motivation, enhancing interest to professional- ly-orientedforeign language acquisition.

“Motivation works in both directions: high motivation is one factor that encourages successful learning; in reverse, successful learning encourages high motivation” [4].

Being motivated seems to be the greatest single factor affecting language learner's progress. The student's learning is facilitated most effectively while highly motivated. Actually, motivated language learners achieve greater success even more than the intelligent learners who are not enough motivated: “Without sufficient motivation, even individuals with most remarkable abilities cannot accomplish longterm goals” [6,p. 119].

While many studies have been devoted to the role of different orientations in acquiring good command of a foreign language, this paper focuses on the effect of the professionally-oriented approach on language proficiency.

For decades motivation was regarded as a relatively stable learner trait but further researches on motivation have undergone a shift towards more dynamic concept more grounded in the context of paramount need in professional communication.

In the process of globalization a society's urgent demand is foreign languages learning.

Unambiguously, a social request for a graduate of a higher educational establishment has been claimed. There must be a specialist who knows a foreign language.

Aspects of the teaching situation that enhance students' self-motivation gained special significance in the works of great number of scientists: R. Gardner and W. Lambert (instrumental and interactive motivation indices (1972)), A. Martin and I. Laurie (practical reasons for motivation (1993)), Robinson and Nocon (ethnographic techniques and face-to-face contact to enhance desire and interest (1996)), later R. Gardner, P. Fremblay, G. Crookes, Z. Domyei, (1993-1994), among others turned back to the basic task of defining motivation, seeking to strengthen the theoretical basic for future study on the second-language acquisition [8, p. 25-26].

More recently two new ideas were developed. E. Deci and R. Ryan's self-determination approach (2000). The latest was proposed Motivational Self-System by Z. Domyei (2005). Z. Domyei associates students' motivation with the “possible selves”, which represent what students imagine themselves to be in the future (2009). Yet, second-language studies of motivation makes imperative the examination of such factors as students' feedback, self-perception and better ways of increasing motivation in both learners and teachers, making up the motivation at different learning levels, the motivation of continued language study is problematic.

The Aim of the Paper is to examine some of main ideas that have been researched and argued in the field of motivational factors that contribute to learning a foreign language for specific purposes, analyses a teacher's role in implementing motivation in specifically oriented language learning as well as overview contemporary technologies and forms of teaching.

Young people have already changed the attitude to foreign languages learning because of the dynamics of modem society and world process. The most significant among them: changing of values, turning from ideology to humanity, revising educational process in the personally-oriented direction. All this stimulate increasing the level of motivation in the terms of learning foreign languages and introduces the concept of“command oflanguage”.

Nowadays we can already observe a lot of learners who require little attention from their teachers. They are keenly aware of the way to adopt learning strategies, they realize their competencies in specific domains, and will commit to their academic goals.

B. Zimmerman described these students as “self-regulated”, self-motivated. He pointed out that they are metacognitively, motivationally and behaviorally active participants in their own learning process [12, p. 73-86]. Employing appropriate strategies can help learners to develop self-motivation, self-regulation and volition to study. B. Zimmerman suggested methods of self-motivation. Familiarity with these self-motivated methods is not only useful in learning but once mastered, the techniques can be useful throughout life to be introduced affectivity in various contexts. B. Zimmerman and Mar- tinez-Pons (1988) worked out the effective self-regulated learning strategies:

- self-evaluation;

- organizing and transforming;

- goal-setting and planning;

- seeking information;

- keeping records and monitoring;

- environmental structuring;

- self-consequating;

- rehearsing and memorizing;

- seeking social assistance;

- reviewing records [12, p. 330].

If we look into motivation of foreign language learning students, taking into consideration such factors as: a level of foreign language acceptance and attitude to it, need and necessity in it, it appears that students on the upper-intermediate or advanced levels have broad social and professional grounds of motivational incentives. For the students on the pre-intermediate or intermediate levels the main reasons are: social prestige and those whose level is very poor pursue pragmatic and situational goals.

According to the peculiarities of motivation principles the level of cognitive activity is higher if students are oriented in their aims and incentives more for a long term perspective and on broader social and professional values.

Researches prove that students of non-linguistic specialties who learn professionally-oriented foreign language show narrowly prevailed personal motivational incentives. Those students who express vividly professional ambitions in language acquisition, estimate the professional importance of learning a foreign language for specific purpose have a greater motive force and, eventually, make a highly qualified specialist in a particular field. Besides reasonable motivation such students are described by singleness of purpose, strong willingness, ability to mobilize their physical and psychological forces to study and a high regularity of learning activity. The whole complex of these traits altogether with motivation of getting particularly-aimed command of a foreign language provide high success ability to learning.

Thus, the factors affecting a given student's motivation to work and learn are the following:

- student's personal interest in subject matter;

- professional orientation and perception of its usefulness;

- sincere desire to achieve;

- students' creative language activity [1, p. 26-29].

The transition to personal-semantic paradigm of

education creates real conditions for the implementation of the sense-creation context. Sense-creation context is a system of sense technologies that motivates students, and, therefore, stimulates personal development and promotes a foreign language learning to the level of professional and life values.

Personal-semantic paradigm is the original conceptual approach to education aimed at developing the student's personality, his determination, self-realization and social adaptation. The individualization of education on the basis of student-centered differentiation provides the development of foreign language learners, allows forming the skills of self-education and self-actualization of the person.

Modem methods of teaching foreign languages are to focus on the subjective component, personal meaning, sense attitudes and semantic motivation. Students should decide for themselves what is important in the learning process. Fanguage acquisition depends on which sense category stimulates the cognitive sphere of a student [11, p. 127-132].

Among modem innovations in teaching students of non-linguistic specialties foreign languages which is gaining great popularity and wide implementation is using on line resources. Teaching activities in a computer lab, having a profession-directed character, helps consider students' motivation, interests and requirements. In fact, modem multimedia language laboratories give wide opportunities for students and teachers' work. Computes help teachers to present and consolidate new material as well as lexis and grammar, especially using computer designed algorithms. Computer technologies have become the necessary technical means of teaching, learning, searching for more information. It encourages students to accumulate knowledge, acquire appropriate skills, enhance their cognitive search activity and thus to enhance their cognitive interest.

Another motivating factor is teacher's profound involvement in efficient increasing student's enthusiasm, creative self-realization and goal-orienteers.

There are still hesitant or passive students who want or expect their teachers to foster their self-confidence and relief them of their paternal communicative limitations. “Effective learning in the classroom depends on the teacher's ability <...> to maintain the interest that brought students to the course in the first place” [7,p. 112].

It is the teacher's main task to make students be genuinely stimulated, inspired and challenged, willing to participate to what happens in the classroom. Also one should consider different factors affecting a given student's motivation to work and to learn:

- make classes interesting;

- develop realistic expectations;

- do evaluation and design individual study plan promote learners autonomy;

- make the course relevant;

- emphasize the usefulness of the foreign language

- knowledge [9, p. 86-88].

A teacher's guiding function in creating supporting encouraging atmosphere cannot be undervalued. Ateacher's expectations have a powerful effect on students' performance. If a teacher sets realistic expectations for the students to be motivated, hard-working and interested in the course they are more likely to be so.

To awaken students' involvement in the learning process and to increase their motivation as independent learners, a teacher can use productive approaches:

- give frequent positive feedback that supports student's belief that they can do well;

- ensure opportunities for students' success by assigning tasks that are neither too easy nor too difficult;

- help students find personal meaning and value in the material.

Nevertheless, it is easy to assume that ultimate attainment of any teaching goal is certain by setting a personal example. The teachers can show this by preparing for the classes painstaking, being motivated and committed themselves. At results in optimization in the process of teaching based on increased motivation in both teachers and learners.

Another tool is some Domyei and Csizer's commandments:

- develop learners' confidence by encouraging them;

- give positive feedback;

- make sure that students constant by have a feeling

- of success [6, p. 205].

Initiating motivation and maintaining it is the key to success learning foreign languages. It is of crucial significance for the students of non-linguistic specialties whose level of motivation is insufficient and varied at the starting point of learning a foreign language. Teachers can be influential in affecting students' motivation while implying contemporary technologies, interactive methods, technical means, informational technologies and innovations.

Still more research is needed to came to better understanding the ways in which professionals-orient- ed language can be most effectively implemented in teaching process.

Some aspects of the study turn challenging in generalizing findings on motivation across languages as each language seems to carry its own “motivational baggage”.

Furthermore, the identification of factors making up motivation may not still be useful at all learning levels.

An additional problem which requires a larger scale and in more depth is the high motivation to continue as it is highly unstable and unreliable.

The perspectives and the wide expansion of the research in this field suggest further thorough study by methodologists, material designers, scholars, educators in practice.

motivation foreign language language

References

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