scholarly journals The Motivations of Learning Foreign Languages: A Descriptive Case Study of Polyglots

Author(s):  
Noprival Noprival ◽  
Zainal Rafli ◽  
Nuruddin Nuruddin

Polyglots are extraordinary people in terms of language ability. Therefore, it is interesting to academically explore their motivations for learning several languages. This research is novel compared to previous studies because scant extant research exists of polyglots’ motivation for learning several languages. To this end, researchers collected data from semi structured interviews obtained from five informants. The method that we used was a descriptive case study. Findings showed that the polyglots’ motivation for learning multiple foreign languages were (a) pleasure, (b) social intercourse, (c) professional purposes, and (d) academic purposes. Mostly, the previous research revealed that motivation for people learning foreign languages were for social interaction, professional reasons, and academic purposes. Meanwhile, the motivation of polyglots for learning many languages besides those three motivations was for pleasure. This is the key point behind their commitment to sustainable multiple language learning.

Author(s):  
Tri Jampi Setiyorini

In elementary school, vocabulary is the key factors in language learning. However, many students still have a lack of intrinsic motivation in learning vocabulary. Thus, it affects their vocabulary mastery. To overcome this problem, the researcher uses the digital storytelling to improve students’ intrinsic motivation for learning vocabulary. This research aims at analyzing the effect of using digital storytelling on students’ intrinsic motivation for learning vocabulary and describing the benefits of digital storytelling to improve students’ intrinsic motivation for learning vocabulary. The type of this research is descriptive case study. The subjects of the study are 22 students of 2C of SD Teladan Yogyakarta in the academic year of 2017/2018. The researcher uses close-ended questionnaire and interview to collect the data. The study shows that there was significant difference before and after using digital storytelling towards students’ intrinsic motivation in learning vocabulary. From the result of the questionnaires, after using digital storytelling, students’ intrinsic motivation for learning vocabulary is higher. Based on the result of interviews, digital storytelling can improve students’ intrinsic motivation for learning vocabulary due to interesting media and exciting learning situation


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rola A. Massri

Learning English in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) can be a challenging experience. Nevertheless, being proficient in English language guarantees better job opportunities in various fields and thus learners need to acquire an acceptable level of proficiency. Recognizing its significant role in the learners’ academic and professional excellence, the English language has gained the status of a mandatory language in the Saudi higher education institutions. As students enter universities for higher studies, they are often required to take prerequisite courses in English to gain a higher level of proficiency. This qualitatively driven descriptive case study investigated the attitudes of EFL students who were enrolled in the Foundation Year Program. This study aimed to examine the learners’ feelings, emotions, and attitudes in the light of their academic performance. In total, thirteen male and seventeen female students were interviewed using semi-structured interviews as a main tool for the data collection. They were asked to recall and write their narratives regarding their experience of learning the English language throughout the foundation year program. The socio-constructivist nature of this qualitative case study offered an opportunity to participants to share their stories. Consequently, it highlighted the factors that motivated them for a language learning experience. Moreover, it allowed them to reflect on the challenges that they encountered during their learning odyssey of the English language course as part of the preparatory year program (PYP). Findings from this research study suggest that the participants’ motivations to learn English are primarily related to socio-economic reasons. Besides, students were particularly motivated to learn English when they were encouraged by their families and by ‘good’ teaching practices. Nevertheless, these findings failed to establish an association between the learners’ attitudes and their performance on the assessments during the course. This case study adds to the existing literature by examining a context that lacks empirical evidence on the topic of EFL learners’ beliefs about English learning. More research in this area is required to determine why this discrepancy occurred


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 113
Author(s):  
Pham Thi Thu Hien

Twitter and Microblogging are two separate entities but completes each other. Both of them can be used as language learning tools and their potential has been proved by several scholars. This study tries to examine students’ experiences in integrating microblogging with twitter. It is also study about the beneficial roles of microblogging with Twitter in language learning, its relation to writing, and its appropriateness in language learning. This study employs a qualitative research methodology, and case study as its research design. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires were employed in this study to find out about participants' views about microblogging and Twitter. From this study, it can be concluded that the participants of the study underwent various experiences during the implementation of microblogging with Twitter. They also felt that microblogging with Twitter at some point advantages them to systematically arrange their ideas, and allows them to choose appropriate diction of their ideas. They also stated that Twitter can be an appropriate means in language learning, especially in English writing<em>.</em>


2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 92
Author(s):  
Novalia Nastiti ◽  
Imron Mawardi

Amil zaka in zaka institutions has the right as one of eight ashnaf. Their rights are usually used by zaka institutions as operational cost. However, not all of the intitutions which manage zaka take amil’s right, one of them is Yayasan Nurul Hayat. This institution does not take amil’s right and it is independent in its operational cost. To support this operational cost, Yayasan Nurul Hayat establish business unit with utilize its profit.This study aimed to discover the capability of business unit in supporting operational cost of Yayasan Nurul Hayat. This study used a qualitative approach with descriptive case study method. The selections of informant are using purposive sampling method. Data collection was conducted by semi-structured interviews and documentation. This data is analyzed using descriptive method.The result of this study shows that Yayasan Nurul Hayat Employments’ Salary is taken from business unit’s profit. It is also used to give bonus for employments and grow the business unit of Yayasan Nurul Hayat up. From the result of this study, it can be concluded that the business unit which is developed has great capability to support operational cost of Yayasan Nurul Hayat.


Author(s):  
Ratnawati Ratnawati

Writing, one of the four skills which have to be taught by educators in language learning. Starting from classroom observation implied that students confronted the difficulties in writing involving generating ideas, organizing words, and making compositions. This study supposes to explore some effects of pop culture as authentic materials for English language teaching in improving students’ writing skill. Due to pop culture relates to students’ life and experience, it is considered to be a stimulus for gaining students’ ideas, information, motivation, and interest in teaching writing. The students of secondary school were involved in this study and descriptive case study was employed to observe the importance of pop culture in writing class. Also, questionnaires and students’ works are the instruments to measure its effects. Both students’ works and result of the questionnaires pointed out that significantly improvement obtained after applying pop culture. In line with findings, it can be said that pop cultures have significant effects toward students’ writing skill. So, educators need to apply pop culture as their choices in future planning lesson.


ReCALL ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
FENFANG HWU

This case study investigated the ways pre-major and pre-minor students of Spanish interacted with a grammar application from four perspectives. Firstly, using the computer’s tracking ability to collect learners’ behaviors, the study set out to uncover the different ways learners approached the application. Secondly, the study assessed the influence of two learner variables on learning behaviors: language abilities determined by a placement test and personality preferences measured by Jung-Myers-Briggs-Typology based approach. Thirdly, the study assessed whether the frequency of various behaviors resulted in different knowledge increases. Finally, the study categorized the uncovered behaviors into the learning strategies covered in the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) (Oxford 1990). The study concludes with implications for software improvement, as well as with indications of likely directions for future research.


2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 568-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danijela Prosic-Santovac

When teaching foreign languages to very young learners, motivation is an issue that needs to be taken into account even more than in the case of any other age group. Teaching materials and students’ textbooks used in schools and preschools, however carefully crafted, often fail to cater for the genuine interests of children and to invoke intrinsic motivation for learning. This article aims to examine whether centring teaching around authentic media material, such as popular cartoons, and the accompanying branded toys, affects the level of second language (L2) knowledge and motivation for learning. The ‘one environment – one language’ approach was developed for this case study, which focuses on the learning progression of one four-year-old during the period of 18 months. The results speak in favour of using this approach both in kindergarten settings, exploiting role play with playschool character toys, as well as in home settings, where family characters can be used to connect home and preschool environments.


2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
Indra Kharisma ◽  
Imron Mawardi

Implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is used later to improve the image of the company and its business existence. Instead of CSR to empower people its delude people with a profit motive. Islamic CSR is that CSR refers to business practices that have an ethical responsibility Islamically, companies incorporate Islamic norms characterized by sincerity commitment in maintaining the social contract in its business practices in halal lawful. This study aimed to reveal the implementation of Islamic CSR PT. Bumi Lingga Pertiwi Gresik.This study used a qualitative approach with descriptive case study method. The selections of informant are using purposive sampling method. Data collection was conducted by semi-structured interviews and documentation. Analysis of the data using descriptive method.The results of this study indicate that PT. Bumi Lingga Pertiwi has implemented Islamic CSR based on unity, caliphate, justice and broterhood by creating and running a cooperation agreement in accordance with sharia corridor, provide good service to customers, act fairly and avoid discrimination, provide assistance to the poor in the villages around, helping the development of education and worship, as well as participate protecting the environment by way of planting trees together.


Author(s):  
GIULIA ROSSETTI

<p><em>Festivals have always represented a good opportunity on the economic front, but most importantly they have been perfect occasions for creating settings for social, cultural and inter-linguistic interaction. Nowadays, thanks to the globalisation process, intercultural and inter-lingual communications are increasingly important in the festivals domain, especially those focused on international literary events. According to the experiential learning theory, international book festivals can be environments for learning activities, and specifically for language development. Thus, these cultural events have provoked such questions as the following: attending international literary festivals can increase participants' language learning? In what ways do international literary festival managers invest in multilingual services in order to encourage language learning? This study aims to investigate if international literary festivals can develop adult visitors’ language learning, taking Festivaletteratura of Mantua (Italy) as a case study. Firstly, I shall present the importance of interlingual communication in festival tourism and the experiential learnign theory. Secondly, I will explore Festivaletteratura supply analysis, considering also its international projects as potential language training tools: Scritture Giovani and Vocabolario Europeo, and Festivaletteratura’s international connection with other partners: the Hay Festival and the Berlin Internationales Literaturfestival. Then, I will investigate the role of foreign languages in the demand analysis of the festival, according to the questionnaire survey among 300 adult attendees during the 2015 Festivaletteratura edition. Finally, I intend to argue that even if the festival might provide a setting for language learning with lots of international guests, due to its target, who is not familiar with foreign languages, it cannot be described as an example of language learning environment.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p> </p>


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