Attitudes and Motivation in Second-Language Learning

Gardner explains and defends the studies he and his colleagues have done in this area, and defines motivation more clearly for the Socio-educational Model. Gardner spells out the details of motivation and the definition thereof. The Socio-educational Model; the Attitude Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) are also explained and Gardner talks about his work in and outside of the Canadian environment that he started in; EFL around the world; and finally, language classroom motivation.The concept of motivation, often divided into instrumental (that of students who clearly see the use of the language, and learn it for that use, and integrative (that of those students who want to experience a new culture, know people, open themselves up, etc.). But Gardner makes several points about this distinction. First, for many people, there are several reasons for learning a language, some instrumental, some integrative, and they are difficult if not possible to separate. But most important, motivation to Gardner is not the reason one wants to learn the language, motivation is the demonstration of its result: expending effort to learn it, wanting to achieve the goal, and actually enjoying the task as a result. From Gardner’s point of view, the reason is not important in determining whether a learner is successful; only the strength of one’s motivation will influence the result. Finally, while he and his colleagues did extensive research into “integrative orientation” and its influence on the success of language learners, it alone is not a motivation, but rather a set of attitudes that may or may not translate into what he would call motivation. It is useful, he says, because you do useful things as a result of it. But it is possible to have integrative orientation, and still be without motivation of any useful force.