Emozioni, motivazione e analfabetismo: un’ intervista ad apprendenti di Italiano L2 analfabete o bassamente scolarizzate.

Abstract

Nowadays the influence of emotion on language learning is still an interesting topic in language teaching research, given the difficulty in the definition of concepts such as Emotion or Motivation. The aim of this thesis is to explore motivation in adult illiterate students of Italian as a Second Language by means of qualitative research.

In Chapter 1 the word “emotion” is defined, with regard to the contributions of James (1884), Cannon & Bard (1927), Fridja (1986), and Damasio (2003), and draws particular attention to the distinction between primary and secondary emotions (Ekman, 1971). Furthermore, the influence of emotions on the brain, cognitive processes, and learning is described.

Chapter 2 illustrates the concept of Motivation, starting from the research made by Gardner & Lambert (1959; 1985; 2010), in order to explain how this construct had changed over the decades. According to the studies of Clément (1985), Schumann (1986), Ushioda (1993), and Ellis (2008), the main models of motivation are portrayed. Furthermore, the years of the Motivational Renaissance are described through the examination of the Affective Filter Hypothesis (Krashen, 1985), the Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985; 2000), and the Ten Commandments for Motivating Language Learners (Dörnyei,1996). Finally, dynamic motivation is depicted with reference to the studies of Dörnyei (2009) and Ushioda (2009).

Chapter 3 focuses on the adult learner and its characteristics. A description of andragogy (Knowles, 1980) and lifelong learning leads to the analysis of the cognitive, psychological, and socio-cultural factors which define the adult learner, and a practical guide with the suggestions of Sudati (2014), Caon & Brichese (2019), Serragiotto (2020) is offered. Moreover, the chapter defines the profile of the “illiterate student”, aiming attention at neurosciences and the influence of the cognitive processes implied in reading and writing on the brain. The last paragraph of the Chapter proposes some operational instructions, developed by Bigelow & Schwarz (2010), Casi (2015), Brichese (2018), and Raspollini (2019), which were proved to be useful during Second Language teaching to illiterate students.

The last Chapter presents a qualitative research done on immigrant women who are studying Italian as a second language, to detect their motivation and anxiety level during Italian lessons. The study was conducted by following the method of framework analysis, elaborated by Ritchie & Spencer (1994). The research consists of an interview delivered to immigrant students of Italian as a second language, which produced qualitative results about their integrative/instrumental and extrinsic/intrinsic motivation. The final section of the interview examines their state of anxiety and the influence of that emotion on motivation. According to the stages typical of framework analysis, the data are indexed, tabled, and then interpreted in the final discussion.