Motivation and its dynamics. An investigation on Italian language students in Cagliari.

Abstract

The very moderate presence of foreigners willing to learn the Italian language, has made Sardinia one of the less experienced Italian regions at L2 teaching. Although the exponential growth of the learners in the last ten years, the numbers are not even faint similar to the rest of the country, especially the Northern area. However, the L2 courses are successful and highly attended, mostly because they are felt as the best mean to improve the communication between foreigners and Italian, since the little presence of people speaking foreign languages beside English or Spanish. Therefore it is very common to find in the same language course immigrants, exchange students, temporary workers and also Italian language and culture lovers. Even for the less expert, it is obvious that all these personalities have different reasons to learn Italian and so, different needs. Knowing what they are can help the language teachers to understand their students’ motivation, which is one of the keys for a successful and continuous learning, which, as for the learners’ point of view, will improve the integration process of the foreigners in the Italian society. Learning a language is a long process, and some of the foreigners feel the need to continue studying Italian for many years, but others drop off the courses after just one year, before reaching the threshold level. This discrepancy has called my attention, and I have decided to investigate on the factors that influence students’ motivation and demotivation in the school I served an internship during spring 2015. To identify those factor I have decided to use two correlated questionnaires, created for two different periods and aims. The first questionnaire, based on Dörnyei L2 Motivational Self System research, was given during the first month of the course, and to investigate on the learners’ motivation and identity. The second questionnaires (one for who goes on attending the courses and one for who has dropped them off) are aimed to identify the factors that influence dynamics in motivation, as its strengthening or its loss. The interesting results of the two questionnaires show how the teaching plays a fundamental role especially when the students do not have a strong L2 ideal self. That is why I affirm that a sensible teaching that respects and satisfies the student’s needs can create the best roots for deeper L2 motivation and a better success.