A Question of Meaning: Motivation as a Meaning-Making Process for Late Adolescent Learners Engaged in Multilingual Language Learning

Abstract

Although we have advanced our knowledge of language learning motivation, there are still many elements that have not been sufficiently considered. Within the existing research, there is a lack of perspectives that focus on languages other than English (LOTE) and multilingualism, as well as a need for studies that examine the relationship between learners and factors such as emotions, time, and the sociocultural environment. Ushioda (2009) has advocated for a person-in-context view of motivation, which understands motivation as an emergent property that results from the relationship between the person, as an intentional agent, and the different contextual elements that compose the environment in which the person functions. This study adopts this framework with the purpose of investigating the relationship between how individuals interpret and use their language learning experiences from adolescence, particularly from secondary school, and their motivation to continue learning languages in becoming a multilingual subject. The study comprises data taken from a series of semi-structured interviews with ten university students (five attending college in South Korea and five attending college in Ireland) and uses a methodological approach based on the principles of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to examine the nature of their language learning motivation. It interprets participant accounts through the lens of meaning-making, a process of constructing meaning out of the series of events in one?s life in order to make sense of the events and construct an ipse identity for oneself. An analysis of participant narratives illustrates that motivation is a dynamic, relational, and idiosyncratic construct that reflects the presence and influence of memories from school, several of which are emotionally-tinged, as well as a range of social and psychological factors such as personal relationships, values, social mores, and educational background. Moreover, motivation finds further complexity with the introduction of multilingualism as a factor. The participants demonstrated various approaches to how they dealt with their memories as they each continued to make decisions regarding their further language learning. The complexity of motivation makes it difficult to predict whether and in what way language learning and development might continue after secondary education, although students? language learning experiences influence students? motivation to engage in further opportunities for multilingual development. Holistic approaches such as the one adopted by this study may generate further insight into language learning motivation that may be used to impact educational policy and pedagogy.