SEEU Review vol. 5 Nr. 2 (pdf) - South East European University

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gezim Xhaferi and Ass. Prof. Dr. Brikena Xhaferi
What is most important is that language learners differ in many aspects
when they learn a foreign language and these individual differences
significantly influence the route of second language acquisition. Brown
(1980:80) suggests that “SLA involves cognitive processes that consist of
many types of learning, and every individual utilizes a variety of strategies
and styles in order to master the language”.
According to many researchers (ElliS 1985, Lightbown and Spada 1994,
Dörney and Skehan 2005) in addition to personality characteristics, factors
that are relevant in learning a language are: motivation, aptitude, age (the
critical period that is the age at which learning begins), learning strategies
and personality.
Motivation
Motivation is a very important factor that influences SLA. It concerns the
direction and magnitude of human behavior, or, more specifically, the choice
of particular action, the persistence with it and the effort expended on it. In
broad terms, motivation is responsible for why people decide to do
something, how long they are willing to sustain the activity, and how hard
they are going to pursue it (Dörnyei and Skehan 2005:614). Ellis (1985: 119)
points out that “there can be little doubt that motivation is a powerful factor
in SLA. Its effects are to be seen on the rate and success of SLA rather than
on the route of acquisition”.
It is one variable, which, combined with other factors, influences a
learner's success. An attitude that a student holds about language learning,
his learning experiences and the personal goal for learning a language effect
motivation. In addition, the students’ use of learning strategies, which can be
a subconscious process, and the teacher’s responsibility to assist students in
developing the existing strategies (and developing new ones) are both crucial
in enhancing learning. The students should strive to discover the strategies
they are comfortable with and make use of them in many occasions. Once
the power of motivation is discovered, we can set our students in the right
way towards achieving excellence in learning. Maybe there is not a perfect
way to motivate our students, but there are still some techniques that can
enhance learning. According to Keller’s model ARCS described in Driscol,
(2005), he views motivational design as a sequence of events; this sequence
includes attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction. Regardless of the
198