Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching - National University

• Feelings toward the target language and culture
• Willingness to communicate in the target language
• Sources of motivation
• Reinforcement for speaking L2
• Experiences that had a positive (or negative) affect on confidence in target
language
Two field experts reviewed this initial instrument for validity prior to implementation. After
collection and analysis of the language autobiographies, a second instrument was developed to
further explore the themes that were common to several or all of the participants in the language
autobiographies. This was a Likert-scale questionnaire (SEE APPENDIX B) that measured the
role, whether positive or negative, that the L2 speakers felt the identified motivational and
attitudinal factors had played in their L2 acquisition.
Procedures
Study participants were selected based on their perceived fluency in a second language. Each
prospective participant was contacted via telephone, in person or by email and given the
rationale and details of the study. It was explained that privacy would be protected through the
use of pseudonyms, and that they could withdraw from the study at any time. The data were
collected in two forms: the Second Language Acquisition Autobiographies written by the
participants and the four-point Likert scale questionnaires that were given approximately one
week after the review of the autobiographies. Data from the first phase was reviewed and
common themes were identified. Next, those themes were presented to the participants in the
form of a Likert-scale questionnaire. The participants were asked to rank the theme’s level of
importance in regard to their second language acquisition on a scale of one (having almost no
influence) to 4 (having significant influence). Both research instruments provided the research
with a list of clearly identified factors that seemed to influence second language acquisition. It is
hoped that this data can have a direct pedagogical implication in foreign language classrooms.
Data Analysis
The first step of the data analysis process came from the language learner autobiographies,
which were coded for major and minor themes. Three areas that came out clearly were: (1)
teachers make a difference (2) learning activities are crucial (3) culture seems to play a more
important role in an immersion setting.
Three of the four participants described very positive experiences with their second
language instructors. They said that they “loved” their teachers and that the instructors “really
knew how to motivate the students.” One participant explained that she switched majors in
college because she was so attracted to the Spanish language program. She explained, “I loved
the easy-going communicative approach of the Spanish classes. In fact, after two semesters of
dealing with aloof and somewhat snobby French professors, I decided to switch my major from
French to Spanish“. Other participants described their instructors as “fun” and “pretty” and
“motivating.”
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