Why am I doing this?

When you were a kid, you probably asked your parents this question at some point about things you were told to do, and you probably got answers varying from “Because I said so” to “Remember, if you finish up soon, you’ll have time to play”.  These responses serve as motivation for you to do that thing; one is an order and the other is a promise. There are, however, more ways to being motivated! Scholars often divide motivation into two main categories that function in separate ways.

Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation

“Because I said so” and “Remember, if you finish up soon, you’ll have time to play” are examples of extrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation is defined as “behaviors … performed in order to receive something from others” (Kanevsky, 2022, para. 1). Keep in mind that these external motivators don’t have to be negative.  Many people might learn a new skill, for example, to get a pay raise at their job, to get credits at college, or even just to get admiration from friends.

On the other hand, we have intrinsic motivation, which is when “behaviors are performed because of the sense of personal satisfaction that they bring” (Kanevsky, 2022, para. 1). In the case of language learning, this could look like learning a language just because you want to, or because you like being able to speak to more people. Either way, there is no external reward or punishment attached to your decision.

Why is motivation important?

Well, “without such motivation, we will almost certainly not engage in some activities or […] make the necessary effort to complete an action or to achieve a specific goal” (Thohir, 2017, p. 21). Motivation drives the world, so motivation is required to do anything, including learning a language. But is one type of motivation better than the other? As it turns out, learners on average experience better results when their motivation is intrinsic. This is not to say that extrinsic motivation is bad, or that the two don’t blend together sometimes. Harmer (2001) says that “even where the original reason for taking up a language course, for example, is extrinsic, the chances of success will be significantly enhanced if the students come to love the learning process” (p. 98).

When a learner is extrinsically motivated, they will often only do what is required to achieve a reward or avoid a punishment, no more, no less. This is very different from a learner who is intrinsically motivated because an intrinsically motivated learner is much more likely to try harder in classes, study more, or continue taking classes longer than required. They truly love what they are doing! Neither type of motivation is bad; however, one usually yields better results for learning.

Can we apply this to our language learning journey? 

Not everyone is going to be naturally motivated to learn languages, so let’s create some strategies to turn our motivations intrinsic.

While we are all motivated by outside factors at some point, finding some deeper connection to a language can help you learn it better. So, what steps can you take to make your language journey more intrinsically motivated? Even finding one thing that you enjoy, whether that’s one song or one dish from that culture, will have a lasting effect on your journey. By being more connected to our learning, we become more connected to our future.

References