ESL learners' perceptions of their motivation

This study was conducted to investigate ESL learners' perceptions of their motivation to learn English as a second language and how their motivation was affected by their contact with the environment.

Qualitative interviewing was used in this study. An interview schedule consisting of thirteen questions was developed to obtain data. Twenty ESL learners from three English as a Second language programs were selected as participants in the study. Interviews were taped-recorded and transcribed.

Data analysis of this study was guided by the constant comparative method of the grounded theory. Six themes emerged in the process of the data analysis:1. These learners' motivation to learn English as a second language was affected by the meanings they attached to learning English, which were defined by the degree of the linkage between learning English as a second language and their personal goals determined by the social environment the learners were in.2. These ESL learners' motivation to learn English as a second language was affected by the reasons for them to come to the United States, which indicated the meanings learning English had for them.3. These ESL learners' motivation to learn English as a second language was affected by learning difficulties, depending on to what ESL learners attributed their learning success or failure and how effort was perceived in the learning process.4. These ESL learners' motivation to learn English as a second language was influenced by their perceptions of their ESL, teachers, which were based on whether these ESL teachers could satisfy their specific needs regarding the content of learning and their learning styles.5. These ESL learners' motivation to learn English as a second language was affected by their acculturation experiences to the degree they were prepared for the new environment.6. Most ESL learners' motivation to learn English as a second language was affected by their new identity as aliens which decreases the significance of their learning English as a second language.