Name of Candidate: Larisa Nikitina. Registration/Matric No: Name of Degree: Doctor of Philosophy. Title of Thesis: STEREOTYPES AND MOTIVATION IN ...
STEREOTYPES AND MOTIVATION IN LANGUAGE LEARNING AMONG LEARNERS OF EUROPEAN LANGUAGES
LARISA NIKITINA
INSTITUTE OF GRADUATE STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA KUALA LUMPUR 2015
STEREOTYPES AND MOTIVATION IN LANGUAGE LEARNING AMONG LEARNERS OF EUROPEAN LANGUAGES
LARISA NIKITINA
THESIS SUBMITTED IN FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
INSTITUTE OF GRADUATE STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA KUALA LUMPUR
2015
UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA ORIGINAL LITERARY WORK DECLARATION
Name of Candidate: Larisa Nikitina Registration/Matric No: Name of Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Title of Thesis: STEREOTYPES AND MOTIVATION IN LANGUAGE LEARNING AMONG LEARNERS OF EUROPEAN LANGUAGES Field of Study: Languages (Foreign language education)
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ABSTRACT In the field of applied linguistics the importance of exploring language learners’ stereotypes about the target language country, culture and native speakers has been recognized by scholars and practitioners. However, there is a dearth of studies that have explored stereotypes held by language learners in an Asian educational context. Also, while the available studies have focused on stereotype content systematic investigations of representations of the target language country are lacking. This thesis addresses these gaps. It pursues two overriding aims: firstly to extend the existing research on stereotypes about the target language country held by language learners and secondly to demonstrate a rigorous approach to investigating the stereotypical representations. The specific objectives this thesis pursues are: (1) to examine the content and structure of the language learners’ stereotypes about the target language country; (2) to identify consensual stereotypes about the TL country held by the language learners; (3) to assess favourability and salience of the stereotypes about the TL country; and (4) to examine association between the language learners’ stereotypes and their motivation to learn the foreign language.
To achieve the research objectives, this thesis adopts a concurrent mixed methods approach in which the mixing of the qualitative and quantitative strands occurs in a parallel manner in all stages of research. The research instrument contained both openended and closed-ended questions. The data were collected among the learners of European languages in the University of Malaya. In the qualitative strand of the analysis, the internal structure and salience of the stereotypical images were investigated. The findings revealed the presence of several pervasive and highly salient images about each of the target language countries. These images formed the consensual stereotypes. In the quantitative strand, the stereotypes’ favourability was
assessed and the associations between stereotypes and motivation were examined. The results indicated that the students’ images about the target language country were predominantly positive. Also, the findings provided empirical evidence in support of the existence of an association between stereotypes and motivation to learn the foreign language, especially the integrative orientation.
This thesis and its findings have theoretical, methodological and practical implications for the field of applied linguistics. From the theoretical perspective, it demonstrates how links can be established between the language learners’ stereotypes about the target language country and their language learning motivation. From the methodological angle, the thesis demonstrates how a mixed methods approach can contribute to stereotype research in applied linguistics. From the pedagogical perspective, knowledge of language learners’ stereotypes about the target language country can help language educators to make empirically-based decisions about teaching the cultural component of language programs.
ABSTRAK Dalam bidang linguistik gunaan, kepentingan meneroka stereotaip para pelajar bahasa tentang negara, budaya dan penutur asli bahasa sasaran telah diiktiraf oleh para sarjana dan pengamal bahasa. Walau bagaimanapun, terdapat kekurangan dari segi kajian yang menerokai stereotaip yang dipegang oleh para pelajar bahasa dalam konteks pendidikan Asia. Selain itu, bilangan kajian yang memberi tumpuan kepada kandungan stereotaip dan penyelidikan sistematik terhadap gambaran mengenai negara bahasa sasaran adalah begitu kecil. Tesis ini menerokai jurang tersebut. Dua matlamat utama tesis ini ialah pertama, untuk melanjutkan penyelidikan sedia ada tentang stereotaip yang dipegang oleh pelajar bahasa mengenai negara bahasa sasaran, dan kedua, untuk menunjukkan pendekatan teliti dalam menyelidik gambaran stereotaip. Objektif khusus yang ingin dicapai oleh tesis ini adalah: (1) untuk mengkaji kandungan dan struktur stereotaip pelajar bahasa tentang negara bahasa sasaran; (2) untuk mengenal pasti stereotaip konsensual yang dipegang oleh pelajar bahasa tentang negara bahasa sasaran; (3) untuk menilai kecenderungan dan keketaraan dari segi stereotaip mengenai negara bahasa sasaran; dan (4) untuk meneliti perkaitan antara stereotaip pelajar bahasa dengan motivasi mereka untuk belajar bahasa asing.
Bagi mencapai objektif-objektif tersebut, tesis ini mengguna pakai pendekatan kaedah bersepadu di mana untaian kualitatif dan kuantitatif diadun dan berlaku seiring dalam setiap peringkat penyelidikan. Instrumen kajian mengandungi soalan terbuka dan soalan tertutup manakala data kajian dikumpulkan di kalangan pelajar bahasa-bahasa Eropah di Universiti Malaya. Dalam untaian analisis kualitatif, kaji selidik telah dilakukan keatas struktur dalaman dan keketaraan imej stereotaip. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan kewujudan beberapa imej pervasif dan sangat ketara tentang setiap negara bahasa sasaran. Imej-imej tersebut telah membentuk stereotaip-stereotaip konsensual.
Dalam untaian kuantitatif pula, kecenderungan stereotaip telah dinilai dan perkaitan antara stereotaip dan motivasi telah diteliti. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa imej pelajar mengenai negara bahasa sasaran kebanyakannya positif. Selain itu, hasil kajian memberikan bukti empirikal yang menyokong kewujudan perkaitan antara stereotaip dengan motivasi untuk mempelajari bahasa asing, terutamanya orientasi integratif.
Tesis dan penemuan kajian ini memiliki implikasi teori, metodologi dan praktikal bagi bidang linguistik gunaan. Dari perspektif teori, tesis ini menunjukkan bagaimana perkaitan boleh diwujudkan antara stereotaip dengan motivasi pelajar bahasa. Dari sudut metodologi, tesis ini menunjukkan bagaimana pendekatan kaedah bersepadu boleh menyumbang kepada penyelidikan stereotaip dalam linguistik gunaan. Dari perspektif pedagogi, pengetahuan berkenaan stereotaip para pelajar bahasa tentang negara bahasa sasaran boleh membantu para pendidik bahasa untuk membuat keputusan secara empirik berkenaan pengajaran komponen budaya dalam sesuatu program bahasa.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many people have contributed in various ways to this academic endeavour. I am profoundly grateful to all of them. Firstly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my thesis supervisors, Professor Dr. Zuraidah Binti Mohd Don and Associate Professor Dr. Loh Sau Cheong, for their guidance, advice, support and encouragement throughout my Ph.D. studies. I owe intellectual debt to Professor Dr. Urmas Sutrop who introduced me to cognitive salience measurement, which makes the exploration of the students’ stereotypes about the target language country so much more exciting. I wish to thank Mr. Sean Harley Lee Allen for generously giving many hours of his time to proofread and correct this manuscript. Dr. Rohayati Binti Paidi’s help with translating the abstract into the Malay language is hugely appreciated. Needless to say, I am solely responsible for any errors or shortcomings that may remain in the text. I am deeply grateful to my family, especially my mother who has been the engine and inspiration behind this endeavour. I dedicate this thesis to her. I wish to thank my husband for his patience, encouragement and advice. Without his help and support I would not be able to complete this thesis. I am indebted to my Malaysian friends and colleagues for the camaraderie and the kind care they have given to me. Last but not least I wish to thank all the people who have helped me and wished me well.
