The Effect of Motivational Orientations on Language Learning Strategies: Turkish EFL Learners as a Case Study Kader Bas, University of Klagenfurt, Austria

Introduction to the topic  Status of English in Turkey:  English as a Foreign Language  Medium of instruction in many universities  Setting:  Limited opportunity to hear, speak, and write in English  Almost no interaction with a native English speaker

Research Objectives  Two main objectives;  To identify the motivational orientations of high school pupils learning English as a foreign language in Turkey  To determine the effect of pupils’ motivational orientations on their choice and use of language learning strategies

Language Learning Strategies (LLSs)  «Language learning strategies are strategies which contribute to the development of the language system which the learner constructs and affect learning directly» (Rubin 1987)  «[…] learning strategies are specific actions taken by the learner to make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more self-directed, more effective, and more transferrable to new situations» (Oxford 1990)  «Learning strategies are special ways of processing information that enhance comprehension, learning, or retention of the information» (O’Malley & Chamot 1990)

Rebecca Oxford’s (1990) Language Learning Strategy Classification

LLSs and Individual Learner Characteristics  What kind of variables are effective on the choice and the use of language learning strategies?  Age, gender, motivation, anxiety, attitude, personality, proficiency, learning situation, excitement, and etc.  To what extent do these variables influence the choice and the use of learning strategies?  The choice and the use of language learning strategies should be adjusted to individual learner characteristics.  One of the most widely studied and investigated learner variables: motivation

Motivation in SLA/EFL  Gardner & Lambert (1972)  Integrative motivation  Instrumental motivation  Clément and Kruidenier (1983)  Dörnyei and Csizér (2002)  Ryan & Deci (1985,2002)  Self-Determination Theory (SDT)  Intrinsic motivation  Extrinsic motivation

Intrinsic & Extrinsic Motivation  Intrinsic motivation  inherently interesting or enjoyable  Extrinsic motivation  leads to a separable outcome  varies in autonomous degrees  intentional behavior  Not the amount of motivation, but the nature and the focus of motivation  Sub-types of motivation  continuum  reflect the motivational orientation, not the level or amount of motivation  different attitudes

Research Methodology  The study involved a test battery consisted of two sets of questionnaires:  (1) Motivation Questionnaire, adapted from Zoltan Dörnyei’s motivation questionnaire used in 2013 Chinese survey (You & Dörnyei, in press)  (2) Rebecca Oxford’s Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL)  A translation of SILL  Motivational questionnaire was prepared both in Turkish and English.  Data was collected through the aforementioned questionnaires, which were forwarded for completion to the high school EFL learners in Ordu Province, Turkey.

Participants  22 high school students  11 females, 11 males  year olds  Living and studying in Ordu Province  Attending two different types of high schools (Fatsa Anatolian High School and Fatsa Anatolian Teachers’ Training High School)  Not very different in quality of education  Attending a private teaching institution for complementary courses  Non-English majors  Mathematics & Science (Physics, Biology, and Chemistry)

Procedure  Necessary permission was obtained from the administration of the institution.  The students were informed about the important aspects of the research.  The English teacher by whom the questionnaires were given and completed was also informed about the same aspects.  The given time frame by the administration of the institution for the research  minutes

Analysis & Results  Reliability test results according to Cronbach’s alpha  Motivational Questionnaire  0.94 (Turkish Translation)  Strategy Questionnaire (SILL) (Turkish Translation)  Memory (Part A) 0.75  Cognitive (Part B) 0.93  Compensation (Part C) 0.67  Metacognitive (Part D) 0.92  Affective (Part E) 0.73  Social (Part F) 0.85  Overall reliability result0.92

Table 1: Mean scores of learning strategies and their ranks and frequencies Total mean score of learning strategies : 3,2024 (Medium)

Table 3: Mean scores of each strategy category and their ranks for intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of the participants Total mean strategy score for intrinsic motivation: 3,34 (Medium) Total mean strategy score for extrinsic motivation: 2,86 (Medium) Motivation Strategies IntrinsicExtrinsic MeanRankFrequencyMeanRankFrequency Memory3,37964Medium3,01112Medium Cognitive3,09526Medium2,39296Low Compensation3,50002High3,18331Medium Metacognitive3,52781High2,82224Medium Affective3,15285Medium2,95003Medium Social3,40283Medium2,81675Medium

Concluding Remarks  Turkish EFL learners  medium level of strategy use  The most frequently used language learning strategy  Compensation strategies  The least frequently used language learning strategy  Cognitive strategies  12 participants  intrinsic motivation  10 participants  extrinsic motivation  Intrinsic motivation  Metacognitive strategies  Extrinsic motivation  Compensation strategies  The least frequently used language learning strategy for both motivation types  Cognitive strategies, yet the mean scores differ