Classroom group presentation material for the course of Research Method and Enquiry.

1. Self-Determination, Motivation
and the Learning of Chinese as
a Heritage Language
Group Members: Psyche KEUNG Shuet
Illie TANG Weizhi
Joy ZHENG Yuan
Classroom Group Presentation
Med: Methods of Research and Enquiry-TCSL (Part-time Group)
Instructor: Dr. LAI Chun & Dr. Bennan Zhang
Research Evaluation and Discussion

2. Self-Determination, Motivation, and the
Learning of Chinese as a Heritage Language
Authors
Ruxandra Comanaru, Kimberly A. Noels

3. Abstract

4.  Aim & method: the motivation of 145 learners of Chinese
was examined in light of self-determination theory
through a questionnaire survey.
 Results: the more learners felt personally meaningful
and fun (self-concept), the more they engaged. There
were few differences between heritage learners who
Chinese L1 & English L1 social psychology standpoint,
regardless of Chinese proficiency, subgroups of heritage
language learners may be more alike than different.
Abstract

5. Abstract: Check
 The sample and methods briefly described.
 Results of the study summarized.
 The relevance and importance of the study not
mentioned.
 Representative overview of the topic,
background details.

6. Keywords
 Heritage Language Learning
 Self-Determination Theory (SDT)
 Second Language Acquisition (SLA)
 Social Identity
 Ethnic Identity
 Chinese
 Motivation

7. The Literature Review

8. Background of
Heritage Language Learning (HL)
 A significant social, political, and economic issue in North
America.
 Linguistically and social-psychologically different from
FL (knowledge of the language, motivation, attitude, goals)
 Recent overviews: more work on linguistic profile of HL
learners vs. non-HL learners, but less on motivational &
affective profiles
(see Brintion, Kagan, & Bauckus, 2008; He & Xiao, 2008)

9. Background of
Heritage Language Learning (HL): Check
 Key relevant studies surveyed.

10. Defining the HL learners
 Differ from FL learners: background knowledge, language
skills, familiarity with the culture, motivation, and other factors
make them a special class of language learners (Kondo-Brown,2005;
Duff,2008; Campbell & Rosenthal, 2000; Lee, 2005)
 Within the HL category:
 “student who is raised in a home where a non-English language is
spoken…” (Valdes, 2001)
 “the ancestral language of an individual or group, regardless of
whether that language is still used in the home” (Fishman, 2001;
Noels, 2005)
 “a heritage motivation” (Van Desusen-School, 2003)
 LOOK INTO affective factors that differentiates groups of learners.

11.  “goal directed, expends effort, persistent, attentive, has desires,
exhibits positive effect, aroused, expectancies, self-confidence,
reasons” (Gardner,2006)
 Most important Prediction of proficiency: Motivational intensity the
sustained effort
Motivation for HL learners
 …to gain linguistic skills, to enhance career opportunities, to fulfill
academic requirements
Theoretically (Gardner, 1985):
1. Integrative orientation: interest, positive attitudes and desire for social
interactions with the language community
2. Instrumental orientation: goal of learning a language to achieve certain
pragmatic benefits (e.g. job requirement)
 1&2 to predict motivation and language proficiency
Defining Motivation

12.  Self- Determination theory (SDT)
(self-concept, internalization)
 “self determination is the quality of human functioning that involves the
experience of choice…and internal perceived locus of control”
(Deci&Ryan, 2000)
1.Intrinsic motivation:Based solely on interest and pleasure, “in the absence of a
reward contingency or control”, voluntarily, approach it with imagination and
creativity, curiosity and enthusiasm.
2. Extrinsic motivation
 a. External regulation, in order to achieve a reward or avoid a punishment.
 b. Introjected regulation: in order to temper internal pressures, for ego
enhancement
 c. Identified regulation: for personal relevant reasons
 d. Integrated regulation: already intergrated the process of learning into one’s
being, consistent with other life goals (Deci & Ryan. 1985)
Defining Motivation

13. Defining Motivation: Check
 An coherent and objective summary of the current
state of the theoretical framework of the study.

14.  Learners of Chinese in Canada: large-scale
Chinese Migration since 90s
 Conditions for achieving bilingual proficiency:
home, school and societal factors, feelings of
pride and belonging to the culture (Li,2006)
 Positive Chinese learning experience: ethnic pride,
exposure to Chinese media, practice of Chinese
customs, and self-assessed proficiency
 A supportive community for HL maintenance
Chinese HL Learning

15. Chinese HL Learning: Check
 Background to understand how the study fits in with
other research.

16.  For optimal psychological functioning
(Deci & Ryan, 1985)
 Autonomy: feeling of pursuing this activity for one’s
own will, for personal desires, without external factors
key to more internalized regulation and stronger SD
 Competence: perception of ability in performing the
activity
 Relatedness: a sense of warmth, security, and
connection between the learners and other people in
that social context
Relevant Study Background

17. Investigates the social-psychological
differences and similarities between :
 HL and non-HL learners in university-level
Chinese classes,
 Subgroups of HL learners
Relevant Study Background

18.  SDT
intrinsic motivation: feelings of pride and
belonging to the culture
 extrinsic motivation:
- Autonomy (Key)
- Relatedness
- competency
Relevant Study Background

19. Relevant Study Background:
Check
 More relevant research background.
 Background to understand how the study fits in with
other research.

20. Research Objectives
 To explore the similarities and differences in the
motivational profiles of subgroups of language learners
(Comparison).
 To extend previous research to a group of HL learners who
have relatively ready access to their language community.
 To discover whether intrinsic and self-determined extrinsic
orientations predict motivated engagement in the learning
process and language community (Correlation).
 To consider the relations between orientations and
autonomy, competence and relatedness (Correlation).

21. Research Objective
 3 Groups
 Orientation related internal similarities and differences.
 Orientation × Engagement in Learning Process/Community.
 Orientation × Psychological Needs (Autonomy,
Competence and Relatedness)

22. Research Objectives: Check
 Clear objectives of the study
within the theoretical framework

23. Methods

24. Methods
 Survey Research with questionnaire that consisted of
assessment instruments adapted from existing
measures to fit the Chinese language context.
 Survey location: outside of class
 Survey duration: one week

25. Research Design: Check
 Ethic issues informed
 All items and variables are clearly defined.
 “One week outside the class” may cause problems,
which includes external influential factors, Changing
minds .etc. How could we know that they students
complete the survey individually?

26. Sampling
 Size: 145 university level students in total
 Convenience sampling

27. Sampling: Check
 Total sampling size and group sampling size are all
larger than 30 (minimum requirement).
 Why these 145? The sample background and course
information is not mentioned. What is “University
Level”, What is the background information of this
“credit-bearing Chinese courses”?

28. Sampling: Groups
Parental Linguistic
Background and
L1
Total 145
Chinese-
Chinese Group
71
English-
Chinese Group
36
Non-Chinese
Group
33
Response Rate: 96.5%

29. Factual Information
 Gender
 L1
 Parental Linguistic Background
 Ethnic Background
 Status of Residency (including length of residence)
 Origin
 Chinese Language Proficiency Level

30. Subgroup: Chinese-Chinese
Gender
men
women
Parental Linguistic
Background
Both parents
were Chinese
native
speakers
Level
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
•All Chinese or hyphenated
background
•Age Range: 18~33
(M=20.49, SD=2.77)
•Almost 90% were
Canadian citizens or PR

31. Subgroup: English-Chinese
Gender
Men
Women
Parental Linguistic Background
Both parents
were Chinese
native
speakers
Level
Beginner
Intermediat
e
•Age Range: 18~24 (M=19.97,
SD=1.57)
Ethnical Background
Chinese
Mixed

32. Subgroup: Non-Chinese
Gender
Men
Women
•Age Range: 18~54 (M=22.26,
SD=6.06)
•Age that Started Learning Chinese:
15~47 (M=20.59, SD=5.89)
•Year of Taking Chinese Courses: 1~4
(M=1.55, SD=0.92)
•All Canadian Citizens and Canadian
or European Descents.
Level
Beginner
Intermediate

33. Grouping: Check
 Grouping criteria were stated and the factual
information of each subgroup was given.
 Why three groups? Why distinct EC and CC?
 The components of students in each group vary a lot.
 Sample size are different-Notes 3.
 L1 and parental linguistic background as grouping
criteria are relatively ambiguous.

34. Instruments: Question Type
 Closed-ended questions with rating scale 1 (‘does not
correspond at all’) to 7 (‘correspond exactly’).
 Single-item indices.
 Open-ended questions

35. Instruments: Check
 All adapted from existing measures.
 Cronbach’s alpha index of internal consistency is
taken into account.
 Whether these instruments fit the Chinese language
context is not justified.
 The validity and reliability of the instruments need to
be further checked.

36. Motivational Orientations-Instruments
Randomly adopted from
Noels et al (2000)
33 items in
total
SDT 29
Intrinsic
Motivation
11
Extrinsic
Motivation
18
Integrated
Regulation
4
Identified
Regulation
6
Introjected
Regulation
5
External
Regulation
7
Amotivation
4

37. Motivational Orientations-Questionnaire Statements
• I love doing it.
• It is fun.
Intrinsic Motivation
• It is an important part of how I define
myself.
Integrated Regulation
• Knowing Chinese helps me achieve goals
that are important to me.
Identified Regulation
• Would feel guilty if I didn’t know Chinese.Introjected Regulation
• To gain the benefits which taking Chinese
will provide.
External Regulation
• I don’t know.
• I cannot come to understand why I’m Studying Chinese.
Amotivation

38. Motivational Orientations-Results
 Means analyses: a 3 × 6 mixed-model ANOVA.

40. Psychological Needs: Self-perceptions of autonomy,
competence and relatedness-Instruments
adapted from
Noels, Clement,
& Pelletier (1999)
19 items in
total
Autonomy 4
Competence
4
Relatedness
11

41. Psychological Needs: Self-perceptions of autonomy,
competence and relatedness-Questionnaire Statements
• I study Chinese out of personal choice.Autonomy
• I have developed very good abilities as a Chinese
student.Competence
• I feel a certain connection with Chinese and the
Chinese-speaking world.
• In my relationships with other people in my Chinese
class, I feel supported.
Relatedness

42. Psychological Needs: Self-perceptions of autonomy,
competence and relatedness-Results
 Autonomy: NC>EC>CC
 Relatedness: EC=CC>NC
 Competence: No significant differences.

43. Engagement in learning-Instruments
15 items in total
Motivational
Intensity
10 items adapted from
Gardner, Tremblay, and
Masgoret’s (1997)
Intention to
Continue
5 items adapted from
Noels et al. (1999)

44. Engagement in learning-Questionnaire
Statements
• I make a point [of] trying
to understand all of the
Chinese I see and hear.
Motivational
Intensity
• I intend to study
Chinese again in the
future.
Intention to
Continue

45. Engagement in learning-Results
 One-way ANOVA.
 No significant differences.

46. Community Engagement-Instruments
7 items in total
Frequency
1
Quality 1
Language
Use 1
Chinese
Identity 4
Adapted from the
identity sub-scale
of Luhtanen and
Crocker’s (1992)

47. Community Engagement-Results
 Frequency: EC=CC>NC
 Language Use: CC>EC>NC
 Quality: Same
 Chinese Identity: Independent t-test comparing the
two HL groups’ levels of Chinese identity did not yield
a significant difference.

48. Community Engagement:
Check
 Reverse-coded.
 Mixed question types are used without being justified.

49. Reasons for learning Chinese-Instruments
 Open-ended question: “In your own words, why are
you learning Chinese?”
 Coded in coding scheme including ‘intrinsic,’
‘extrinsic,’ and ‘amotivation’ categories.
 Sample Size: 87 out of 145
Sample Origin
English-Chinese
Chinese-
Chinese
Non-Chinese

50. SDT Reflected Answers
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
SDT not Reflected
SDT Reflected

51.  Open-ended questions was used without being
justified.
 Coding category changed without being justified.
 Coding guidelines and examples are not provided.
 Interrater (or intrarater) reliability not reported·
 Information about the coders not provided.
Reasons for learning Chinese: Check

52. Statistical Methods:
Check
 All statistical methods used are clearly stated.
 Data are well summarized an presented with
description and graphical methods.
 Why Post Hoc Turkey?

53. Correlation Analyses
 Orientations × Learning Engagement-TABLE 2
 Orientations × Community Engagement-TABLE 3

54. Regression Analyses
 Relative contribution of each of the psychological
needs to feelings of Self-Determination.
 SDI: Self-Determination Index

55. Discussion and Conclusion

56. Chinese Chinese vs English
Chinese
 Degree of linguistic proficiency X  motivation.

57. Chinese Group vs. Non Chinese
Group
 Chinese Groups:

58. Self-Determined Orientation of
Engagement
All groups of learners :
Self-determined orientations not consistently predict一致預計language use

59. Supporting a Self-Determined,
Intrinsic Orientation

60. The Implication of the Results for Pedagogy Discussed
Pedagog
y
Theory
multiple orientations inappropriateness of framing orientations as categorical and
exclusive.

61. Suggestions As to the Direction of
Future Research Provided
 Consider HL learners with more varied degrees of
ancestral relatedness.
 Qualitative study: Individual study  greater depth of
analysis.
 Longitudinal research : shifts in orientations, causal
directions, long-term consequences.

62. Thank You!