Interaction between Motivation, Attitude, and Second Language

 INTERACTION BETWEEN MOTIVATION, ATTITUDE, AND SECOND LANGUAGE 
Introduction Otherwise known as second language learning, second language acquisition (SLA) refers to the process through which people acquire a second language. Central to SLA is the interlanguage view, the perception that language learning is not simply a result of the difference between it and the one they already know. Instead, a second language learned is a complete system with its own systematic rules and right. For instance, Gass et al. (2020, p. 339) contend that L2 learning involves learning the rules of grammar of the L2 along with correct pronunciation rules of vocabulary. From this perspective, SLA may be perceived as a complicated process. This is why it is essential to understand the interaction of factors that either allow or impeded learners from effectively learning a second language.
In the case of the current paper, some of these factors include motivation, attitude, and L2 instructions. Understanding these factors is necessary for establishing resources and environments that encourage or enhance the SLA process, particularly given the increasing global cross-cultural interactions and emergence of diversity- and inclusivity-oriented policies. Therefore, the current exercise aims to summarize how motivation, attitude, and L2 instruction interact in the SLA process. Further, the paper provides arguments for multidisciplinary in explicating factors in SLA. These outcomes are realized through the utilization of Dornyei’s L2 Motivational Self-System and the Communicative Approach.
Attitude, L2 Instructions, and Learner Motivation as Central Factors
Attitude refers to a settled way of feeling or thinking about something or a subject. In the current case, it refers to how learners think or feel about the second language. Often, attitudes are the result of upbringing and experience (shaped by the environment) and have a significant influence on behavior. Getie and Popescu (2019, p. pp. 9), learners' attitudes impact the level of language proficiency of individual learners. In other words, learners with positive attitudes experience success, while those with negative attitudes experience failure. In contrast, for those learning English as L2. Getie and Popescu (2019) established that factors that influence attitude include self-confidence, risk-taking, anxiety, learning situation, teacher, community, and learner’s parents and peer groups.
Learners with a positive attitude toward L2 are said to be motivated, while those with a negative attitude are demotivated. This means motivation is also a central factor in the SLA process. Scholars like Ortega (2009), Muir & Dornyei (2013), and Khanisah (2014) agree that a child’s motivation to learn a second language either hinders or supports acquisition. In Ortega’s view (p. 171), complete identification with the L2 community can be observed across learners who score high in integrativeness, a core antecedent of motivation. In her view, Khanisah (2014, p. 258) held that since motivation determines a person's desire to do or engage in something, its role in the SLA process cannot be underestimated where effective outcomes are the core goal. In agreement with these sentiments, Muir & Dornyei (2013, p. 361) concluded that motivation drive energizes long-term sustained behavior in language learning.
Some researchers have also investigated the impact of L2 instruction on the SLA process. For instance, Gertie and Popescu (2019, p. pp. 4) list of factors that shape attitudes is the teacher. The teacher is responsible for shaping instructions and delivery of content. How these instructions are shaped also influences whether students will have a negative or positive attitude toward the L2. Quoting Wu (2007), Ahmadi and Shafiee (2015, p. 259) insist that when learners are exposed to the instruction following their processing capacity of L2, they produce L2 with higher grammatical accuracy compared to those exposed to a reverse condition. Further, the appropriate L2 instruction also forms a foundation for the long-term acquisition of L2.
Dornyei’s L2MSS: Interaction of Motivation/Attitude and Instruction
L2 Motivation Self System (L2MSS) is among the latest theoretical paradigm focusing on L2 learners in tandem with the evolution in L2 motivation research. The paradigm was proposed by Dornyei (2005) and focused on learners' self-perception and, in particular, the perception of their desired future states. Central to the L2MSS is an attempt to explain the individual differences in language learning motivation since different learning contexts influence each learner. According to Dornyei (2005, p. 99), the critical assumption is that when learners perceive a discrepancy between their current state and their future ideal or ought to state, the discrepancy acts as a motivator bridging the perceived gap. Dornyei and Chan (2013, p. 438) further add that the paradigm borrows from the Possible Selves Theory and Self-Discrepancy theories. These theories suggest that possible selves influence behavior by highlighting the gap between the current actual and the future desired self. In other words, individuals' ideas of what they might become or what they would like to become and what they are afraid of becoming in the future influence the SLA process. It is from this point of view that Martinovic (2016) proposes that “the ideal L2 self is an image of oneself as the proficient L2 speaker” (p. 140). Such is an individual who is sufficiently motivated to pursue the acquisition of a second language.
As already established, motivation, attitude, and L2 instruction are central factors that influence the L2 process. L2MSS is an outcome of motivation-oriented research on the topic, which adds to and transforms the role of motivation as a critical factor in learning a new language. The ideal L2 self, proposed by Martinovic (2016), can be used as the vision or image: what the learner sees as the end goal of learning a new language. This vision is often different across learners and underpins the factors that make L2 learners different. Muir & Dцrnyei (2013) define this vision as “the mental representation of the sensory experience of a future goal” (p. 357). Several end goals can define this mental representation based on why the individual should acquire a second language in the first place. Some L2 learners have settled in a new country and, therefore, must learn the official language of their destination. Some plans have prospects of working, living, or studying in another country, while some are linguistic enthusiasts. Across this partial list of potential future selves, learners have the motivation to acquire a second language. This also explains why the future image can be a demotivational factor. Ortega (2009), for instance, argued that L2 learners could ...