Philippine E-Journals

Demotivation and the Second Language Self: Profiling the Filipino L2 Learner

Ma. Victoria Z. Godinez

 

Abstract:

The principal objective of this study is to draw a motivation profile of senior high school students with demotivation as its primary construct. It examines how L2 experiences in the school setting influence motivation for L2 learning. Four hundred thirty nine students from three schools in Caloocan – University of the East Elementary and High School Department (UE-EHSD), Notre Dame of Greater Manila (NDGM) and Maria Clara High School (MCHS) – participated in the quantitative part of the study, and two sections, one from UE-EHSD and another from Maria Clara High School, provided the qualitative data. A 21-item Likert type demotivation questionnaire was developed to determine students’ perception of demotivating factors related to instruction and language environment. Narrative essays provided qualitative data corroborating findings in the quantitative part of the study which suggest that students have experienced demotivation. Anecdotal data provide support to the L2 Motivational Self model proposed by Dornyei.