A comparative study of Thai learners’ motivation in learning a foreign language other than English

Abstract

This study employed a mixed research approach, which included questionnaires and interviews. The questionnaires, adopted from Papi (2010), Taguchi et al. (2009), and Yashima (2009), were parallel in content and translated into the Thai language with the reliability of Cronbach’s Alpha at 0.827. A total of 261 LOTE learners participated in the study, of whom 71 are Chinese, 43 are French, 88 are Japanese, and 59 are Korean majors. To analyze the quantitative data, descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation, and multiple linear regression analysis were employed. A content analysis was applied to get the key terms from the interview records and support quantitative results.The major findings of this study were as follows: 1) All LOTE learners showed high intensity in motivation. Five predictors were prominent in the profiles among all LOTE learners, including ideal L2 self, L2 learning experience, instrumentality promotion, international posture, and cultural/community interest. 2) there were within-group differences regarding ought-to L2 self, L2 learning experience, instrumentality-prevention, family influence, and cultural/community interest. 3) learners’ intended efforts were shown to be positively correlated with ideal L2 self, L2 learning experience, instrumentality promotion, and cultural/community interest. 4) Multiple regression models explained 72% (for Chinese learners), 61% (for French learners), 64% (for Japanese learners), and 51% (for Korean learners) of students’ motivation, with L2 learning experience being the greatest predictor across four LOTE learners.IMPLICATION OF THESIS The study suggested its implications that teachers should encourage students to construct a vision of their own future

create a good classroom experience

emphasize the instrumental values of the studied languages

incorporate as many cultural elements as possible in the classroom

and solve the difficulties that the online classroom poses to students, in order to increase their motivation to learn LOTEs.