Running head: FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS' MOTIVATION 1 An investigation on Foreign Language Form 3 students’ perceptions on the factors that affect their motivation to learn French at Saint Thomas high school in Trinidad and Tobago Kezia Rampaul ID# 05725326 University of the West Indies Masters in Education EDRS:6900 Research Project Report Date: Friday 21st July, 1017 Supervisor : Ms Susan Otway-Charles FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 2 Abstract The study sought to investigate six students' perceptions of the factors affecting their motivation to learn French at the form three level at Saint Thomas High in Trinidad and Tobago. During French class children displayed behaviours that suggested a lack of motivation such as sleeping, not paying attention and lack of participation. Therefore, interviews were conducted with six students at the form three level to ascertain according to them, the factors that affected their motivation to learn French. The findings revealed that students' attitude, perceived competence, difficulty of French and activities affected their intrinsic motivation. Additionally, students' grades, the teacher, relevance of French, society and family members affected their extrinsic motivation to learn French. Keywords : intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 3 Acknowledgement I would first like to thank my thesis advisor Ms Susan Otway-Charles of the School of Education at the University of the West Indies St Augustine. The door to Ms Otway-Charles office was always open whenever I ran into a trouble spot or had a question about my research or writing. She consistently allowed this paper to be my own work, but steered me in the right the direction whenever he thought I needed it. I must express my very profound gratitude to my parents and to my masters colleagues for providing me with unfailing support and continuous encouragement throughout my years of study and through the process of researching and writing this thesis. This accomplishment would not have been possible without them. Thank you. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 4 Table of Contents Abstract.........................................................................................................................................2 Acknowledgement........................................................................................................................3 Chapter .........................................................................................................................................7 Background......................................................................................................................7 Statement of Problem......................................................................................................13 Purpose of the Study......................................................................................................14 Research Question.........................................................................................................14 Expected Outcomes......................................................................................................15 Chapter 2: Literature Review....................................................................................................17 Definition of Motivation...............................................................................................17 Intrinsic Motivation......................................................................................................18 Extrinsic Motivation......................................................................................................22 Chapter 3: Methodology...........................................................................................................28 Type and Design of Study............................................................................................28 Participants...................................................................................................................30 Data Collection.............................................................................................................32 FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 5 Data Analysis.................................................................................................................36 Reflection.......................................................................................................................37 Delimitations and Limitations........................................................................................38 Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Findings......................................................................................40 Factors affecting intrinsic motivation.............................................................................41 Factors affecting extrinsic motivation............................................................................45 Chapter 5....................................................................................................................................51 Discussion......................................................................................................................51 Recommendations.........................................................................................................57 Conclusions...................................................................................................................59 References.................................................................................................................................61 Appendices..............................................................................................................................70 Appendix A.................................................................................................................70 Appendix B.................................................................................................................71 Appendix C................................................................................................................73 Appendix D...............................................................................................................76 Appendix E................................................................................................................92 FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 6 Appendix F..........................................................................................................103 FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 7 Chapter 1: Introduction Background It has been observed that form three students at Saint Thomas High located in the Caroni district seem to lack motivation to learn French. Their lack of motivation to learn the language has manifested in many ways such as talking whilst the teacher is delivering the lesson, lack of participation in class, not bringing their French text book, sleeping in class, not completing assignments and frequently asking for permission to use the bathroom. Motivation is seen by teachers and researchers as an essential element in achieving academic success. A student’s motivation to learn is considered as one of the most crucial determinants of the success and quality of students’ learning outcome (Mitchell, 1992). According to Dorneyi and Otto (1998) , motivation is the main stimulus that propels the learning of a foreign language and is the driving force that sustains the long and monotonous process of acquiring a foreign language. Dörnyei and Otto (as cited by Huang, 2012, p.1755) defines motivation as the, "dynamically changing cumulative arousal in a person that initiates, directs, coordinates, amplifies, terminates, and evaluates the cognitive and motor processes whereby initial wishes and desires are selected, pr- ioritized, operationalised and successfully or unsuccessfully acted out". Intrinsic motivation is defined as the doing of an activity for its inherent satisfaction rather than for some separable consequence whereas extrinsic motivation is a construct that pertains wherever an activity is done in order to attain some separable outcome (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Students at Saint Thomas high seemed to lack motivation to study French particularly at the form three level. Therefore, it was necessary to study the phenomenon. This study was executed in a denominational all girls secondary school located in the Caroni district of Trinidad FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 8 and Tobago with a population of approximately seven hundred and fifty students (750). The school’s mission is in keeping with the goal of fostering an ideal Caribbean student as it aims to, “develop each person to her fullest potential spiritually, academically, physically, socially and morally…”(McSween, 2017). Additionally the foreign language department at Saint Thomas aims to mould students who are proficient in Modern Foreign Languages and who display a high level of confidence. The school comprises of students who have scored in the ninetieth percentile in the Secondary Entrance Assessment Examination(CSEC). The school has earned a reputation of being the top performing girls’ school in the central region. Since the school’s merits are awarded in Sciences, Maths and Business Studies in the CESC and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (see Appendix A), the institution is seen as a Science and Business School by the students, parents and teachers. During parents’ day at the form three level, parents express the desire for their children to choose a career path in one those areas. They also believe that Spanish is more viable due to the proximity of Latin American countries. Both French and Spanish are compulsory until the third form and make up one of the core subjects. As Spanish is the official second Language of Trinidad and Tobago it comprises one of eight core curriculum subjects developed under Secondary Education Modernization Programme (SEMP) (Ministry of Education, 2008). French on the other hand is not one of the core curriculum subjects designated by the Ministry of Education but has a long standing tradition of being a part of Saint Thomas’s school curriculum since its conception in 1951. At the end of form three students must choose either French or Spanish as a CSEC subject. On a regional level modern languages are seen as an asset by the examining body the Caribbean Examination Council as, “French and Spanish provides an opportunity for Caribbean FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 9 students to develop an understanding and appreciation of the cultural and historical contexts of Caribbean societies…the Modern Languages syllabus focuses on developing students’ ability to communicate in two of the languages in use in the Caribbean region” (Caribbean Examinations, Council, 2010, p.1). While the ideals contained in this document are geared towards promoting both languages equally, French has been less emphasized as CXC discontinued the January sitting of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) French from 2003 (Carter, 2004). “The decision was made on pragmatic grounds. It had proven to be cost effective to conduct an examination for a population of fewer than 100 candidates in January…the move was interpreted as further evidence of the attrition of French in the school curriculum”(Carter, 2004, p.74). The government of Trinidad and Tobago views language as a uniquely human capacity and sees it as playing a vital role in learning (Ministry of Education, 2008). However, more effort is placed on the Spanish language rather than French. Spanish signs can be seen on the nation’s highways, airport and government buildings. Furthermore the Ministry of Education has mandated that Spanish be taught in all primary schools. “With a view to laying the foundation for the establishment of Spanish as the first Foreign Language of Trinidad and Tobago, the Ministry of Education has mandated the introduction of Spanish at primary school level” (Ministry of education, n.d.,p.2). They see Spanish as more viable than French as, “our geographical location, gateway to the Spanish-speaking Americas, and current regional and international economic trends and their implications for Trinidad and Tobago, create an imperative for strengthening and deepening the national capability in Spanish at all levels” (Ministry of education, n.d.,p.2). FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 10 The majority of form three students do not see the need to place emphasis on French as they resign to saying they will drop it at the end of form three. For the academic periods 2015- 2016, 97 students have opted to study Spanish while a mere 20 have chosen to study French at the form four level. Teachers expressed that students said they find the language difficult and they do not consider it to be important. The form three students have stated that they prefer to study Spanish as their grades are higher in Spanish. During class when asked why they will not choose French, many expressed they are not good in the language. At the end of term one 2017, 21 out of 33 students scored under 60 in the end of term examinations. Teachers have cited students from forms two and three saying the grammar is difficult, and the language is a waste of time. During department meetings teachers complained about students’ attitudes in French class, saying that the form threes are pessimistic about French as they have openly stated their dislike and shown their lack of enthusiasm to study French. The form three foreign language teachers think that their attitude towards French stemmed from the fact that they will not study it beyond form three, therefore they are not motivated to learn the language. Difficulty and negative feelings towards the foreign language can contribute to decreased motivational levels when learning a foreign language (Al Rifai, 2010). Additionally, students have stated several times during class that they do not like to learn vocabulary. Students of the 3B class have expressed the desire to do more fun activities such as playing games and going on field trips. They have also expressed their shyness and lack of confidence when attempting to speak the language. They articulated that pronouncing words are too difficult and are hesitant when asked to participate when homework is being corrected. During listening exercises many express their frustration with not being able to understand the language after recordings have been played several times. Others do not make any attempt to do FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 11 the listening exercises saying they are too difficult. “They are extremely sensitive, especially to peers: What do others think of me? What will so-and-so think when I speak” (Brown, 2007, p.103). Additionally, a survey was administered to the form three students in term 1 2017 to find out about students’ subject preferences and career plans. This was done to assist students in choosing subject areas to be studied in the upper forms. In the comments section of the survey students’ comments revealed that the French teacher’s attitude has contributed to their lack of motivation to learn. Additionally on the subject choice form they were asked to choose subjects and only 20 chose French. When asked by French teachers why they did not want pursue the language, students said they did not see French as necessary for their careers. During the home room period they revealed to their form mistress that they felt the teacher was mean and harsh. It must be noted that students’ opportunities to practice the language are minimal as contact with the French teacher is one of the only medium through which they experience the French language. They have expressed to the foreign language teachers that they do not use French outside of the classroom. French teachers and students meet for 5 hours in a two week cycle. Periods usually last 55 minutes however on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week, they are shortened to 40 minutes per period to accommodate head of department meetings and home room periods. Thus, students’ contact hours with French are reduced. The language learning goals of students are generally influenced by the social context in which they learn a language (Kormos & Csizér, 2010).Their motivation is also shaped by the values the society attributes to the knowledge of the particular language (Kormos & Csizér, 2010). “A population that is largely unaware of the need for foreign language proficiency is by extension one that places little value on foreign language learning” (Carter,2001, p.6). In FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 12 Trinidad and Tobago in the late nineteenth century French was replaced in schools by English. The Anglicization took effect in the early twentieth century and French Creole gave way to English and Creole English (Ferreira, 2015). In the 1900s English became the first language of the children of the French Creoles. It was considered a major landmark as it lead to assimilation of the French Creole elite since children were not taught French at home (Ferreira, 2015). It must be noted that five out of the six foreign language teachers at Saint Thomas high have obtained their Diploma in Education. At departmental meeting teachers have expressed the need and desire to use a variety of student-centered strategies to teach French in an attempt to engage students in language learning process. “Sharing responsibility with students, offering them options and choices, letting them have a say in establishing priorities, and involving them in decision making, enhance student self-determination and intrinsic motivation" (Dörnyei, 1994, p. 278). Three of the French teachers express their passion for language and see it as important. One teacher in the foreign language department verbalized that she sees it as a stepping stone to job opportunities. Another reiterated that the language is one of the official languages in many international organizations: French is one of the three procedural languages of the European Union, andthe sole language used for the deliberations of the Court of Justice of the European Union… It is one of the working languages of many other international institutions: the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development,2017). While the department views the language as essential, it is felt by the foreign language teachers that administration does not devote enough resources to the department. In the FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 13 institution, there are two language laboratories namely the French and Spanish Lab that could have facilitated French teachers, however, the French lab is permanently used to house form six classes. French teachers must often find spaces to teach classes. In many instances they must use the library which is not always conducive to learning as it cannot facilitate activities. Students often express their discomfort when learning in the library as there are other students from other classes. They express their shyness in participating. This could have led to their lack of motivation to learn the language. Foreign language teachers expressed in department meetings that administration communicates the idea that the French language is not seen as important since the French lab is used to house another class. In the language learning classroom, teachers often find that quite a few students are de- motivated. They are unwilling to get involved in activities and various tasks. They have seemed to lose interest and become more and more numbed and frustrated with their learning. Consequently, they lose their confidence (Soureshjani & Riahipour, 2012).The phenomenon of lack of motivation to study a foreign language seems to be a global issue as seen in countries like the United States and Australia (Hornberger, 2005). Students literally drop out of foreign language study, while in countries like China, Japan and Vietnam, students either mentally withdraw or look for strategies to pass the required exams with a minimum of effort (Trang & Bauldauf, 2007). Statement of problem At Saint Thomas’s high school it has been noted at the form three level students seemed to lack motivation to learn French. Students who are motivated to learn display behaviours such as paying attention (alert, tracking with eyes), listening as opposed to chatting or sleeping, following requests which includes participating and total physical response (Kazdin,2013). The FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 14 behaviours displayed by the students studying French at the Form three level are not in keeping with students who are motivated. “Motivation is a star player in the cast of characters assigned to second language learning scenarios around the world”(Brown, 2007, p. 168). Therefore, it was deemed necessary to conduct a study to identify the factors according to students that affect their motivation to learn French. As it is the goal of the Modern Foreign language department to foster students who are confident in languages, it is important that the heads of departments as well as foreign languages teachers are aware of the factors that hinder students’ motivation to learn. Since administration strives to help each child reach her full potential, this study can be useful in informing administration of the factors that affect students’ motivation to learn French which may hinder their learning process. Purpose of the study The purpose of this qualitative case study is to understand by way of purposive sampling the perceptions of six Foreign Language students, the factors that contribute to students’ lack of motivation to learn French at the Form three level. Research question The central research question that this study aims to answer is: What are 6 form 3 students' perceptions of the factors that affect their motivation to learn French at Saint Thomas High? FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 15 Expected outcomes The data generated by this study will be useful to the foreign language teachers. It can inform their practice as they would have some insight into the factors that affect students’ motivation to learn French. They would be able to adjust their teaching styles and methods to cater to the needs of students studying French. This study can also inform the principal of the students’ needs. Administration would be able to assist teachers by providing the necessary resources and training so that they can make adjustments to their teaching styles if it is necessary. The findings will also fill a gap within the existing body of knowledge relative to students’ motivation to learn French. There has been limited studies executed in Trinidad and Tobago with regards to students’ motivation to learn French. Many of the studies referenced were executed outside of Trinidad and Tobago and the region. The study will highlight a specific year group that is rarely studied in Trinidad and Tobago by concentrating on their viewpoints. Therefore, the findings will shed light on the students’ voices which is critical to understanding how to deal with the phenomenon under study. This study can also inform the policy makers and curriculum officers in our present education system to develop ways and suggest activities to cater to needs of all students. Summary This study aims to explore form three students’ perceptions of the factors that affect their motivation to learn French at secondary school in the Caroni district. Chapter One provides background information on the nature of students’ motivation to learn French, a profile of the participating school and the students. The statement of the problem, the purpose of the study, the FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 16 central research question and the expected outcomes can be found in this chapter. Chapter Two deals with the theoretical perspectives which framed the study. Chapter Three is the Methodology which contains the research design, type of case study, selection of participants, data collection techniques and delimitations of the study. Chapter four deals with the presentation of data. Chapter Five deals with the discussion, recommendations and conclusion of the study. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 17 Chapter 2: Literature Review This study sought to investigate 6 students’ perceptions of the factors that affect their motivation to learn French. This chapter focuses on the theoretical underpinnings and expert opinions that deal with the issue of factors affecting motivation to learn as they relate to students in the third form. Julkunen (1989) found eight factors that affect students’ motivation to learn a language such as; (a)the need to communicate;(b)a liking for challenging tasks ;(c)the teacher’s methods;(d)positive attitudes;(e)a helplessness factor ;(f)an anxiety factor;(g)criteria for failure/success; (h)latent interest in learning English. By way of organization, the chapter is divided into three parts; definition of motivation, intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. Definition of Motivation Motivation can be seen as the catalyst that propels an individual’s actions and is the base of one’s emotions and achievement-related goals (Rabideau, 2005). William and Burden (1997) saw motivation as a state of emotional and cognitive stimulation which ultimately lead a person to make conscious decisions to act. Many experts in the foreign languages field posit that motivation is a key factor in learning any Foreign Language (Ellis, 1994). Students may be motivated to study a foreign language for different purposes such as curiosity or interest, while others may learn it because acquiring the skills will generate a good grade and the privileges a good grade affords. Therefore, it is necessary to distinguish between the different types of motivation based on the different reasons why students opt to study a foreign language. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 18 Intrinsic Motivation One type of motivation is intrinsic motivation. It deals with the natural human proclivity to learn and assimilate. When a student engages in an activity because it is inherently interesting and enjoyable, he/she is said to be intrinsically motivated (Deci & Ryan,1985). Therefore intrinsic motivation refers to "doing an activity for its inherent actions rather than for some separable consequence" (Ryan & Deci, 2000, p. 56). They further state, “the life force or energy for the activity and for the development of the internal structure is what we refer to as intrinsic motivation” (Deci& Ryan, 1985, p.8). Izard (1977) posited that interest-excitement is fundamental for intrinsically motivated behaviours as it amplifies and directs attention. Therefore interest and excitement could spark investigatory conduct thereby propelling students’ curiosity at Saint Thomas high to learn French. Csiksentmihalyi (as cited by Deci and Ryan, 1985) focused on enjoyment maintaining that intrinsically motivated activities are distinguished by enjoyment as the reward is the continuing experience of enjoying the task. To be truly intrinsically motivated an individual must be free from pressures such as rewards. Similarly, Gardner and Lambert (1972) argue that individuals with an integrative disposition would show greater effort in learning a foreign language. A major factor that impedes intrinsic motivation is an individual’s perceived competence. Intrinsic motivation is fostered when students see themselves as competent (Deci & Ryan, 1985). Harter and Connell (1984) contended that children’s perceived competence has an effect on their level competence. If a person perceives him/herself to be competent at an activity, the more intrinsically motivated he or she will be at that activity (Deci & Ryan, 1985). For individuals to continue to be intrinsically motivated, activities must be optimally challenging. It must neither be too difficult or too easy. “Activities that are trivial or simple and therefore provide no challenge FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 19 are not expected to be intrinsically motivating even if the person perceived him/herself to be extremely competent” (Deci & Ryan, p.58). Furthermore, when students are free from drives, it is hypothesized they pursue activities that require their creativity and resourcefulness. When challenges are befitting of their capabilities they work to conquer them persistently thereby fostering intrinsic motivation (Deci & Ryan, 1985). Danner and Lonky (1981) shared this view as their research revealed children chose challenging activities that slightly exceeded their capabilities. The form three students at Saint Thomas may not be intrinsically motivated as they have stated that they found the French language to be too difficult. Therefore, French may not be optimally challenging and can affect their motivation to learn French. According to Noels, Pelletier, Clement and Vallerand (as cited by Dörnyei, 2003) perceived competence is indicative of high levels of de-motivation. Students who perceive themselves as failing to acquire foreign language competency often lack motivation as Di Fino and Lombardino (2004) state, “there are students…who simply cannot succeed despite efforts”(p.390). A study conducted by Graham (2004) revealed that students attributed their de- motivation to learn French to perceived low ability and task difficulty. Students did not perceive acquiring good grades with doing well in French. One student expressed that even though she had high grades she saw herself as having very low ability in writing speaking and understanding French. “I can get my point across in French if I have to, but it’s not anywhere near good French” (Graham, 2004, p. 179). Face to face interviews conducted by Graham (2004) proved to be pertinent as it elicited perceived competence as one of factors that affected students’ motivation to learn French. Similarly face to faces interviews were used in the current study to collect data as it revealed form three students’ perceptions of the factors that affect their motivation to learn French. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 20 Another factor that undermines intrinsic motivation is one’s attitude. Gardner (1985) believes that students’ attitudes play an important role in fostering students’ motivation to learn a foreign language. Gardner (1985) notes that having a positive attitude towards the learning situation has persistently been associated with foreign language achievement. Therefore, it can be noted that negative attitudes can contribute to decreased motivation to learn a foreign language. Students’ attitudes such as disgust and lack of enthusiasm towards French at Saint Thomas high have affected their motivation to learn the language. Raffini (2010) asserted that difficulty and negative feelings towards foreign language can contribute to decreased motivational levels when learning a foreign language. Additionally, a study conducted by Dornyei (1994) aimed to identify the factors that affected students’ de-motivation to learn English or German. Fifty secondary school students who were deemed de-motivated by their teachers and peers were interviewed. The results indicated nine factors that lead to students’ de- motivation, two of which were negative attitude to towards the foreign language studied, negative attitude toward the community of foreign language spoken. Furthermore, a study carried out by Kikuchi and Sakai (2009) examined the factors that contributed to Japanese students’ lack of motivation to learn English. Students’ attitude though not a prominent factor contributed to their motivation to learn English. For example, students’ comments were negative as words like “dislike” and “hate” were used to describe their feelings towards English (Kikuchi & Sakai, 2009). Classroom activities is another factor that can affect students’ intrinsic motivation to learn. If a task is monotonous, there are no appreciable intrinsic rewards in doing the activity, therefore people do not enjoy doing boring activities unless they are rewarded or coerced (Deci & Ryan, 1985). When students are intrinsically motivated they act because activities are fun and FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 21 challenging. Dörnyei (2003) maintains, "that activities form the build blocks of classroom learning and play in any language classes and the way these activities are presented and administered make an enormous difference in students’ attitudes toward learning" ( p.14). “Intrinsic motivation exists in the relation between individuals and activities"(Ryan & Deci, 2000, p.56). Kikuchi and Sakai (2009) carried out a study in Japan which sought to examine the factors that de-motivated Japanese students to learn English. Five university students at the researcher’s work place were interviewed and 47 students from a university in the Kanto region were asked to fill out a questionnaire on their experience with English (Kikuchi & Sakai, 2009). Apart from the teacher’s behaviour being a source of de-motivation, students elaborated on the type of activities that contributed to their unwillingness to learn English. The results indicated that too much emphasis was placed on grammar activities. Students did not get the opportunity to speak in the target language and they felt that the activities were not practical. Furthermore, many classes were too focused on reading activities that were lengthy and many of the fictional stories were skipped in favour of activities that concentrated on exam content (Kikuchi and Sakai, 2009). Thus, the type of activities done at Saint Thomas high can affect students’ motivation to learn French. Students’ have elaborated to the foreign language teachers that they would like to do more fun activities. Soysal (2013) also indicated that grammar and reading activities done in the classroom were one of the causes of students’ decreased intrinsic motivation to learn English. Fifteen 9th grade students were asked to fill out questionnaires. The second question related to times students were uninterested in class. The results indicated that activities were a source of disenchantment. When they were administered in a colorless manner, when the same topic was taught extensively and when the exercises were similar students were unwilling to learn the language. Questions pertaining to the types of activities done in French FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 22 classes at Saint Thomas High were included in the interview protocol. This was done as they proved to be a factor that affected students’ motivation to learn a foreign language in the aforementioned studies. Extrinsic Motivation One of the most well-known concepts in motivation theories is extrinsic motivation. It refers to, “behaviour where the reason for doing it is something other than an interest in the activity itself” (Deci & Ryan, 1985, p.35). This view is shared by Dörneyi (2003) who posited that extrinsically motivated behaviours are those characterized by achieving some instrumental end such as earning a reward or avoiding a punishment. This can be seen as a type of extrinsic motivation known as external regulation as behaviour is determined by sources external to the person (Deci & Ryan, 2003). Therefore, students at Saint Thomas high may learn French to achieve practical goals such as employment opportunities, achieving good grades, travel and social purposes. A study executed by Clement and Kruidenier (1983) revealed that students’ desires to learn a Foreign language were due to travel and friendship orientations. From this perspective, students may invest energy in learning French for personally relevant reasons. They may see it as important for achieving a valued goal. This is considered to be the most self- determined form of extrinsic motivation as, “the more one internalizes the reasons for an action and assimilates them to the self, the more one’s intrinsically motivated actions become self - determined” (Deci & Ryan, 2000, p.63). Skinner and Belmont (1993) claimed that motivated students are difficult to encounter and that from preschool to high school students experience decreased intrinsic motivation. This is perhaps due to the fact that external forces such as the teacher, society’s values and evaluation by assigning grades to students’ performances may affect student’s motivation to learn (Deci & FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 23 Ryan 1985). Such extrinsic factors may undermine form three students’ intrinsic motivation to learn French at Saint Thomas as evaluation by grades focuses students’ attention on earning good grades rather than activities that may have intrinsic value. As a result, self-determination can decrease and change students’ orientations from internal to external. “If rewards can function to induce a shift…it seems reasonable to expect that external demands or constraints would have a similar, if not stronger effect” (Deci & Ryan, 1985, p. 54). Therefore external rewards can decrease intrinsic motivation as individuals become dependent on extrinsic rewards. They will not be motivated to learn because of the inherent nature of an activity but by an external reward. A variety of extrinsic factors that may affect students’ motivation to learn a foreign language have been explored by various researchers. Teachers interact with their students on a daily basis. Their level and quality of teacher-student interactions may hinder or foster students’ motivation to learn. Nikolov (as cited by Csizér & Kormos, 2009) asserts, “one of the strongest motivating factors is the teacher”(p.96).Teachers can foster students’ motivation to learn by providing a certain degree of structure. This can be done by responding consistently, being competent, by offering help and support and by adjusting teaching strategies to the level of the child and allowing for student autonomy (Skinner &Belmont, 1993). Conwell & Wellborn (as cited by Skinner & Belmont, 1993) research on student engagement revealed that teachers’ attitudes such as expressing affection, taking time for and enjoying their interactions with students make their students feel a sense of relatedness and involvement which can serve as a motivator to learn . In a study conducted by Trang and Bauldauf (2007), Vietnamese students were asked to participate in interviews and give their opinions on the factors that affected their motivation to learn English. Students were asked what decreased their motivation to try hard to do their best in FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 24 their class. The responses revealed that the teacher was the main source of de-motivation. The students perceived the teacher as too controlling, lacking enthusiasm, and displaying a negative attitude towards them and the towards the course material. Similarly, a study executed by Soureshjani and Riahipour (2012) sought to capture students’ perspectives on the factors that affected their motivation to learn English. The teacher’s attitude accounted for their lack of motivation to speak English. Teachers’ getting angry and shouting were the most de-motivating factors. Another study conducted by Muhonen (2003) placed the factors that affected students’ motivation to learn English as a Second language in order of frequency. Data collected from students’ interviews positioned the teacher as the principal source of de-motivation. The teacher’s teaching method, attitude and personality accounted for students’ unwillingness to learn English. Students felt that the teacher made lessons boring by spending too much time on one topic which made the exercises repetitive. With respect to personality, students felt that the teacher was too serious and lashed out at them which made the classroom environment unpleasant (Muhonen, 2003). ` Another extrinsic factor that may affect student’s motivation to learn a foreign language is evaluation by assigning grades to students work (Deci & Ryan, 1985). Critics argue that assigning grades to students’ work promotes emphasis of the quantitative aspects of learning, suppresses creativity, fosters fear of failure and weakens interest (Butler, 1986). Butler (1987) further posited that focusing on grades does not promote motivation to engage in tasks, rather emphasis is placed on evaluating ability in which students’ main concern is to demonstrate high ability or disguise low ability relative to others. According to Deci & Ryan (1985) “in so far as people’s work is being critically evaluated by an external agent, it is possible that people will lose a sense of self determination”(p.55). A study conducted by Butler (1986) sought to examine FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 25 the effects of different types of feedback on intrinsic motivation. The sample consisted of 261 six grade students who were divided into three groups and received different forms of feedback such as written comments, numerical grades and no evaluation. The results indicated that 79% of the students who received grades would have preferred written comments and 86.3 % of students who received comments were satisfied with their mode of evaluation. Therefore, evaluation through assigning grades implies external control and undermines intrinsic motivation. Nicholls (1984) maintains that though assigning grades will in itself diminish interest, this reduction will not be pronounced if students expect outcomes to indicate high rather than low ability. Additionally, experts in the field of foreign language studies maintain that, “large numbers of students opt out of language study or continue in the knowledge that they will inevitably fail to acquire certification in the subject” (Morris, 1985, p.46). Similarly, Julkunen (1989) study of six and eight grade Finnish students studying English found that of the eight factors that contribute to motivation to learn to foreign language. Students’ expectancy of success or failure was one of the main reasons as to why they choose to discontinue studying a foreign language. A study by Graham (2004) sought to investigate the attitudes of English students to study French and their views of their level of achievement. Participants consisted of learners of French in 10 educational institutions in the south of England. The results suggest that year 11 students possessed a low sense of self – efficacy and may opt not to continue to study French beyond secondary school. Thus lowergrades could affect students’ desire to study French beyond form 3 at Saint Thomas high. Another reason students may choose not to study a foreign language is due to the fact that they see it as irrelevant. According to Noels, Pelletier, Clement and Vallerand (as cited by Dörnyei, 2003) “to foster sustained learning it may not be sufficient to convince students that FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 26 language learning is interesting and enjoyable; they may need to be persuaded that it is personally important for them” (p.52). Therefore, students may be motivated to study a foreign language for personally relevant reasons such as job opportunities or for travelling purposes. Four orientations to learn a foreign language were found in French and English high school students. One of which was the desire to travel (Dörnyei, 2003). Therefore, if students do not see a foreign language as important they may lack motivation to learn the language. Having job opportunities due to learning a foreign language can affect students’ motivation to learn the language. Research conducted on Vietnamese students’ resistance to study English found that their main motive for studying the English language was the awareness that they would have a better opportunity to gain employment if they were proficient in English (Trang & Baldauf, 2007). According to Dabene (as cited by Bartram,2010, p. 85), “the usefulness of any language is often specifically defined in economic/career terms”. On the other hand, some students view learning a second language as a waste time. For example, a student studying French expressed, “if you want to work in France you need a foreign language, but if you don’t want to do anything with it, it just seems like a waste of time” (Clarke, 1995, p.320). Graham (2002) found that English students were reluctant to continue to studying French as they deemed it as unnecessary for their future career paths. A survey conducted by Carter (1998) included first year graduates at the University of the West Indies in which they were asked to express their opinions about language teaching/learning in their society. Results indicated that 22.8% agreed that speaking French may lead to employment opportunities, while 45.7% were neutral that French served an instrumental purpose. Such results suggest that students question the usefulness of learning a second language in society. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 27 Summary It is evident that motivation is important in second language acquisition. There are many factors that affect students’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to learn a foreign language. Interviews used in the aforementioned studies proved to be a viable means of data collection as they captured students’ perceptions of the factors that contributed to their lack of motivation to learn a second language. The findings facilitated the focus of the topic and informed the interview protocol of the present study. The following chapter deals with the methodology used in the current study. It includes the type of design, selection of participants, data analysis and delimitations. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 28 Chapter 3: Methodology Type and Design of Study The research design, selection of participants, data collection methods, ethical considerations, and data analysis were all deemed appropriate to answer the following research question: What are 6 form 3 students' perceptions of the factors that affect their motivation to learn French at Saint Thomas High? A qualitative design was chosen for this study as it locates the observer in the world. This means that qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or to interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them (Denzin & Lincoln, 2003). Furthermore, "qualitative researchers aim to build theory from intuitive understandings that were gained in the field” (Merriam, 1998, p.7). Since the study focuses on from three students’ perceptions of the factors contributing to their lack of motivation to learn French, a qualitative approach was seen as most effective. It can provide an in-depth understanding of the social world of the students by learning about their experiences, perspectives and histories. This type of research lends itself to gaining insight into the multiple realities of the participants. Two realities exist simultaneously and separately within every human activity. "One is the reality of personal experience, and one is the reality of group .The two realities connect, they overlap, they merge, but they are recognizably different"(Stake, 2010, p.18). Given that the study focuses on the students, the qualitative approach was more appropriate. “Studies of the individual are micro research…more often than not, microstudies are qualitative studies…microstudy tends to go after the individual case” (Stake, 2010, p.18). FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 29 Additionally, the researcher's goal is to capture the meaning of real world events from the multiple perspectives of the study's participants (Yin, 2011). Qualitative research is also governed by philosophical underpinnings such as ontology, epistemology and axiology. Epistemology is concerned with the nature of knowledge and how it can be acquired (Creswell, 2007). Qualitative research is mainly associated with interpretivism as social researchers must explore and understand the social world through the participants’ and their own opinions (Creswell, 2007). Essentially explanations can only be offered the through meaning rather than cause. Knowledge in this case is acquired and constructed through interactions with the social world that is the participant and the researcher. Therefore the researcher will interact with six form three students. Ontology is the study of being as it deals with nature and reality (Blaikie 1993). Therefore, different realities and perspectives must be taken into consideration for this study. Thus an interview with form three students of the same school is valuable for this research. Axiology deals with values in the research process (Creswell, 2007). Thus, the perceptions of six form three students in conjunction with the researcher’s views which are both subjective are included to provide a more balanced study (Creswell, 2007). The aim of a research design is to offer the most valid and precise answers possible to the research question (Denzin and Lincoln, 2000; Mc Millan and Schumacher, 2001). As this study seeks to gain insight into students' perceptions of the factors that affect their motivation to learn French at the form three level, a single instrumental case study design was employed. Such a design allows credible and verifiable data to be generated (McMillan and Schumacher, 2001). Furthermore a qualitative mode of inquiry is appropriate for this research as it requires , "an approach to research that facilitates exploration of a phenomenon within its context using a variety of data sources" (Baxter and Jack, 2008, p. 544). It also examines human experiences FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 30 through the descriptions provided by the people involved. It involves cooperation between the subject and the researcher and depends on the subjects’ participation and perceptions (Crabatree &Miller, 1999). Furthermore, according to Merriam (1998), a case might be chosen because it is an instance of some concern, issue or hypothesis. Stake (2010) confirms that a case could be variety of things such as an individual, school or a program. Additionally, “case studies, especially qualitative case studies are prevalent throughout the field of education” (Merriam, 1998, p.26). This is perhaps due to the fact that it addresses the complexities found the field where valuable information can be gathered about teaching and learning through rich anecdotal study and where quantitative methods are not desired or possible (Nath, 2005). Therefore, the researcher gathered rich, valuable information at Saint Thomas high by interviewing participants. Furthermore, the researcher wanted to understand, “a contemporary phenomenon in depth and within its real life context”(Yin, 2009, p.18). The case study was chosen as the researcher wanted to gain insight into the factors that contribute to students’ lack of motivation to learn French at the form three level Sampling and Description of Participants Purposive sampling was employed to select participants. “In qualitative research, the samples are likely to be chosen in a deliberate manner” (Yin, 2011, p.88).This was done to, “obtain the broadest range of information and perspectives on the subject of study” (Kuzel, as cited by Yin, 2011, p.88). Form three students were selected based on the fact that at the end of the third form students must choose between French and Spanish. For the 2016-2017 academic year term 1, students were given a form with the list of subjects and combinations and were asked to select their subject choices for Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC). Of the 117 students studying both French and Spanish, only 20 indicated that they would be FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 31 studying French at the CSEC level. The level was also chosen based on what the foreign language teachers had to say about them and based on the students’ expressed opinions about not wanting to study French. The form three French teachers described students as being lazy, lacking enthusiasm, not participating during class and not doing homework. As I also teach Spanish and French at the form three level students have compared Spanish to French and have expressed their desire to study Spanish rather than French. Three students from 3A were selected and the pseudonyms given to them were Sarah, Lilly and Emily. These students seemed to like French and seemed motivated to study the language. These students offered opposing views to avoid bias. As Yin (2011) states, "you should deliberately interview people who might hold different views...to avoid any appearance of bias by choosing those sources that confirm your own preconceptions." (p.87). The pseudonyms given to the other three students from 3B were Kavita, Cristal and Shanta. They expressed their dislike for the language and did not seem motivated to study it at the form three level. Thus the year group and students were chosen because they are a, "purposeful sample that will intentionally sample a group of people that can best inform the researcher about the research problem under examination”(Creswell, 2007, p.118). Furthermore, students with different teachers were chosen as they expressed the teacher as a source of lack of motivation. Therefore to ascertain whether the teachers' teaching styles and or methods were a factor affecting their motivation to learn French, students of 3A and 3B with different teachers were chosen. “An important step in the process is to find people or places to study and to gain access to and to establish rapport with the participants so that they will provide good data” (Creswell, 2007, p.119). Saint Thomas High school was chosen as the issue of motivation to study French is prevalent at the institution. Additionally the site was selected as I work at the institution and am FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 32 aware of the phenomenon and hoped to address the issue. Furthermore, I taught many of the form three students since form one and have already established a good rapport with the participants. Though studying one’s work site can raise questions of a power imbalance between me and the individuals studied (Creswell, 2007), I felt that it was the participants would provide rich data since they expressed their opinions about studying French at the form three level. Data collection This study sought to investigate the factors that affect students' motivation to learn French at the form three level. “An interview can be defined as a purposeful conversation, usually between two people…and is directed by one in order to get information from the other" (Bogdan and Biklen, 1998, p.83). To obtain information on each student’s perceptions, face to face interviews seemed most appropriate. Therefore, semi-structured interviews were the data collection strategy used to collect all data to address the research question : What are 6 form 3 students' perceptions of the factors that affect their motivation to learn French at Saint Thomas High? To address the research question an interview protocol was developed (see Appendix B). Face-to face interviews with the six students, three from the 3A class and three from the 3B class were conducted. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with each student to comprehend students’ perceptions of the factors that affect their motivation to study French at the form three level. Moreover, students were able to express themselves freely and allowed the researcher “to respond to the situation at hand, to the emerging world view of the participants (Merriam, 2009, p.90)”. Semi-structured interviews were executed to allow the interviewer to probe in-depth and expand the interviewee's questions Rubin & Rubin (as cited by Alshenqeeti, 2014). Interviewing FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 33 students aided in depicting their social world from their perceptions (Yin, 2011). Additionally, face - to- face interviews were deemed appropriate since, feelings, thoughts and intentions cannot be observed. "We cannot observe how people have organized the world and the meanings they attached to what goes on in the world. We have to ask people questions about those thing"(Patton, 1987, p. 109). Ethical Considerations “A qualitative researcher faces many ethical issues that surface during data collection in the field and in analysis and dissemination of qualitative reports” (Creswell, 2007, p,114). Since the study dealt with human participants, approval from the relevant entities was necessary to execute qualitative research (Yin, 2011) . Permission was sought from the Ministry of Education to carry out the research at Saint Thomas high. I also asked the students for their permission. Once they agreed I sent a letter of consent (see Appendix C) to their parents as they were under the age of 18. The letter sought permission for the students to participate in the study and for the interviews to be recorded. It included also their rights during the course of the study. For example, participants were made aware that they did not have to answer questions with which they felt uncomfortable as well as they could discontinue participation at any point in time. The purpose of the study was also included. Participants were given the interview questions (see Appendix B) in advanced to review questions. For the interview I used the conference room as it was quiet, free from distractions and noise to allow for recording (Yin, 2011). I made the participants aware of the duration of the interview which was 20 minutes long, and that they could take breaks at any point in time. I FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 34 reviewed the purpose of the study and assured the students that neither their names nor the school would be revealed. Trustworthiness Lincoln and Guba (1985) employed the term "trustworthiness" in qualitative inquiry to ask the question, "how can the inquirer persuade his or her audiences (including self) that the findings of an inquiry are worth paying attention to, worth taking account of?"(p.290). They have suggested four criterion for assessing trustworthiness. These are credibility, conformability, dependability and transferability (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). To establish credibility, member checking was executed. “It is the most critical technique for establishing credibility” (Lincon& Guba, 1985, p.314).Therefore, the researcher presented a copy of the transcription (see Appendix D) of the interview to the relevant student and asked for correction and comments. Additionally misinterpretation of participants' perceptions can be avoided through member checking (Maxwell,1996,p.94). Peer reviews checks were carried as feedback could prove to be valuable for credibility According to Lincoln and Guba (as cited by Creswell, 2007) the peer “is an individual who keeps the researcher honest; asks hard questions about methods, meanings, and interpretations and provides the research with the opportunity for catharsis by sympathetically listening to the researcher’s feelings "(p.208). Therefore my supervisor overseeing my study scrutinized it. For example I was asked to justify my selection of participants. My master's colleague also read the study and asked me to elaborate on the meaning of perceived competence. Peer reviews were also done to avoid bias as they can locate blind spots and omissions and question sampling strategies. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 35 “Rich thick description allows readers to make decisions regarding transferability” (Creswell, 2007, p.209). Detailed description of the background and setting in chapter one may allow other readers to determine if the study and findings can be transferred to other settings. Bassey (1999) posits that other researchers may relate the findings to their own positions if they deem that they are similar to the study. Other foreign language teachers in secondary schools may also find that some of their students lack motivation to study a foreign language. Some of the factors that affect students' motivation to learn French at Saint Thomas high could be similar to other students in other secondary schools in Trinidad and Tobago. One of the many facets of qualitative research is that researcher bias is present. This is due to the fact that the researcher must have personal contact with and get close to the people and situation under study (Patton,1990). Since I teach at the institution, I possessed insider knowledge and held specific beliefs about the factors that affected students' motivation to learn French at the form three level. I believed that the major factor that affected students' motivation to learn French was the fact that they did not see it as important as the Spanish language. Additionally since they already decided they were not going to choose it, they did not see the need to learn it at the form three level. However, conducting the interviews and analyzing the data revealed that students' perceived competence and the teacher were the major factors that contributed to their lack of motivation to learn the language. Therefore the data collected provided much more details that even the most creatively prejudiced mind might have imagined before the study (Bodgan & Biklen, 1982). Though I took on the role of the researcher students saw me as a teacher at the institution. Having thought the students for three years I developed a relationship with them and had an idea of how they felt about studying French. Students also felt comfortable having conversations with FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 36 me as I had taught them either French or Spanish. Therefore, to avoid bias during the interview process I was careful not to lead students' responses. I did not share with them my own beliefs and opinions about what I thought were the factors affecting students' motivation to learn French. As mentioned, I asked probing questions and recorded the interview to avoid misinterpreting students' responses. Data Analysis The study aimed to answer the following question : What are 6 form three students' perceptions of the factors that affect their motivation to learn French? The data collected from the interviews was analyzed by reducing the data into themes (see Appendix E) through a process called coding and then representing the data in discussion (Creswell, 2007). The recorded interviews were transcribed to facilitate the coding process (see Appendix E). They were pre-coded in that quotes that were striking were highlighted or underlined (see appendix F) as they aided in supporting the propositions (Saldana, 2009). Descriptive , in vivo and initial codes were applied to the data from the interview transcript as it summarized and condensed the data (Saldana, 2009). Colour codes were used to differentiate among the different codes and categories. Several of the same codes were used repeatedly for units of data that expressed similar ideas. It must be noted that some of the data was reclassified as the transcripts were re-read several times. Similarly coded data were placed into categories (see Appendix E). The findings were organized under themes. Ten themes (see Appendix E) were identified which were relevant to the research question. The coding process was presented in a tabular form (See appendix E) to facilitate data display. Each theme was explained via FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 37 narrative which is seen in Chapter four of the study. The narrative was valuable in capturing the experiences of the participants (Miles & Huberman, 1994). Verbatim citations from the data were included in the narration to support the themes identified. Finally conclusions were drawn and "is some kind of overarching statement or series of statements that raises the findings of a study to a higher conceptual level or broader set of ideas” (Yin, 2011, p.220). Reflection As long as I could remember Foreign languages have been my passion. I remember being in form one thinking I could study this for the rest of my life. Was I motivated extrinsically or intrinsically? “Intrinsically motivated activities are ones for which there is no apparent reward except the activity itself. On the other hand, extrinsic motivation is fueled by the anticipation of a reward from outside and beyond the self "(Brown, 2007, p. 172). Perhaps it was both. I loved learning languages for the pure pleasure of learning new words. On the other hand my teachers were passionate and used positive reinforcement as way to motivate us. Thus, when I saw the number if students not choosing French at the end of form three, I became curious about their reasons for not choosing it. Their opinions of French lead me to think that they were de- motivated to learn French at the form three level. I knew it would become the topic of my qualitative study. I began this study in September of 2016. Initially I included teachers' perceptions as a second research question, however I wanted to narrow the study to students' perceptions of the factors that affected their motivation to learn as they were the focal point of my curiosity. I also included a form four student who did not choose French. In forms 1 and 2 the student displayed enthusiasm for the French language, however she did not choose it at the form four level. When I FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 38 was working on the presentation in December of 2016, I excluded the student because my study was concentrated on the factors that affect students motivation to learn French, not to choose French. In March of 2017 I presented the study and a suggestion was made to increase the number of participants. I originally had three. I included three more and included students from different classes to add to multiple realities and obtain rich data. Additionally, in April of 2017 I obtained permission from the students, parents and principal to conduct interviews. After spending three days and a total of three hours in the field, I transcribed , analyzed and discussed my findings. The process of conducting a qualitative study is a lengthy one with many considerations and changes. However, it is important to re-focus and reflect on one's methods if the process and study are going to be successful. Delimitations This study is limited to the topic of the factors affecting students' motivation to learn French. Only students were interviewed as the aim of the study is to identify the factors affecting motivation according to the students' perceptions. It was confined to the form three students at a school in the Caroni district due to the prevalence of the phenomenon at the particular institution. Limitations The findings of this study cannot be applied to other forms, students or schools. Time constraints proved to be a factor as there was a deadline to seek approval from the Ministry of Education to conduct the study. Conducting interviews were limited to time due to the availability of the participants. The examination and vacation period imposed time constraints as students had to be interviewed prior to the period. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 39 Summary The methodology is an important step in conducting the study. It drives the study as obtaining rich information depends on an appropriate method of data collection. The data analysis process is pertinent to conveying the findings of the study. Trustworthiness ensures that the study is valid and worth reading. Ethical considerations must be taken into account when dealing with human beings. The following Chapter deals with the study's findings from the data analysis process. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 40 Chapter 4 Data Analysis and Findings This single case study sought to explore the phenomenon of form three students’ lack of motivation to study French at the third form level. Interviews were conducted with 6 students who were purposefully selected, for whom pseudonyms were used. Three participants namely Sarah, Lilly, Emily belonged to the 3A class while Kavita, Cristal and Shanta belonged to 3B. Coded interviews (see Appendix E ) were included in the data analysis process for this research. Student interviews sought to answer the following research question: What are 6 form 3 students' perceptions of the factors that affect their motivation to learn French at Saint Thomas High? The researcher sought to ascertain each participant’s perception of the factors that affect their motivation to learn French at the form three level. The interview protocol (see Appendix B) included twenty two questions. The following themes (see Appendix E) emerged from the data collected (a) students’ attitude to studying French; (b) students’ perceived competence about studying French at the form three level; (c) Students’ perception that the Spanish Language is less challenging than the French language (d) students’ perceptions of the activities done in French class; (e) students’ grades ; (f) the teacher (g) students’ perceptions of the relevance of French to their personal goals; (h) students’ perceptions of the relevance of French to their career plans; (i) students’ perceptions on society’s views of the importance of French in Trinidad; (j) influence of family members on students’ motivation to learn French. The themes indicate factors that affect students’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to learn French. Therefore, this FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 41 chapter is organized into two parts; the factors that affect students’ intrinsic motivation to learn French and the factors that affect students’ extrinsic motivation to learn French. Factors affecting students’ intrinsic motivation to learn French Students’ attitudes to learning French. One of the themes that emerged from students’ coded responses to interview questions were the attitudes of form three students studying French at Saint Thomas high. The findings suggest that students’ attitudes towards learning French is a factor that affects their intrinsic motivation to learn the language at the third form level. The data revealed students’ positive and negative attitudes towards French. Codes (see Appendix E) such as “disgust” and “dislike” allude to negative dispositions towards French. For example Cristal said, “I dislike French with a passion”. She further stated that since she disliked the subject she only studied it two weeks before the end of term exam. Shanta also expressed, “I just don’t have a liking to it. I don’t like the subject it’s disgusting”. Her disdain for the subject was more apparent as she said she never pays attention, participates or studies French . Kavita stated, “French is not my favourite subject out there. I don’t really like it. I like the country itself but learning French not so much”. Therefore three students seem to display negative attitudes towards learning French which affected their motivation to learn the language. On the other hand, the remaining three students displayed a more positive attitude towards studying French. Words such as “like”, “enthusiastic”, “nice” and “fascinating” were used to describe their feelings toward French. For example Sarah stated “I think the French accent is very nice and speaking the language…it’s very…it sounds very sophisticated. I like to speak it in class... I like when miss puts us in pairs and we get to talk to each other… I am enthusiastic about the subject so I want to be involved in it”. Sarah seemed to be motivated by FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 42 the oral aspect of the language as she enjoys talking in class. Similarly Lilly expressed, “I like to hear other people talk. I like to hear them pronounce words. It’s nice to listen to…I like to go up on the board so I would like to write answers or like I like to talk French”. Emily stated, “I like French…it’s fun to learn another language”. Students' positive attitude towards aspects of the French language motivated them to want to learn to speak the language. Students’ perceived competence when studying French at the form three level. The findings suggest that students’ perceived competence is another reason that has contributed to students’ lack of motivation to learn French. Shanta expressed, “I am not good in French at all…” When asked why she felt that way, her response was, “I could barely speak and write French…because when I speak I make plenty mistakes in class and my oral marks for test always under 5…well writing I don’t remember how to spell words…it doesn’t ever stick when I try”. She further stated, “I never study French. It doesn’t make sense studying something I’m not good at”. Shanta perceived herself as not being good in French and as such is not motivated to learn the language. Cristal expressed, “It’s just not something I could do…my marks have never been over 60 in French and I don’t think it going to get better”. She stated that she studies two weeks before the French exam. Therefore, when asked if she thought studying it throughout the term instead of two weeks before exams could help improve her performance she stated, “I don’t think it would make a huge difference because in from 1 I use to real study it like way before the exams and I use to just forget it. I just not capable…you could give me anything in sciences and I could do it but French is not my thing. I can’t do it”. Cristal’s statement that she is not capable has affected her motivation to learn French. Therefore, perceived competence is another factor that has affected students’ motivation to learn French at Saint Thomas high. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 43 Students’ perception of the Spanish Language as less challenging than French. The findings indicate that students perceive the Spanish language to be easier than French. When asked which language they thought were easier, all students declared they found Spanish to be easier. When asked why, all students stated that they encountered difficulty in placing accents, pronunciation and spelling of words. They all seem to agree that many words in Spanish are similar to that of English and it is easier to recognize them. Furthermore the six participants stated that they found French to be too difficult. Sarah stated, “I like French but it is too challenging. Spanish is easier to learn…I could pronounce it better, the words are easier to say and the writing part I don’t make a whole lot of mistakes. In French I get mixed up with the accents all the time …in French my marks aren’t as high as Spanish”. Therefore, Sarah’s view that Spanish is easier than French affected her motivation to study the language. Emily stated, “I get mixed up a lot with the French accent. I find it hard to remember which way they go. I don’t have that problem with Spanish. It was easier and my writing is better”. Kavita’s account was the most detailed as she said, “Some words real deceive me in French. Things that look one way and I’ll pronounce it whole other way and writing it will be the hardest thing for me. Words are spelt differently. What I think it might be in English it won’t be in French”. Therefore, students’ perception that Spanish is easier to learn is a factor affecting their motivation to study French at the form three level. Students’ perceptions of the activities done in French class. The data collected indicated that the types of activities affect students' motivation to learn French. Three out of the six participants did not enjoy activities done in French class. Kavita enjoyed activities that entailed more movement and interaction in forms one and two. However she found the activities done in form three to be monotonous. She especially disliked drills where repetition was the main feature of FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 44 the activity. She stated, “we just looked at this video and just repeated the body parts it was just huh huh kina lame… those exercises when we have to write or read I don’t always feel like participating because I find it’s boring and I just tune out of class”. It is noteworthy to mention that Kavita’s experience in lower forms seemed to be enjoyable as she stated, “we had the spongebob ball you use to make things more interesting and is not just writing and speaking…. I like when you all teach like that but if we had to sit down in class and just write and talk and never laugh and throw the sponge bob ball it wouldn’t have been so fun”. Cristal compared the activities done in her French and Spanish and concluded that Spanish class is more interactive, exciting and the activities are varied whereas in French class, “you does jes write and watch on the board and copy it down”. Therefore, more interactive activities seem to motivate both Kavita and Cristal to learn French. However, repetitive activities contribute to their lack of motivation to learn French at the form three level. Shanta did not elaborate on the nature of the activities done in French class and only expressed her dislike for the activities. Lilly, Emily and Sarah enjoyed a variety of activities done in French class. Lilly preferred activities that involved the use of the projector because she felt that she understood and remembered the lesson when her teacher uses more visual exercises using the projector. She liked, “when we were learning about animals and the animals were moving…” Both Lilly and Emily enjoyed listening activities where they had the opportunity to listen to native speakers of French. Emily especially liked, “when miss play the CDs like it’s fun to hear how the French people speak the language”. Additionally both Emily and Sarah enjoyed the interactive activities such as interviewing other students and writing on the board. Sarah particularly enjoyed interactive activities, “yeh if we have like rows playing against each other and yuh have to answer. I would raise my hand and I would run up on the board”. Therefore different types of FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 45 activities motivate and de-motivate students to learn French. Interactive activities seemed to motivate students to learn French while repetitive, writing and non-interactive activities contribute to students’ lack of motivation to learn French at the form three level. Factors affecting students extrinsic motivation to learn French Students’ grades. Performance in French exams seems to be a major factor in determining four out of the six students resolve not to learn French at the form three level as well as select French after form three. Kavita expressed that she was struggling to obtain passing marks in French. She further stated, “I know I could change how I did in it, but I didn’t and I should have like before. I could change it now but the Spanish I still do better so at the end of the day is really what I doing better in”. When asked to compare her grades between French and Spanish throughout form three she responded, “I think French is somewhere in the 50’s but Spanish is definitely better. Last term I think I get 82 or somewhere around there”. Therefore, lower grades in French has contributed to her lack of motivation to study French at the form three level. Emily expressed, “If I can’t make the marks if I can’t keep up with it then doesn’t make sense I choose it, I would be struggling”. Emily’s lack of motivation to choose French in the upper forms is due to her performance. Additionally, all students constantly compared their performance in Spanish to French. They all seem to gravitate towards Spanish as their marks were higher in Spanish than in French. Sarah seemed motivated to study Spanish instead of French due to the fact that, “last term I got in my eighties and that was really…I got really motivated by that cus I’m staying at level and I’m going up and you know each term it’s really getting better”. Therefore, students’ implications are that poor grades are a major factor that affect their motivation to learn French at the form three level. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 46 The teacher’s role. For three out of the six participants, the teacher seemed to contribute to students’ motivation to learn French at the form three level. Shanta in particular expressed her disdain for the teacher, “The sound of the teacher voice, the teacher’s methods and everything about her teaching. It disgusting”. When asked why she felt that way she said, “she does be mean for no reason, she would talk in a harsh manner for no reason”. Kavita shared similar opinions as Shanta as she claimed that, “she does come with a bad attitude and if you ask she something she does roll she eyes and stuff…“she does jes come and teach”. Cristal felt that, “I also think miss could explain things more”, for her to be motivated to study the subject. She explained that in forms one and two, “the explaining was done at a really good level for us to understand, miss would take her time and go back if we didn’t understand something and now our teacher moves too fast and when you ask her to explain she rolls her eyes so I don’t ask anything... ah think the reason ah don't like French is because of the teacher”. Therefore, the findings suggest that the teacher’s attitude and teaching methods accounted for three students’ lack of motivation to learn French. The other three participants Sarah, Lilly and Emily did not mention the teacher as affecting their motivation to learn French. Students’ perceptions of the relevance of French to their personal goals. Students were asked whether they saw French as being useful to them or not. All students responded that French could be useful in terms of travelling to a Francophone place such as France and Montreal as well as communicating with native French speakers. For example Lilly’s desire to learn French is for travel and communication purposes, “If I learn the language…if I go there I’ll be able to speak it and you know tour the country. Tha’s the only reason I like French…because of France”. Kavita saw its usefulness as she explained she visited France in the year 2014 and wanted to communicate with natives. She stated “It is a good idea for me to explore the world FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 47 and communicate because I actually went France 2 years ago and I didn’t know how to speak... I could speak to other people differently”. Similarly Emily saw it as important if she were to visit her sister in Montreal and needed to communicate with native speakers of French. Therefore, students saw travelling and having meaningful communication as a motivating to learn French. Students’ perceptions of the relevance of French to their career plans. When asked if French would be pertinent to their career options, all students responded that French would be irrelevant to their career choices. Lilly stated, “but a manager I don’t think it would be useful”. Similarly Emily said, “well I want to be a vet so I don’t think it would be useful at all”. Shanta believed it was not necessary, “because I don’t think a judge is going to be sitting speaking French unless you in France. I want to study in England so I don’t think it will be necessary”. Kavita recognized the relevance of learning French if she chose to become a chef, “well to be a chef we had a book which subjects you could choose and French is one of the suggested subjects because if I go to work in France obviously I’d have to know how to speak French”. However, she stated she could learn it in the future if necessary but she was considering other career options such as a marine biologist or an architect. Therefore, she did not see French as a factor that affected her presently. Five students did not see French as relevant to their careers. It is noteworthy to mention that all students stated that they were not going to choose French as subject in form four because it was not relevant to their career plans. Therefore, students’ perceptions that French is not relevant to their careers has contributed to their lack of motivation to learn French at the form three level. Students’ perceptions on society’s views on the importance of French vs Spanish in Trinidad. Students perceived French is not valued in society hence they did not see the importance of learning the language. They all expressed their view that Spanish is seen as the FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 48 more prominent and relevant language. Lilly, Emily, Kavita and Cristal shared the view that not many French speakers are encountered in Trinidad. They all expressed their views by comparing French and Spanish explaining that there are more Spanish speakers in Trinidad. Lilly stated, “nobody here speaks French”. Emily concluded, “Like more people would prefer to learn Spanish because it’s more common. You would more see Spanish speaking people rather than French”. Kavita saw a foreign language as important outside of Trinidad, “I don’t encounter much French speaking people in Trinidad but to travel you would need to know the languages they speak so it should be important everywhere. At least one language”. Therefore, she is not motivated to learn French as she does not encounter French speakers in Trinidad. Cristal noted that there are more Venezuelans in Trinidad as well as Spanish is the second language, therefore, according to her Spanish would be more useful. Shanta added that French is not as important as Spanish since, “if I do go to university in Trinidad you need Spanish to be able to get into university. So that is why I think Spanish would be useful”. Thus, students’ believed that members of society do not speak French and that Spanish is more relevant because they encounter more Spanish speakers as well as the fact that Spanish is the second language. As a result French is not valued in society hence students’ are not motivated to learn the language at the form three level. Influence of family members on students’ motivation to learn French. In terms of implied factors contributing to the students’ motivation to learn French, the influence of family members was suggested. Three out of the six students seemed to be influenced by family members in their motivation to learn French at the form three level. It seemed as though Kavita’s parents had some influence over her opinion of French, “it will be harder so I’ve heard from my parents and they did French and they said it would have been harder than the Spanish… Spanish FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 49 seems to be the easier one”. Shanta noted that her parents would choose subjects for her and that French was not an option. She received their support in her decision not to study the language beyond form three as she stated, “They wouldn’t put it as a subject because they know my capability and they know I hate it”. Therefore she is not motivated to study it at the form three level because she will eventually drop the subject. Cristal’s grandparents are her guardians and advocate on her behalf. They seemed nonchalant about foreign languages in general. According to her they did not have an opinion about her studying French as she expressed, “they don’t really have an opinion about it. Once I doing Sciences that’s all they care about”. Therefore her family’s nonchalant attitude to her studying any foreign language has contributed to her lack of motivation to study French at the form three level. Therefore the students’ family members’ opinions of French have contributed to their lack of motivation to learn the language at the form three level. Summary The findings indicate that there are a variety of factors which the students perceive as having affected their motivation to learn French at the form three level at Saint Thomas high. The two main factors students’ identified perspectives were their poor grades and the teacher. Students’ said that they got better grades in Spanish rather than French. The teacher’s attitude and teaching methods accounted has affected students’ motivation to learn the language. However, other implied factors identified were:  Students’ attitudes to learning French.  Students’ perceived competence in French.  The types of activities used in the teaching of the language. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 50  The relevance of French to students’ personal goals.  The relevance of French to students’ career plans.  Students’ perceptions on society’s views value of French in Trinidadian.  The implied influence of family members on three students’ motivation to learn French. It is evident that there are many factors that affect students’ motivation to learn French at the form three level. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 51 Chapter 5 Discussion The findings of this case study mirrored findings of various experts and researchers in motivation and foreign language motivation. The findings revealed the factors that affected students’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to learn French at the form three level. They are consistent with the factors identified by experts such as students’ attitudes, students’ perceived competence, activities, poor grades, the teacher, personal goals, career plans, society and the influence of family members. The study sought to investigate the following research question: What are 6 form 3 students' perceptions of the factors that affect their motivation to learn French at Saint Thomas High? The findings revealed that students’ attitudes affected their intrinsic motivation to learn French at the form three level at Saint Thomas high. Students who displayed positive attitudes such as enthusiasm towards the French language were motivated to learn French while those who possessed a negative attitude such as disgust displayed a lack of motivation to learn French. The results are consistent with Gardner (1985) who posited that positive attitudes are linked to higher levels of motivation and language achievement. The findings of students’ interviews coincide with the study done by Kikuchi and Sakai (2009) in which Japanese students’ negative attitude contributed to their lack of motivation to learn English. Students used words such as “dislike”, and “hate” to describe their feelings towards the language. Similarly the students of Saint Thomas high used words such as “dislike” and “disgust” to express their feelings towards the French language. Additionally, experts such as Al Rafai (2010) and Dörnyei (1998) agree that FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 52 negative attitudes contribute to lack of motivation to learn a foreign language. Therefore, students’ attitudes can affect their level of motivation to learn French at Saint Thomas high. Students’ perceived competence emerged as a factor that affects their motivation to learn French at the form 3 level. Students’ lack of confidence in French was expressed in terms of not being capable and not being able to score beyond a certain percentage. As such they suggested that they were not competent in the language. Such statements are in line with Deci and Ryan (1985) who contended that if a person perceived him/herself to be competent at an activity, the more intrinsically motivated he or she would be at that activity. Since students perceive themselves to be less competent they are not intrinsically motivated to learn French. Similar opinions are shared by to Noels, Pelletier, Clement and Vallerand (as cited by Dörnyei, 2003) and Graham (2004) whose studies indicate that students who perceived themselves as possessing low ability in a foreign language lack motivation to study the language. Additionally, Di Fino and Lombardino (2004) state, there are students who cannot succeed even though they have placed an effort. This statement concurs with one Cristal’s opinion that she is unable to achieve higher percentages despite her efforts. Therefore, the participants’ perceived competence appear to contribute to their lack of motivation to learn French at the form three level at Saint Thomas high. Students indicated that they found French to be too difficult at times. All participants expressed that Spanish was less challenging than French. As a result they lacked motivation to learn French. The findings are consistent with Deci and Ryan(1985) view that activities must be optimally challenging for individuals to be intrinsically motivated. It must neither to be too difficult or too easy. They further declare that when challenges are befitting of one's capabilities they work to conquer them persistently thereby fostering intrinsic motivation. Students found FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 53 Spanish to be optimally challenging therefore they were intrinsically motivated to study the language. On the other hand, they perceived French to be too challenging and were not intrinsically motivated to learn the language at the form three level. The type of activities done in French class was a factor that affected students’ motivation to learn French. For three students, repetitive, too much writing and non-interactive activities contributed to their lack of motivation to learn French. Studies carried out by Kikuchi and Sakai (2009) and Soysal (2013) correspond with the findings of this study. Activities done in class contribute to students’ lack of motivation. For example the results of Kikuchi’s (2009) study indicated that Japanese students studying English were disenchanted by learning English due to the fact that too much emphasis was placed on grammar activities. Additionally, students did not get the opportunity to speak in the target language and they felt that the activities were not practical. Similarly, students at Saint Thomas high perceived activities to be monotonous as the activities done in class focused on grammar and vocabulary. They were also not interactive as students expressed they just sat and copied from the board. Thus they types of activities done contributed to students’ lack of motivation to learn French at the form three level Saint Thomas high. On the other hand, interactive activities motivated students to learn French. The findings indicated that three students enjoyed the activities done in French class as they were varied and interactive. Deci and Ryan (1985) and Dörnyei (2003) share the view that there is no appreciable intrinsic reward if an activity is monotonous. Therefore the findings and the opinions of these experts coincide as students were intrinsically motivated to study French due to varied activities such as games, listening, and speaking activities. Deci and Ryan (2003) reiterate that intrinsic FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 54 motivation, the individual and type of activities are interrelated. Hence more interactive activities motivated the participants to learn French at the form three level at Saint Thomas high. The findings revealed that students’ poor grades affected their motivation to learn French. Failing to obtain passing grades and performing better in Spanish accounted for four students not wanting to learn French. The findings are consistent with Butler (1986) that assigning grades to students’ work promotes emphasis of the quantitative aspects of learning, suppresses creativity, fosters fear of failure and weakens interest. The results of her study indicate that 79% of her students preferred a different mode of evaluation. Deci & Ryan (1985) share Butler’s view as they state, “in so far as people’s work is being critically evaluated by an external agent, it is possible that people will lose a sense of self determination” (p.55). Additionally it is noteworthy to mention that the all students have opted not to pursue French beyond the form three level. Such findings is consistent with Morris (1985) who posited that students will opt out of language study because they believe they will inevitably fail to acquire certification in the subject. Thus the findings of this study concur with the aforementioned experts that poor grades contribute to students’ lack of motivation to learn French. The findings suggest that students were motivated to study French because of personal goals. All students responded that they saw French as useful for the purpose of travelling. They stated that if they travelled to a Francophone country they would see the language as relevant for communicating with natives. The findings are consistent with Clement and Krudenier (1983) who found that one of the reasons high school students were motivated to study a foreign language was because of their desire to travel. Noels, Pelletier, Clement and Vallerand (as cited by Dörnyei, 2003) found that to keep students motivated to learn a language, they must be convinced that it is personally important them. Therefore, since students expressed that French FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 55 would be useful if they wanted to travel, they were motivated to learn French at the form three level at Saint Thomas high. The findings suggested that students’ perception that French is irrelevant to their career plans affected their extrinsic motivation to study French. Five students did not see French as being useful to their careers or gaining employment. One student expressed that she would study it in the future if she needed to. There seems to be similarities between this study and Clarke & Trafford (1995). For example a student studying French expressed, “if you want to work in France you need a foreign language, but if you don’t want to do anything with it, it just seems like a waste of time” (Clarke & Trafford, 1995, p.320). Similarly, Shanta stated studying French was not necessary for her career path as she wanted to be judge. Therefore both students did not see the importance of studying French for their careers. Graham (2004) also found that English students were reluctant to continue studying French as they deemed it as unnecessary for their future career paths. Additionally the findings are also consistent with Dabene (as cited by Bartram, 2010) who states, “ the usefulness of any language is often specifically defined in economic/career terms” (p.85). All students chose careers in which they believed French would not be useful. Thus students’ perception that French is not useful to their careers resulted in their lack of motivation to learn French. The teacher emerged as another factor that affected students’ motivation to learn French at the form three level at Saint Thomas high. Three students felt that the teacher’s attitude and teaching methods contributed to their lack of motivation to learn French. Skinner and Belmont (1991) found that teachers can foster students’ motivation by providing a supportive environment and adjusting teaching styles to cater to students’ needs. The findings of this study found that the teacher of the 3B class did not contribute to motivating students to learn French. For example FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 56 one student stated that she does not ask anything because of the teacher’s attitude. The findings of the conducted by Thrang and Bauldauf (2007), Soureshjani and Riahipour (2012) , Muhonen (2003) coincided with the findings of this study and positioned the teacher as a source of de- motivation. Interviews were carried out with students who cited the teachers’ attitude and teaching method were sources of de-motivation. For example according to Soureshjani and Riahipour (2012) teachers getting angry and shouting accounted for students’ de-motivation to study English. Hence, the teacher contributed to students’ lack of motivation to learn French at the form three level at Saint Thomas high. The findings demonstrated that family members affected students’ motivation to learn French at the form three level. For three students, their family members influenced their lack of motivation to study French in various ways. One student’s parents expressed French would be too difficult while another’s guardian did not see it as important. Anya (2011) contended that students may feel motivated to study a language due to family obligations and pressures. Therefore since students did not face obligations or pressures to learn French at the form three level, they were not motivated to learn French. Students’ perception that French is not valued in society contributed to their lack of motivation to study French at the form three level. All six students expressed that the French language is not seen as important in Trinidadian society. The fact that they did not encounter many French speakers accounted for their view. Additionally they thought that Spanish was more relevant as there are more Spanish speakers and it is the second language. A study conducted by Carter (2003) showed similar results when respondents were asked to indicate whether people in Trinidad and Tobago placed a lot of importance on learning a foreign language. Students’ responses revealed that they believed that there is little societal support for FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 57 foreign language learning. A total of 68.57% disagreed that a foreign language was important in their country. Furthermore, Noels, Pelletier, Clement and Vallerand (as cited by Dörnyei, 2003) contended that individuals are motivated to learn a foreign language to have contact with and identify with members from the second language community. Therefore, students were motivated to learn Spanish rather than French because they saw the language as more relevant in society. They stated that society did not view French as important thus they were not motivated to learn the language at the form three level at Saint Thomas High. It is evident that the findings of this study are consistent with other studies conducted by experts. There are many factors that contribute to students’ lack of motivation to learn French. In light of the factors found ,it is necessary to find solutions to motivate students to want to learn the French language. Therefore some suggestions are offered in the following paragraphs. Recommendations In light of the factors affecting students’ motivation to learn French at the form three level, several recommendations were considered. One of which included focusing on more stimulating activities in the classroom. Malone (as cited by Deci & Ryan,1985) suggested employing fantasy in the classroom as, “by giving children the opportunity to experiment in their minds…children may develop creative solutions that can then be applied to real problems” (p.248). Rogers (1969) shares the view of using stimulating activities to enhance students’ motivation to learn as it can give students the opportunity to explore, discover and grow. As a result they will be more curious to learn thus enhancing their intrinsic motivation. Additionally, Dörnyei and Czisér (1998) suggested that teachers should select interesting and challenging tasks to motivate language learners. Therefore, to motivate students’ at the form three level at Saint Thomas high, teacher should consider the types of activities they employ. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 58 Using different types of evaluations rather than overemphasizing grades can contribute to students’ motivation to learn French. Formative feedback could be an alternative to evaluating students by grades. The study carried out by Butler (1986) revealed that 86.3% of students preferred written comments as a form of feedback rather than grades. Covington (1984) believed that evaluation systems implicate children’s self-worth in their achievement. Therefore teachers must be careful how they use grades. Deci and Ryan (1985) suggest feedback either written and or oral even if it is negative. They maintain that even negative feedback can sustain intrinsic motivation if the person is task-involved as it can help the individual understand how to do better the next time. As the students at Saint Thomas high encountered difficulty in French, directive and facilitative feedback could be used to motivate them to learn the language. Shute (2008) posits that directive feedback indicates to a student what he/she must revise using specific details whereas facilitative feedback gives comments and suggestions that guide the revision process. Since students at Saint Thomas high were having issues with spelling, placing accents and writing feedback could be more useful to help them improve rather than evaluating by assigning grades to written work. Hence using different forms of evaluations can motivate students to learn French at the form three level. To help motivate students to learn, teachers can create a pleasant atmosphere in the classroom and present tasks properly. Dornyei and Czisér (1998) reiterate that teachers should have a good attitude by bringing humour and laughter to the class. They posit as students seek to please their teachers, establishing good relationships with students may help them to be motivated to learn. A study executed by Ushioda (2005) revealed that teachers were responsible for fostering positive attitudes in students which helped to create less anxiety the language classroom. Additionally, teachers could enhance activities by giving clear instructions provide FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 59 guidance and state the objective of each class (Dornyei & Czisér, 1998). They can also use varied activities to engage students and alter their teaching styles to cater to students’ needs. Darling-Hammond and McLaughlin (1995) contend that, teachers must rethink their own practice and teacher in ways they have never taught before. To facilitate this Vescio, Ross and Adams (2007) posit that professional learning communities can enhance teachers’ knowledge and student learning. They further state that through PLCs teachers, “increased the use of techniques such as added flexibility of classroom arrangement and changes in pace of instruction to accommodate for varying levels of student content mastery” (Vescio, Ross and Adams, 2007, p.83). Thus teachers can motivated students to learn French at Saint Thomas High through a variety of tactics. Conclusion This study sought to investigate six students’ perceptions of the factors that affect their motivation to learn French at the form three level at Saint Thomas high. The students interviewed were three from the 3A class and three from the 3B class. The findings revealed several factors affected students’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to learn French. The major factors that accounted for students’ lack of motivation to learn French were their grades, the teacher and students’ perception that French was irrelevant to their career plans. The study also revealed that the six students would not choose French at the form four level which signifies they are not motivated to study it beyond the form three level. It is evident that more can be done to improve the status of French in Trinidadian society. As French is one of the major languages is the region, the government of Trinidad and Tobago should make every effort to foster the learning of the language. Additionally, teachers play a vital role in students’ motivation. They FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 60 must strive to foster and enhance students' learning so that they can appreciate and be motivated to learn the French language FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 61 References Alshenqeeti, H. (2014). Interviewing as a data collection method: A critical review. English Linguistics Research, 3(1), 39. Al Rifai, N. (2010). Attitude, motivation, and difficulties involved in learning the English language and factors that affect motivation in learning it. 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(2009). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. London: Sage Publications Ltd. Stake, R. E. (2010). Qualitative research: Studying how things work. Guilford Press. Trang, T.T.T. &. Bauldauf, R. (2007, January). Demotivation: Understanding Resistance to English Language Learning - The Case of Vietnamese Students. Journal of Asia TEFL, 4. Ushioda, E. (2005). Language learning motivation: current insights and implications. BATJ Journal, 6, 57- 63. Vallerand, R. J. (1997). Toward a hierarchical model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Advances in experimental social psychology, 29, 271-360. Yin, R. K. (2009). Case study research: Design and Methods. SAGE publications. Thousand oaks. Yin, R. K. (2015). Qualitative research from start to finish. Guilford Publications. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 69 Vescio, V., Ross, D., & Adams, A. (2008). A review of research on the impact of professional learning communities on teaching practice and student learning. Teaching and teacher education, 24(1), 80-91. William, M., & Burden, R. (1997). Psychology for language teachers. Cambrdge: Cambridge. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 70 Appendix A Scholarships awarded for the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exam 2016 FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 71 Appendix B Interview Protocol 1. How old are you? 2. Do you like French? 3. What are some of the reasons why you feel the way you do about French? Please give as many details as possible. 4. How do you think others may have influenced you to learn French? Why do you think that? 5. Can you choose your own subjects? Or will your parents choose for you? 6. Do any of your family members speak French? 7. How do your parents, friends and family feel about you studying French and continuing to study it? 8. Do you use French outside of the classroom? 9. Do you see French as being useful? why? why not? 10. Among the foreign languages studied at this school, which do you think is easier? Why? 11. Do you think French will be useful in this career path in the future? Please explain 12. Do you plan on continuing to learn French in the upper forms? 13. Do you think learning French in Trinidad is important? Explain 14. How much time do you spend studying French? Why? 15. Do you enjoy activities done in French class? Why? or Why not? 16. Do you volunteer to participate in any activities in French class? Why/why not? 17. Do you find French classes interesting? In what ways/Why not? 18. Did you enjoy learning French in lower forms? Why/why not? FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 72 19. What do you think could be done at your school to encourage students to choose French at the end of form 3? 20. Why have you decided the foreign language you hope to continue in Form 4? 21. How do you feel about the usefulness of learning any FL? Please explain. 22. Do you think that you will use French in future? FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 73 Appendix C Letter of Participation CONSENT LETTER – CHILD PARTICIPANT Dear Parent/Guardian, In addition to being a Foreign Language teacher at Holy Faith Convent Couva I am also a Student pursuing my Masters in Education at the University of the West Indies. As part of this program, I will be conducting a research study to learn more about students’ perspectives of the French Language. In understanding students’ perspectives teachers can employ methods that could cater to students’ needs during classroom instruction. The information gained can sensitize the foreign language department on issues surrounding students’ motivation to learn a Foreign Language. The Caribbean Examination Council sees the French language as an asset as it is one of the three main languages spoken in the region. As a foreign language teacher I hope to enhance students’ experience in learning the French Language. With your permission, I would like to conduct an interview with your daughter about her experience with the French language thus far. I am also seeking permission to record the interview. This interview will last about 15-20minutes and will take place in the privacy of the conference room. If your child is not comfortable with the interview, she is free to discontinue at any point in time. Your child’s participation of non-participation in the project will have no effect on herschool work. If you agree that your daughter can participate, I will not use her name orthe school or teacher’s name in any of my records. A pseudonym will be used instead. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 74 Information obtained in this interview will not be discussed. If you have questions about the project on your child’s participation you can contact me Ms. Kezia Rampaul at 378-9850 or email at rampaulkezia@gmail.com. I am at your Disposal at any time. Thanking you in advance, ________________________ MS. KEZIA RAMPAUL FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 75 Please review your daughter’s rights at the bottom of this page and sign below. I f you agree to allow her to participate. The rights below are the rights of every person who is asked to be in a research study. As a Research subject, you have the following rights: 1) To be told what area, subject, or issue is being studied. 2) To be told what will happen to you and what the procedures are. 3) To be told about the potential risks or discomforts, if any, of the research. 4) To be told if you can expect any benefit from participating and, if so, what the benefit might be. 5) To be allowed to ask any questions concerning the study, both before agreeing to be involved and during the course of the study. 6) To refuse to participate in the study or to stop participating after the study starts. 7) To be free of pressure when considering whether you wish to be in the study ______________________________________________________________________________ (Please keep this top section for your records) I do not give/ give permission for my child ---------------------------------------------------- to participate in (Child's name) the interview conducted by Ms. Kezia Rampaul ____________________ ____________________ SIGNATURE DATE FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 76 Appendix D Transcriptions from Interview Interview 4 Kavita 1.Do you like French? Hmm not really 2.What are some of the reasons why you feel the way you do about French? French is not my favourite subject out there. I don’t really like it. I like the country itself but learning French not so much. I find it's difficult. 3. Can you think of anyone who has influenced you to learn French? I guess my teachers and my parents . my parents did French when they went to school. But other than that I don't know anyone else who speaks French 4. So then do you speak French often outside of the classroom? Not regularly, like during test time to my parents. I don’t really have time to speak it because we have too much projects and stuff. 5.Can you choose your own subjects? Yes 6. Do your parents have any input? Well they would have input if they feel like I could do more or better in something but otherwise the option is mine because my dad wants me to do things I’ll be comfortable with doing. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 77 7. What combinations would you choose in form 4? I would choose business subjects but I was looking forward to doing geography, history, social studies. 8.So what career path would you be thinking about? Well I have a lot of mix ideas. I was thinking marine biologist cus I like the sea and I like to study those kina things or maybe a chef. My range is wide and it’s all over the place but I have a while to figure it out still. 10. Do you think French would be useful in any of those career paths? Well to be a chef we had a book which subjects you could choose and French is one of the suggested subjects because if I go to work in France obviously I’d have to know how to speak French. Some people could come into my business or whatever, they don’t speak English they speak French. French was recommended. 11. How do your parents feel about you learning French? Well my parents think is a good idea for me to explore the world and communicate because I actually went France 2 years ago and I didn’t know how to speak and I was just going to the hotel and I was just running happily and I said Hola but that was a mistake of course. So they were glad that I could to do things like this and not only do like Social Studies. I could speak to other people differently. 12.Since you went to France did that influence you in any way to want to learn French? FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 78 Well yehcus it would have been so much easier if would have been able to talk to the people in their own language cus that would have been fun to. I speak in English everyday, I went to France for 2 weeks, to speak in French for 2 weeks would have been fun 13. So when you came back how did you feel about learning French in school? Well I taught French was a good idea but then I realize is a lot but then Spanish will obviously be a lot too but the whole thing with all the accents and thing just harder. And Spanish is easier. 14.Why do you think Spanish is easier? I think Spanish is easier personally because in form 1 Spanish was something I knew a little bit of before so it’s not like it was now introduced to me. I had a little bit of experience and then the accents again in French you go two ways. I don’t know which way to put them. I would just always learn Spanish more than I learn French and it just became easier. And the fact that I knew some of it before helped. . 15.Do you plan on continuing to learn French in the upper forms? No because I like Spanish more but I like French too but I like Spanish. And it will harder so I’ve heard from my parents and they did French and they said it would have been harder than the Spanish. I asked around about this because I like the French but Spanish seems to be the easier one. 16. So this decision is based solely on difficulty or are there any other factors? Yes and my marks. I know I could change how I did in it, but I didn’t and I should have like before. I could change it now but the Spanish I still do better so at the end of the day is really what I doing better in and if later on in my life I want to do French I could do French. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 79 17. How would you compare your marks in French vs Spanish? I think French is somewhere in the 50’s but Spanish is definitely better. Last term I think I get 82 or somewhere around there. 18. Do you think learning French in Trinidad is important? I think it is Kind of because a lot of people in Trinidad travel away and I don’t encounter much French speaking people in Trinidad but to travel you would need to know the languages they speak so it should be important everywhere. At least one language. So you could communicate with others. 19. How much time do you spend studying French? Not a lot that’s why marks not good in French. Plus I going to choose Spanish so I prefer to study that instead. I only use to study French the night before the test or a few nights before the test and when I did it was frustrating because I would pile up everything to last minute and I have to learn simple little words like how to say “for” because I don’t know how to say that. 20. Why do you think you didn’t spend as much time? Because I think I assumed it would be easier at the beginning. I was like oh is French. If I could speak it class I could write it in my exam but in class it’s different because we have our book open, we would be corrected if we are wrong but when is coming to the exam is you and you and what you know. Some words real deceive me in French. Things that look one way and I’ll pronounce it whole other way and writing it will be the hardest thing for me. Words are spelt differently. What I think it might be in English it won’t be in French. Sometimes it might sound FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 80 similar so I might put the same things as it is in English which is difficult and very bad if I want to get marks. 21. Do you enjoy activities done in French class? Um not not really we just looked at this video and just repeated the body parts it was just huh huh kina lame. I don't like it at all. Those exercises when we have to write or read I don’t always feel like participating because I find it’s boring and I just tune out of class. 22.So what kind of activities do you enjoy? Well in forms 1 and 2 I liked that when you use to teach us and we had the spongebob ball you use to make things more interesting and is not just writing and speaking, you had other fun ways to teach us. I like when you all teach like that but if we had to sit down in class and just write and talk and never laugh and throw the sponge bob ball it wouldn’t have been so fun. 23. What do you think could be done at your school to encourage students to choose French at the end of form 3? You can’t really change the words or anything and that’s a problem for us well for people like me who don’t study their French but the activities during class should encourage them because we will have to hear these things more and you could remember alright like that time I hit somebody or I throw this ball in this bin and that was the word or something like that because I tend to remember things that happen when it was fun so it would be easier like that. 24. Can you think of any activities you would like to see in the classroom? Simple things such as maybe singing to stick the song in your head you don’t have to sing good or whatever but you could stick words in your head, throw the ball and whoever get it will say, FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 81 question and answer. You could pass something around the class. And those things would take time though out of a class. You could pass thing and whoever it stop on. Usually Msbeatirce plays stuff on the speakers. But that is hard to understand because they speak quickly and those things like that if it were slower it could still be interesting to hear how they speak and we would hear how we should be speaking when learning French. 25.How do you feel about the usefulness of learning any foreign language? Its very useful. To travel. Even in Trinidad people speak Spanish here. I see people in the store speaking Spanish and I think they bad talking me cus I don’t know what they saying. Sometimes I might know if is something simple but it would be fun to be able to speak another language. Spanish is very useful cus you have people coming here. I haven’t noticed any people coming here that speak French but I have noticed more Spanish. I notice one French person because my cousin works in UWI and someone came down from France and I spoke to her a little bit in French before test. She said she could help me but I need a lot of help in French and that can’t happen the day before test 26. Do you think you will use French in the future? Maybe im not sure. Only if I become a chef but other that that no not really. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 82 Sarah (student 1) 1. So how old are you? Sarah : I am 14 years of age. 2,Do you like French? Sarah : Yes I really like French. 3.What are some of the reasons why you feel the way you do about French? Sarah: It's very nice and speaking the language. It’s very um cool you know .It sounds very sophisticated. I like to speak it in class. I find it's fun to do that. Like I really um um I like when miss puts us in pairs and we get to talk to each other. I am enthusiastic about the subject so I want to be involved in it. 4.Can you choose your own subjects? Sarah: Yes I can 5.So your parents don’t help you choose or have any say in it? Sarah: Well…I interested in the sciences and I think they will be choosing that too. 6. Do any of your family members speak French? Sarah: No Not that I can think of. 7. How do your parents feel about you learning French? Sarah: I don’t think they have a problem with me learning French. They are supportive. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 83 8. Do you use French outside class time? Sarah: ummm… not so much. I Just say Salut to my teachers if I see them in d corridor 9. Do you see French as being useful. Sarah: Yes I see the subject as very useful if you want to travel to France or Martinique. You could communicate with people who speak French 10. Do you think it will be useful in the career path you have chosen? no I don't think so I want to be a doctor so I would really need it. 11. Among the foreign language studied at this school, which do you think is easier? Sarah: Actually I think Spanish is easier 12. Why do you think Spanish is easier? Sarah: Actually I think Spanish is easier. I feel more confident in Spanish. Also my teacher actually explains the work more and we get more written notes and activities done in class. 13.Do you think learning French in Trinidad is important? Sarah:Yes it would be important because there are a lot of mix cultures is Trinidad and our country needs to start doing business with other countries and I think further in the future we will need languages to be more often used in this country. 14. Do you think people in society see French as important? Sarah: I don’t really think so. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 84 15.Why do you say that? Sarah: Because everyone is at a stand still and think that English is one way . They are not tryna further their education in different languages. 16.how many…much time time do you spend studying French? Sarah: I spend an hour a week. 17.Why? Sarah: Because I have study timetable and I want to see if I could improve in it. 18.Do you enjoy activities done in French class? Sarah: yes it it is a lot of fun 19.Can you name any activity you enjoyed and why? Sarah: So I really enjoyed we used the ruler and we passed it on and we label the body parts. Another activity was that we looked at this pictures of celebrities and we had to describe them. I really liked that one. The activities are different. Like we do a lot of different things and we get to talk to each other and move around alot. And the pictures are so colourful. It helps with remembering. 20.Why would you prefer with this one with passing the ruler? Sarah: Because in the earlier days when I studied French in form 1 and 2 we would have done this and it would be really fun. It would be like a game, a race and it was really interesting to me and we move around a lot. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 85 21. Do you volunteer to participate in any activities in French? yeh if we have like rows playing against each other and yuh have to answer. I would raise my hand and I would run up on the board. 22. So what do you think are some other fun activities? Sarah: So like um when we had those little toys to play with and we use the microphone, even though it’s childish yuh know it brings the fun into the game and really helps the subject to be more interesting. 23. Did you enjoy learning French in lower forms? Sarah: Yes I really enjoyed it in lower forms 24. Why? Sarah: Well I enjoyed it because of the activities most likely . 25. What do you think could be done at your school to encourage students to choose French at the end of form 3? Sarah: I think that um the teacher... She can get get some more ways, maybe more a French movie, make it interesting um a lil toy to play around with, do French games. Researcher: Good ideas! I’ll have to steal some of those (Researcher and Sarah laugh) 26.So how do you feel about the usefulness of any foreign language? FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 86 Sarah: I think it’s very useful especially Spanish this would be useful, um Trinidad would be eventually going higher in standards most likely with other countries to do business and we need to at least somewhere and learn a foreign language which is very important. 27. Between French and Spanish which one do you prefer? Sarah: Spanish 28. why? Sarah: I like French but it is too challenging. Spanish is easier to learn.I could pronounce it better, the words are easier to say and the writing part I don’t make a whole lot of mistakes. In French I get mixed up with the accents all the time. They go in two different directions and I never remember. And we lose marks for that. In French my marks aren’t as high as Spanish.Well last term I got in my eighties and that was really.,,I got really motivated by that cus I’m staying at level and Im going up and you know each term it’s really getting better. 29.So would you choose a foreign language based on the marks you get? Sarah:Um yes because I could get one for CSEC. Like I really like French but I feel more motivated to study Spanish. I think I’m leaning more towards Spanish in form 4. Researcher : Excellent thank you so much for your time. It was a great getting to hear your perspective. Sarah: Thanks miss. I really enjoyed this. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 87 Interview 5 Cristal 1.Do you like French? Why? Or Why not? No I dislike French with a passion because it kina difficult, because the words not pronounced how it’s spelt. And writing to is more difficult because it have all the accents too. 2.Can you choose you own subjects? No I don’t think so 3. Your parents will choose for you? Um both because I want to be a doctor so… 4.In what way will they help you? Well they does motivate me and well I live with my grandparents so they will help me. 5. Do any of your family members speak French? No 6. How do your grandparents feel about you studying French? They don’t really have a opinion about it. Once I doing Sciences that’s all they care about. 7. Do you use French outside of the classroom? No. 9. Do you see French as being useful Yeh for like if you want to go France . For a job if you want to be a air hostess or a doctor in France. 10. Among the foreign languages studied at this school, which do you think is easier? FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 88 Spanish 11.Why Cus the words pronounced as it spelt and it easier to pronounce than French. Reading easier too. As for French .It’s just not something I could do um cus well my marks have never been over 60 in French and I don’t think it going to get better. 12. Do you think French could be useful in your career path? Not for me but for like doctors who want to go to other countries. 13. Do you think learning French in Trinidad is important? Probably I not sure. It have a whole seta people of different races coming to Trinidad so probably French people might come down and you might need them or you might talk to them 14. Have you encountered any? No. 15. How much time do you spend studying French? I only study it for exams so probably two weeks before test. Cus if I start studying it earlier or something I might forget. 16. Do you think if you studied it more it would make a difference? I don’t think it would make a huge difference because in from 1 I use to real study it like way before the exams and I use to just forget it. I just not capable…you could give me anything in sciences and I could do it but French is not my thing. I can’t do it 17. Do you enjoy activities done in French class? Why ?why not? FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 89 No well the teacher she does jes come and teach and unlike how Spanish class does be. 18. What would the teacher do in French class? She does write it on the board and sometimes she does come with a bad attitude and if you ask she something she does roll she eyes and stuff. 19. Can you give an example of an activity you didn’t enjoy? Well we just have to sit and read. And then write down vocabulary. 20. And how is Spanish class different from French? Well Spanish class does be more exciting because it have different things like it more interactive, we watch videos and power points. And in French you does just write and watch on the board and copy it down. 21.Between French and Spanish. Which do you think is easier? . Spanish.In Spanish the words pronounces as it spelt and it easier to pronounce than French. Reading is easier too. Is like you don’t have a chance with French cus everything so hard 22. Do you volunteer to participate in any activities in French class? Yes sometimes I just know the answer so I say it. 23. Do you find French classes interesting? Why? Why not? No . The teacher kina boring. 24.Did you enjoy learning French in lower forms? Form 1 it was kina normal. I did prefer French more than Spanish but Form 2 I rather Spanish. 25.Why do you think you preferred it in form 1 and not in form 2 FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 90 Because I always wanted to learn French but like in form 2 and thing I realize Spanish more easier. 26. If you had to compare form 1 when you enjoyed it to now. What was the difference? Amm…the teacher she never use to come with a bad attitude and thing in form 1 now she…ah think the reason I doh like French is because of the teacher. I also think miss could explain things more. the explaining was done at a really good level for us to understand, miss would take her time and go back if we didn’t understand something and now our teacher moves too fast and when you ask her to explain she rolls her eyes so I don’t ask anything 27.What are some of the activities you enjoyed in form 1? Well we use to do oral games to talk and then we had to draw…like she use to give us something and we had to draw the French for it. It was fun 28. What do you think could be done at your school to encourage students to choose French at the end of form 3? Make the classes more exciting, make sure the teacher not in a bad mood. 29. What activities do you think might make the classes more exciting? Games,umm exercises and giving out stars. 30. How do you feel about the usefulness of learning any foreign language? I think it will come in useful because I want to travel. And in Trinidad half of us mix so we have families from other countries. 31.Do you think people in Trinidad see French as in important? FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 91 No not really. Ah think they think Spanish more important that French. Because a lot of the population in Trinidad mix with Spanish than French. And it have more Venezuelans in Trinidad. And Spanish is the second language 32. Do you think you will use French in the Future? No I don’t want to go to France. 33. Will you choose French at the end of form 3? Definitely not. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 92 Appendix E Coding Process FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS INTRINSIC MOTIVATION TO LEARN FRENCH Colour Codes Categories Quotes Themes Love, nice, like, Positive I1-I think the French accent Attitude of enthusiastic , attitudes of is very nice and speaking the form 3 fascinating students language…it’s very…it students sounds very sophisticated. I studying like to speak it in class... I French at Saint like when miss puts us in Thomas high. pairs and we get to talk to each other… I am enthusiastic about the subject so I want to be involved in it. I2-I like to hear other people talk. I like to hear them pronounce words. It’s nice to listen to…I like to go up on the board so I would like to write answers or like I like to talk French. I3- I like French. Well the way it sounds.It’s fun to learn another language Dislike, don’t have Negative I4- French is not my a liking, disgusting. attitude of favourite subject out there. I Not my favourite. Students don’t really like it. I like the country itself but learning French not so much. I5-I dislike French with a passion I6- I just don’t have a liking to it. I don’t like the subject it’s disgusting Spanish is easier, Perceived I1- Actually I think Spanish Students’ confused, better at Competence is easier. I feel more perceived writing, harder, confident in Spanish competence difficult, not good I-2 .I think I am more about studying in French, more confident in Spanish because French at the confident in I could write better.I think form 3 level Spanish, lack that English words and the capability, lack of Spanish words, they’re FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 93 confidence. cannot similar and I remember.It’s succeed. way easier. I-3- The writing part is easier. I get mixed up a lot with the French accent. I-4. Well I thought French was a good idea but then I realize is a lot. The whole thing with all the accents and thing just harder.And Spanish is easier. The accents again in French goes two ways. I don’t know which way to put them. I would just always learn Spanish more than I learn French and it just became easier. I think I assumed it would be easier at the beginning. I was like oh is French. If I could speak it class I could write it in my exam but in class it’s different because we have our book open, we would be corrected if we are wrong but when is coming to the exam is you and you and what you know. I-5 It’s just not something I could do…my marks have never been over 60 in French and I don’t think it going to get better. I don’t think it would make a huge difference because in from 1 I use to real study it like way before the exams and I use to just forget it. I just not capable…you could give me anything in sciences and I could do it but French is not my thing. I can’t do it I-6-.I am not good in French at all. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 94 I could barely speak and write French…because when I speak I make plenty mistakes in class and my oral marks for test always under 5…well writing I don’t remember how to spell words…it doesn’t ever stick when I try. I never study French. It doesn’t make sense studying something I’m not good at It kina difficult, because the words not pronounced how it’s spelt. And writing is more difficult because it have all the accents too. the words are similar in English. At least when you doing something and you don’t know all of the words you could figure it out but in French it’s just too difficult. And the pronunciation is simpler. Less challenging, Less I-1I like French but it is too Students’ easier to learn, challenging challenging. Spanish is easier perception of pronunciation is to learn…I could pronounce the Spanish easier, less it better, the words are easier Language as mistakes, French to say and the writing part I less difficult to don’t make a whole lot of challenging remember, more mistakes. In French I get than French proficeient, mixed up with the accents all confusing the time …in French my marks aren’t as high as Spanish. 3-I get mixed up a lot with the French accent. I find it hard to remember which way they go. I don’t have that problem with Spanish. It was easier and my writing is better. I-4 Some words real deceive me in French. Things that FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 95 look one way and I’ll pronounce it whole other way and writing it will be the hardest thing for me. Words are spelt differently. What I think it might be in English it won’t be in French. Sometimes it might sound similar so I might put the same things as it is in English which is difficult and very bad if I want to get marks. I-5In Spanish the words pronounces as it spelt and it easier to pronounce than French. Reading is easier too. Is like you don’t have a chance with French cus everything so hard. I always wanted to learn French but like in form 2 and thing I realize Spanish more easier. French is Enjoyment of I1- if we have like rows Students’ Interactive, fun, Activities playing against each other perspectives of interesting, games , and yuh have to answer. I the nature of toys would raise my hand and I activities done would run up on the board. in French I-2 –When we were learning Class. about animals and the animals were moving…that kina thing that was fun to remember. I don’t like the writing exercises especially with putting in accents. I3-They are interactive and they are fun so it makes it interesting so it makes me want to learn more. So when miss play the CDs like it’s fun to hear how the French people speak the language and when she asks FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 96 us questions I does come up on the board. It’s very interactive. I4- we had the spongebob ball you use to make things more interesting and is not just writing and speaking…. I like when you all teach like that but if we had to sit down in class and just write and talk and never laugh and throw the sponge bob ball it wouldn’t have been so fun (previously forms 1 and 2) I5- We use to do oral games to talk and then we had to draw…like she use to give us something and we had to draw the French for it. It was fun Boring, sit and Did not enjoy I4- we just looked at this read, write down activities video and just repeated the vocabulary, body parts it was just huh repitition, lame huh kina lame… those exercises when we have to write or read I don’t always feel like participating because I find it’s boring and I just tune out of class. (presently) I5 Well the teacher she does jes come and teach. She does write on the board… you does jes write and watch on the board and copy it down I6- No I don’t enjoy them at all. They are very boring and I never paying attention. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION TO LEARN FRENCH Codes Codes Quotes Themes Categories FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 97 Attitude, behaviour, Teacher I-4 she does come with a bad Teacher’s role boring, methods attitude and if you ask she in student’s something she does roll she motivation to eyes and stuff. learn French she does jes come and teach I5- I also think miss could explain things more. the explaining was done at a really good level for us to understand, miss would take her time and go back if we didn’t understand something and now our teacher moves too fast and when you ask her to explain she rolls her eyes so I don’t ask anything. ah think the reason I doh like French is because of the teacher I6- The sound of the teacher voice, the teachers methods and everything about her teaching. It disgusting. She does be mean for no reason, she would talk in a harsh manner for no reason. Higher marks in Performance I1- Sarah: Well last term I Student’s Spanish, struggling, in french got in my eighties and that grades as a do better in was really…I got really factor that Spanish, marks not motivated by that cus I’m affect their good staying at level and Im going motivation to up and you know each term study . it’s really getting better. I2- Well I want to do French but my grades are better in Spanish so I’m thinking so far Spanish. I3-. If I can’t make the marks , If I can’t keep up with it then doesn’t make sense I choose it, I would be struggling in form 4 but if I can make it then I would definitely do it. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 98 My Spanish marks are higher but I think if I push myself in French maybe I could make it. I’ll have to see how they are at the end of this term. I4- my marks not good in French. Yes and my marks. I know I could change how I did in it, but I didn’t and I should have like before. I could change it now but the Spanish I still do better so at the end of the day is really what I doing better in. I think French is somewhere in the 50’s but Spanish is definitely better. Last term I think I get 82 or somewhere around there. Travel , Usefulness of I2 So I think if I… If I learn Relevance of communication french to the language…if I go there French to students I’ll be able to speak it and students’ you know tour the country. personal goals. Tha’s the only reason I like French…because of France Mmhmm… cus you could communicate with other people . I3 Yes it is because if I go to Montreal to visit my sister I can speak it. And If I visit France I could communicate with people. I-4 It is a good idea for me to explore the world and communicate because I actually went France 2 years ago and I didn’t know how to speak... I could speak to other people differently I6- Well if you go to a French speaking country yes it will be necessary but FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 99 outside of French speaking countries no Useless, Relevant to I2- Well other than a Students’ unnecessary, better career manager I always wanted to perceptions of off with Spanish, be a flight attendant so the relevance useful, learning another language of French to recommended would be useful to speak to their career other people on the plane. plans. But a manager I don’t think it would useful. I’d be living in Trinidad. I think I’d be better off with Spanish because there are a lot more Spanish people here. Everywhere you go you hearing Spanish. I3- Well I want to be a vet so I don’t think it would be useful at all. Only If I decide to move to Montreal or something it’s a must. I4 Well I have a lot of mix ideas. I was thinking marine biologist cus I like the sea and I like to study those kina things or maybe a chef. My range is wide and it’s all over the place but I have a while to figure it out still Well to be a chef we had a book which subjects you could choose and French is one of the suggested subjects because if I go to work in France obviously I’d have to know how to speak French. Some people could come into my business or whatever, they don’t speak English they speak French. French was recommended. FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 100 I5- Not for me but for like doctors who want to go to other countries. No I don’t want to go to France. I6- Nope because I don’t think a judge is going to be sitting speaking French unless you in France. I want to study in England so I don’t think it will be necessary. Spanish is more Importance of I1- Sarah: Because everyone Students’ useful, English not French to is at a stand still and think perceptions on french, different society. that English is one way . society’s views races, Spanish They are not tryna further on the second language their education in different importance of languages. French vs I2- Because um...unless in Spanish in like a job to translate or Trinidad something else but with what I want to don’t think it would be useful. I’ll be living in Trinidad and nobody here speaks French I3 Spanish because it’s like the more prominent language here. Like more people would prefer to learn Spanish because it’s more common. You would more see Spanish speaking people rather than French Not really because it is not one of the main languages spoken here. It’s mainly Spanish and English. I4I think it is Kind of because a lot of people in Trinidad travel away and I don’t encounter much French speaking people in Trinidad but to travel you would need to know the languages they FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 101 speak so it should be important everywhere. At least one language. So you could communicate with others I5- Probably I not sure. It have a whole seta people of different races coming to Trinidad so probably French people might come down and you might need them or you might talk to them No not really. Ah think they think Spanish more important than French. Because a lot of the population in Trinidad mix with Spanish than French. And it have more Venezuelans in Trinidad. Spanish is the second language I6 Because is Trinidad we speak English and not French Well in Trinidad if I do go to university in Trinidad you need Spanish to be able to get into university. So that is why I think Spanish would be useful. Parents, no opinion, Influence of I4- it will be harder so I’ve Influence of sciences most family heard from my parents and family important, they did French and they said members on perception that it would have been harder students’ parents think she is than the Spanish. motivation to not capable. Spanish seems to be the learn French easier one. I5- they don’t really have an opinion about it. Once I doing Sciences that’s all they care about I6- They wouldn’t put it as a subject because they know FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 102 my capability and they know I hate it FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 103 Appendix F Pre-Coding of Transcript FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS'MOTIVATION 104