Motivation and Informal Language Learning

Abstract

Early studies on motivation on second language (L2) learning gravitated toward the use of quantitative instruments to measure learning achievement and persistence. This early conceptualization of motivation views L2 learning as a fragile enterprise that requires constant maintenance and is measured against a stable level of competence and proficiency in the first language (L1). In this respect, early research on L2 motivation was frequently limited to classroom contexts. However, research on L2 motivation has certainly shifted from a psycholinguistic perspective to a qualitative-oriented exploration of how language learning is connected to the holistic development of the learner. Recent research on motivation on language learning conceptualized the construct as intricately linked to language identity and the L2 self. In this expanded understanding of language learning and learners, classroom is not the only context in which learning happens. Language learning takes in the ecological perspective to acknowledge learning beyond the classroom, affordance for learning, and the agency and development of the learner. When classroom-based learning is limited by the location and the class time, it is more useful to examine relationship between informal language learning and L2 motivation. This chapter first reviews recent development on L2 motivation research, and then introduces the framework for informal language learning to examine an understudied aspect of L2 motivation research. It concludes with research agenda for the future.

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