This study investigates the relationship between high school students’ subjective wellbeing, English learning motivation, and English proficiency. Three sub-components of subjective well-being were included in this study: positive efficacy well-being, positive emotional well-being, and positive relationship well-being. In all subcomponents of subjective well-being, the mean value of female students was higher than that of male students. In addition, the students with upper and middle levels of English proficiency showed higher subjective well-being than those with a lower level. Among the subcomponents of subjective well-being, positive relationship well-being was found to have the most significant effect on both the ideal L2 self and the ought-to L2 self. Among English learning motivations, the higher the ideal L2 self, the higher the English proficiency. The subjective well-being and the ideal L2 self positively affected English proficiency. This study suggests that appropriate educational activities are needed to enhance students’ subjective well-being and form a concrete ideal L2 self.

This paper investigates Korean EFL students’ learning (de)motivation factors according to the level of students’ English learning motivation. A total of 41 undergraduate students reflected on their past ten years of English learning experiences and submitted autobiographic essays with ‘motigraph,’ marking their annual changes of English learning motivation from 0 to 10. The data were analyzed with Grounded Theory. The findings revealed that the factors that increased or decreased English learning motivation were different according to students’ level of motivation. Students with low-level motivation were influenced by their teacher or parents, while those with high-level motivation were influenced by their past L2 learning experiences perceived positively by themselves. In both groups, the factors of emotional experiences caused by negative L2 learning experiences were the main reasons for demotivation. This paper emphasizes the importance of subjective appraisal in maintaining students’ L2 learning motivation and recovering from the state of demotivation.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between high school students’ use of vocabulary learning strategies and their motivation. Its main concern is with how the relationship varies between three student groups divided according to their vocabulary achievement. A survey was taken by a total of 275 students enrolled in a high school in Gyeonggi province. 232 students were selected to be studied. The students were divided into three groups - advanced, intermediate, and beginner levels - based on their performance in vocabulary tests. Their responses were analyzed through SPSS to produce both basic descriptive and inferential statistics. The results show the three groups differ regarding which strategies both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation had a significant impact on - these were memory and cognitive strategies for the advanced level group; decision, social, memory and metacognitive strategies for the intermediate level group, and none for the beginner level group. The results also show that the three groups differ regarding which strategies only extrinsic or intrinsic motivation had a significant impact on.

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among English learners’ motivation, strategies, and achievement. The participants were 61 Korean college students specializing in Aviaition Service and they took a mock TOEIC and completed a questionnaire on learning motivations and strategies. T-test and multiple regression analysis were used to determine the relationships among all variables. The findings revealed that, first, variables in integrative motivation were found to be a statistically significant predictor of achievement while variables in instrumental motivation’ was higher order motivation type. Second, participants used ‘compensation strategies’ most frequently and higher-achieving students used more strategies than their peers did. ‘Metacognitive strategies’ and ‘affective strategies’ had statistically significant impacts on their achievement. In conclusion, the relationships among learning motivation, strategies and achievement was found to be definite. Implications for more effective study habits are suggested.

The purpose of this study was to investigate patterns of English learning motivation that changed in high school students from their elementary to junior high and senior high schools from a retrospective perspective. It further examined factors affecting motivation, demotivation, and remotivation. Participants charted progressions and regressions of their English learning motivation. They then took part in semi-structured interviews. Results of the study revealed that the students had the highest motivation in their elementary school years. They showed gradual declines as learning time progressed, showing the lowest motivation in their high school years. Motivation factors included teaching methods, curiosity and interest in English classes, and incentives and praise for learning achievements, while textbooks, curriculum, learning failure experiences, and pressure on grades were demotivating factors. Improvements in test scores and English study skills, experiences of success in English learning, and awareness of the importance of learning English remotivated these students. Identified motivation, demotivation, and remotivation factors differed depending on students’ English proficiency.

The purpose of this research is to examine the relationships among English learners’ motivation, strategies and achievement, with a group of 51 Korean three-year college students. The students responded to the questionnaire of learning motivation and strategies. Also they took a mock TOEIC. Multiple regression analysis allowed for the analysis of learners’ motivation and strategies to predict a single dependent variable, their English achievement. The findings revealed that, first, ‘internal motivation’ was found the highest predictor of their English study, while ‘instrumental motivation-individual’ was the lowest motivation type for students. Second, participants used ‘social strategies’ most frequently in studying English, and they used the others in the order of ‘compensation strategies’, ‘affective strategies’, ‘cognitive strategies’, ‘memory strategies’ and ‘metacognitive strategies’. Last, the impact of learning motivation and strategies on the TOEIC scores was not statistically significant, but the relationship of learning motivation and strategies was found to be positive. Implications for the practical classroom and suggestions for further research are suggested.

In this research synthesis, a total of 313 studies on English learning motivation published in South Korea from 2000 to 2017 were reviewed. The data were categorized into four criteria: publication year, research method, participant, and research topic. First, the annual trend clearly demonstrated that the number of motivation research showed a steady growth. The dominant research method was quantitative (207 papers) over qualitative (40 papers) and mixed methods (48 papers). University students (157 papers) were major population in English learning motivation research followed by junior high (36 papers), elementary (30 papers), high school students (30 papers), research synthesis (17 papers), and kindergarten students (3 papers). Most research focused on identifying specific subcomponents of English learning motivation in a particular research context. The study suggests that future research needs to focus more on diverse student group such as home-schoolers. Also, the use of research synthesis needs to be encouraged in order to capture the complex nature of English learning motivation.

An, Soyoung. 2018. “An Analysis of University Students' English-Learning Motivation Change through Portfolio Assessment”. The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea 26(1). 251~275. This study aims to analyze university students' English-learning motivation through making a learning portfolio. I conducted an experiment to know whether motivation could be changed by different assessment systems, a result-oriented assessment and a process-oriented assessment. First, there were no statistically significant differences in English-learning motivation between the two groups subject to a result-oriented assessment and a process-oriented assessment by independent T-test. Second, the variable “attitudes toward learning English” significantly changed when students created a learning portfolio by paired T-test. Students showed their preferences for studying English through an authentic learning portfolio method. Therefore, even though the new assessment system such as a portfolio assessment brings us innovation, the assessment system had a partial impact on students' English-learning motivation.

This case study investigated the changes of four Korean English major college students’ motivation and interest in TOEIC studying based on qualitative research method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted once a month for six months. Interest is a unique motivational variable with affective and cognitive domains together including interactions between persons and their objects wheres motivation is more broad, psychological and overlapping concept compared with interest. The results showed that the participants expressed the strong instrumental and extrinsic motivation for TOEIC studying while they confessed the intrinsic motivation for English learning. However, some participants had both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation on TOEIC studying as time went by. The participants’ strong perceptions on TOEIC in Korea were strongly related with situational interest in TOEIC or TOEIC studying. The participants’ interest in TOEIC studying was triggered as they improved the TOEIC score. However, one participant showed the expiration of interest in TOEIC studying right after achieving a high TOEIC score, but his interest in potential English studying was triggered.

The purpose of this study was to explore how motivational factors affect Korean EFL secondary students’ motivated learning behavior using structural equation modeling (SEM). It further examined differences in the internal structure of L2 motivation over time. A total of 489 secondary school students participated in the study. Data were collected at two time points during an academic semester: in the beginning and at the end of the semester. Results of the SEM showed that students’ ideal L2 self was the strongest determinant of their motivated learning behavior at both time points for middle school students, whereas for high school students, ought-to L2 self had the strongest direct and significant impact on their motivated behavior in learning English throughout the semester. It was also found that both middle and high school students’ perceptions about the international posture of English and their parents’ involvement in English learning made indirect effects on their motivated behavior. Pedagogical implications and research suggestions are discussed.

The purpose of this study is to provide compared evidences on the definition and variables of intrinsic motivation of French and English learners. In spite of its prevalence and importance, intrinsic motivation in learning has been underestimated and ill-defined. This study highlights the limitations of contemporary studies and suggests implications for further research. In this article, studies on intrinsic motivation in learning are reviewed around two main issues: First, the types and characteristics of student’s motivation; then, the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation to learn. The findings showed that, set aside intrinsic values, all the variables for learning English are significantly higher than those for learning French. However, the results indicated that the intrinsic motivation for learning French is significantly higher than that for learning English.

Based on Vygotskian sociocultural theory, this study aims to investigate the longitudinal changes in English as a second language (ESL) learning, especially on motivation and learner beliefs for two recent Korean immigrants to Toronto. For 10 months, the researcher interviewed the two participants who shared similarities in age, previous work experiences, and perceived socio-economic status. Their comments were tape-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by using NVivo, a qualitative data analysis software program. The findings indicate that Korean immigrants' ESL learning motivation was comprised of six constructs: job motivation, communicative need, heuristic motivation, context-specific motivation, self-satisfactory motivation, and demotivation/amotivation. Despite the two participants' external similarities, their monthly changes in ESL learning motivation showed drastic differences. An L2 learner belief of the positive relation between English proficiency and increased job opportunity was identified as a major explanatory factor for this difference between the two participants. This study suggests that L2 learner's beliefs may function as mediational tools from the perspective of sociocultural theory, with the learner's belief influencing job motivation.

The purpose of this study is to explore the factors that cause EFL freshman students’ demotivation while learning English in their high school days. Two hundred twenty four freshmen participated in this study. The demotivation questionnaire was administered. The analysis results showed that the most affective factor causing demotivation of English learning was teaching methods which were mainly given for the college entrance examination. In addition, a grammar-centered lesson was the second most influential demotivational factor. Memorizing vocabularies, phrases, and sentences was also reported as the third most affective demotivational factor. The overall and vocabulary score was negatively correlated with factor 1 (test score, lesson pace, self-regulated learning ability, sentence difficulty, understanding of teachers' explanation), factor 5 (learning load, low endurance of uncertainty), and factor 6 (memorization ability, regulation of English learning purpose, chance to communicate). Reading scores were negatively correlated with factor 1 and factor 6, while listening scores were correlated with factor 1. Some educational implications were suggested to design English courses to remotivate students' English learning.