Ortega Motivation

The research synthesis by Ortega (2009) shows that motivation is a dynamic process subjected to changes over time. My experience of language learning is in tune with that proposition. Among the antecedents of motivation described by Ortega (2009), self-confidence when using the language, integrativeness, orientations, inter-group contacts and the attitudes towards the instructional settings have an impact on my motivation to learn languages. Noteworthy, the positive experience of having inter-group contacts facilitated the shift from extrinsic motivation to intrinsic. However, some personality traits also account for my motivation to master languages. Apart from discussing foreign languages, first I depict my motivation to master Kazakh.

To

Initially, during the school times my parents and the school curriculum were the external forces of pushing me study English. I used to take it for granted until I was exposed to communication with the native speakers in Grade 8. The interaction with the American volunteers from the Peace Corp facilitated my positive attitudes towards English and the international community. The positive inter-group contacts (Ortega, 2009) between me and the volunteers became the turning moment “where initial extrinsic motivation contexts can lead individuals to developed more intrinsic motivation” (Ryan & Deci, 2000, as cited in Grabe, 2008, p. 179). However, I cannot delineate the boundaries between instrumental and integrative motivation. Travelling in Europe, opportunities to acquire quality education in an English-medium institution, use of English as a lingua franca, and intercultural communication fostered also an international posture (“a positive international attitude”,Yashima et al. 2004, as cited in Ortega, 2009, p. 179). The English-medium University where I am currently pursuing my Master’s degree can be considered a driving force of constructing “a bi-cultural identity” described by Lamb (2003). Similar to the young Indonesians in Lamb’s (2003) study, I tend to construct the identity that encompasses “an English-speaking globally-involved version” (p. 3)

To begin with, having to choice, but to study German as the second foreign language at the university, I was extrinsically motivated. Specifically, the pressed timeline and few hours dedicated to German classes in the curriculum, and predominance of summative assessment put pressure on me. As Vansteenkiste et al. (2006) mention, the situations where the sense of choice is divested from the people, can lead to removing the enjoyment from any tasks. Being a reflective learner, I had difficulties trying to catch up with the teacher 's instructions aimed at covering the course in a short time. In the line with the Hermann 's (1980, as cited in Larsen & Freeman, 1991, p. 177) "resultative hypothesis", I was unsatisfied with my progress and had negative course attitudes. Fortunately, visits to German-speaking countries and desire to communicate with my friends, the native speakers of German, boosted my motivation. In sum, the negative attitudes towards the instructional environment dominated in my first year of learning