Language Learning and Motivation
Language learning and motivation
On starting to learn another language the initial difficulties you are likely to face are how to learn vocabulary, how to put a sentence together, and how to understand what is being said to you.
All very frustrating, but you will get there provided you can remain motivated.
Motivation is the hardest part to foreign language learning. The task can be so enormous, so endless, that after the initial period of enthusiasm it is tempting to give up.
Learning a second language, for the majority of people, who don’t live in a foreign country, are unable to study full-time, don’t have bilingual parents, and don’t want to move abroad requires a lot of work over a long time period. Once you have accepted this it is much easier to enjoy and be successful at learning another language.
Accept that it is a time consuming exercise involving interesting and not so interesting areas, and accept that it is not easy to reach a high level of proficiency in a foreign language. Language learning needs to be approached as you would approach any other long task There are some very good language courses and schools to help, but no quick fixes, and as with many things you get out what you put in.
Accepting that language learning is difficult and time consuming, what then is the best way to approach it and remain motivated ?
Essentially you need positive feedback to encourage you to continue. Whatever you do, especially with a long undertaking, it is difficult to remain motivated without positive feedback of some kind. This can come from others or from yourself in the form of hurdles overcome or small successes that make you want to continue. Motivation in relation to language learning will more often need to come from yourself, and so it is helpful to set achievable goals to give you the successes along the way.
The following headings contain ideas designed to help improve motivation by making language learning more manageable.
1.
On starting to learn another language the initial difficulties you are likely to face are how to learn vocabulary, how to put a sentence together, and how to understand what is being said to you.
All very frustrating, but you will get there provided you can remain motivated.
Motivation is the hardest part to foreign language learning. The task can be so enormous, so endless, that after the initial period of enthusiasm it is tempting to give up.
Learning a second language, for the majority of people, who don’t live in a foreign country, are unable to study full-time, don’t have bilingual parents, and don’t want to move abroad requires a lot of work over a long time period. Once you have accepted this it is much easier to enjoy and be successful at learning another language.
Accept that it is a time consuming exercise involving interesting and not so interesting areas, and accept that it is not easy to reach a high level of proficiency in a foreign language. Language learning needs to be approached as you would approach any other long task There are some very good language courses and schools to help, but no quick fixes, and as with many things you get out what you put in.
Accepting that language learning is difficult and time consuming, what then is the best way to approach it and remain motivated ?
Essentially you need positive feedback to encourage you to continue. Whatever you do, especially with a long undertaking, it is difficult to remain motivated without positive feedback of some kind. This can come from others or from yourself in the form of hurdles overcome or small successes that make you want to continue. Motivation in relation to language learning will more often need to come from yourself, and so it is helpful to set achievable goals to give you the successes along the way.
The following headings contain ideas designed to help improve motivation by making language learning more manageable.
1.