Universidad Nacional Experimental
“Francisco de Miranda”
Área de Ciencias de la Educación
Lingüística Aplicada
MOTIVATION
INTRINSIC EXTRINSIC
Vs
Integrative Someone else
L2 learner wishes Vs wishes the L2
to integrate with learner to know the
the L2 culture L2 for integrative
reasons
Instrumental L2 learner wishes External power
to achieve goals wants L2 learner to
utilizing L2 learn L2
Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic motivation
Motivation can be defined as simply as the desire to do something, although this
desire can be very complex and come from different sources inside or outside he human
being, or as scholars call it, it can be extrinsic or intrinsic.
The main difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is the goals of the
students. With intrinsic motivation, the student studies subject material for the sake of
learning. These students find studying enjoyable and learning new ideas as a reward itself.
Extrinsically motivated students study for the sake of outside influences such as getting
teacher and peer praise, acquiring a good grade or some other type of reinforcement that a
teacher or peer might offer.
Another difference that is worth mentioning is that research shows that intrinsically
motivated learns more than extrinsically motivated students. This could be due to the fact
that intrinsically motivated students are also extrinsically motivated. But on the other note,
extrinsically motivated students are seldom found to be intrinsically motivated.
Motivating students to become intrinsically motivated is no easy task for teachers.
To some students, they enjoy learning. But for the others, this is where is the challenge
really comes in. Teachers should try to lead the students to the point where the material
becomes alive within them, to make their minds grow in curiosity of the subject so
continual learning can take place. This can be done by means of relating material to what
interests the students.
Integrative vs. Instrumental motivation
Integrative Motivation
Linguistic motivation has been identified as the learner's orientation with regard to
the goal of learning a second language (Crookes and Schmidt 1991). It is thought that
students who are most successful when learning a target language are those who like the
Gathered by Govea (2010) Arévalo (2015) Page 1
people that speak the language, admire the culture and have a desire to become familiar
with or even integrate into the society in which the language is used (Falk 1978). This form
of motivation is known as integrative motivation. When someone becomes a resident in a
new community that uses the target language in its social interactions, integrative
motivation is a key component in assisting the learner to develop some level of proficiency
in the language. It becomes a necessity, in order to operate socially in the community and
become one of its members. It is also theorized that "integrative motivation typically
underlies successful acquisition of a wide range of registers and a native-like
pronunciation" (Finegan 1999:568).
In an EFL setting it is important to consider the actual meaning of the term
"integrative." As Benson (1991) suggests, a more appropriate approach to the concept of
integrative motivation in the EFL context would be the idea that it represents the desire of
the individual to become bilingual, while at the same time becoming bicultural. This occurs
through the addition of another language and culture to the learner's own cultural identity.
In a monocultural society, opportunities to use the target (L2) language in daily verbal
exchanges are relatively restricted. There is also limited potential for integrating into the
target language community, therefore to become really proficient in the TL, teachers and
students must recreate a many opportunities to use the TL in spontaneous and
communicative ways as possible..
Instrumental Motivation
In contrast to integrative, instrumental motivation characterized by the desire to
obtain something practical or concrete from the study of a second language (Hudson 2000).
With instrumental motivation the purpose of language acquisition is more utilitarian, such
as meeting the requirements for school or university graduation, applying for a job,
requesting higher pay based on language ability, reading technical material, translation
work or achieving higher social status. Instrumental motivation is often characteristic of
second language acquisition, where little or no social integration of the learner into a
community using the target language takes place, or in some instances is even desired.
Integrative vs. Instrumental Motivation.
While both integrative and instrumental motivation are essential elements of
success, it is integrative motivation which has been found to sustain long-term success
when learning a second language (Crookes, 1991). In some of the early research conducted
by Gardner and Lambert integrative motivation was viewed as being of more importance in
a formal learning environment than instrumental motivation (Ellis 1997). In later studies,
integrative motivation has continued to be emphasized, although now the importance of
instrumental motivation is also stressed. However, it is important to note that instrumental
motivation has only been acknowledged as a significant factor in some research, whereas
integrative motivation is continually linked to successful second language acquisition. It
has been found that generally students select instrumental reasons more frequently than
integrative reasons for the study of language. Those who do support an integrative approach
to language study are usually more highly motivated and overall more successful in
language learning.
Gathered by Govea (2010) Arévalo (2015) Page 2
One area where instrumental motivation can prove to be successful is in the
situation where the learner is provided with no opportunity to use the target language and
therefore, no chance to interact with members of the target group. Lukmani (1972) found
that an instrumental orientation was more important than an integrative orientation in non-
westernized female learners of L2 English in Bombay. The social situation helps to
determine both what kind of orientation learners have and what kind is most important for
language learning. Braj Kachru (1977, cited in Brown 2000) also points out that in India,
where English has become an international language, it is not uncommon for second
language learners to be successful with instrumental purposes being the underlying reason
for study.
Brown (2000) makes the point that both integrative and instrumental motivation are
not necessarily mutually exclusive. Learners rarely select one form of motivation when
learning a second language, but rather a combination of both orientations. He cites the
example of international students residing in the United States, learning English for
academic purposes while at the same time wishing to become integrated with the people
and culture of the country.
Motivation is an important factor in L2 achievement. For this reason it is important
to identify both the type and combination of motivation that assists in the successful
acquisition of a second language. At the same time it is necessary to view motivation as one
of a number of variables in an intricate model of interrelated individual and situational
factors which are unique to each language learner.
Taken from:
Brown, D. (2001). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy.
San Francisco State University: Longman.
The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. VII, No. 6, June 2001
Gathered by Govea (2010) Arévalo (2015) Page 3