Motivation or Investment?

Should we measure student investment?

In TESOL research, there is study after study on student motivation. We all want the secret to helping our students unlock all of their potential. We know that people with high levels of motivation can overcome all kinds of learner challenges or situations. However, in the book “The Multilingual Turn: Implications for SLA, TESOL, and bilingual education,” Norton considers the issue of investment. He argues that studies on motivation tend to be more quantitative, but that we should inquire into the more qualitative construct of investment. Norton argues investment is less of a static quality in students, so it may be a more enlightening element when researchers look at why students appear to be more or less motivated in certain classes or seasons. Norton argues that students may not be invested in the teachers’ language practices, or classes may not meet student expectations. Thus, why Norton argues that researching investment may open up new insights for teachers.

What guides investment?

Norton also addresses “imagined communities.” While this term has usually referred to studies of nationalism, students studying any language are joining a new community. Perhaps they are joining a physical community or an imagined community, or both. Students are invested in a certain element of English learning because of their imagined or real communities. Norton argues that an investment in a language takes on an “associated range of identities,” and students need to buy-in at every level of learning. Thus, arguing, “if there is little ownership over meaning making, learning becomes meaningless and ritualized” (p. 116).

Helping our students invest in their own success involves promoting autonomy and self-regulation strategies at every level. Students must have agency and language to communicate when the course is not reflecting their needs. While students may find it difficult to discuss what they need or lack, teachers must promote agency within their classrooms and programs. What good is a language program, if it does not give language to the needs of the students?

The author examines a case study of a language professional in an English school in Canada. A teacher told the student that their skills were not “good enough” to progress to the next class. This, in turn, led the student to drop out of the school because she did not feel respected. The student wanted to be respected as a language professional, but was restricted from that “imagined community”. This led to a withdrawal of investment. As language professionals, we sometimes need to fail students who are not ready to move up; however, we may want to rethink the way we break the news. Administrators and teachers should consider how to protect students’ investment throughout the course of their time at their school.

Where can I read this research?

Norton, B. (2014). Identity, literacy, and the multilingual classroom. In S. May (ed.), The multilingual turn: Implications for SLA, TESOL, and bilingual education (pp. 103-122). New York, NY: Routledge.

More Research Based Blogs:

Task-Based Languae Teaching

What Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Can Teach Us about the ESL Classroom

Mrs. Maisel is a 1950s female comedian. She's got a few lessons for those that stand in a classroom everyday. See details of the show here.

1. You'll have a few bad gigs, but don't give up

As an adult ESL teacher, I get to remake myself every 8 weeks. I'm not the same teacher I was 2 years ago. I'm definitely not the same teacher I was 5 years ago.

Once I got the "brilliant" idea to try and make my students write a rap. It was the wrong level and the wrong class. It was a total flop. That's okay; I've recovered.

I'm sure some teacher has done a rap quite successfully! I'm just not that teacher.

2. Voice your protest when necessary

Mrs. Maisel is constantly asked if she is a singer. She's laughed at for being a female comedian. She gets thrown off a stage for discussing pregnancy because that is "lady stuff."

I've had a few jobs as adjuncts or adjunct-like positions, and I've learned that if something seems off, speak up. Teachers are some of the most dedicated people. They take work home, they stay with students late, and they show up early. However, they should be careful not the be taken advantage of. If you want to stay in this profession very long, you have to find your boundaries. It's a tough lesson, but it comes for all of us.

3. Humor counts

Learning a new language is an arduous task. It wears you out. It wears the students out. Humor has a resotative power in the classroom.

In Second Language Acquisition Theory there is a lot of talk about the affective filter. Essentially, when students are stressed, they are less likely to understand and produce language. This kind of stress and self-consciousness hinders learning. Reducing the affective filter is necessary for promoting learning. In the ESL classroom, this is why it is so important for students to feel comfortable with each other and the teacher. Language is inherently social. It's not a solo sport.

I wouldn't suggest all of Mrs. Maisel's jokes for the classroom, but at least her facial expressions are on target.

What is Task-Based Language Teaching? An explanation for new ESL teachers

Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) is an extremely useful skill in the language classroom. Typically it is motivating for students and teachers alike!

1. A task has a beginning, middle, and end

They start with a limited amount of information, usually require collaboration, and can have a right or wrong answer. There are different phases of a task. Tasks can take a few weeks, days, hours, or minutes. This will depend on the level and needs of your learners.

2. TBLT focuses on using and manipulating language

The goal in TBLT is to use language to achieve a task. Therefore, students must use the grammar to this end. They communicate for a purpose, instead of filling in a blank. Students can use any grammatical structure in their repertoire, but the completion of the task is the end goal. Teachers should ask and prompt the class to think about the language they will need to achieve the goal, or teachers can review the structures that students used during the task.

3. TBLT can use authentic language

Language textbooks are not authentic speech. Each word is leveled and carefully chosen by the authors. Authors and editors pour over every page, and they do this to the benefit of the learners. However, we need to push our students outside of the comfort of "fill-in-the-blank." TBLT can use authentic language by incorporating activities outside of the classroom. There can be pedagogical task and real-world tasks. Both are helpful and relevant for learners. Look here for some pedagogical tasks.

4. Tasks require automaticity

Rehearsing language in the classroom through grammar lessons and role plays can be helpful. However, once the student exits the classroom, the safety net is gone. Students need to adapt to the language in real time. They need the cognitive demand of in-the-moment learning, so they can succeed after leaving the classroom. Tasks can imitate or actually be real life scenarios. This will depend a lot on the language level of your learners.

5. Examples

Pedagogical task:

Students both have a set of pictures. The pictures are a picture of ice, a picture of two eyes, the word "ice", and the word "eyes". Student A has to describe a picture to Student B, and Student B must select the correct picture. See Keith Folse's book for more examples.

Real-life task:

Go to a farmer's market and find a vegetable that you have never seen before. Buy the vegetable and ask the farmer how to cook it. Report back to class about your time at the market, your food, and any difficulties you had in communicating.

Thanks Professor Nunan for summing this up in your book! For more reading, go here.

Nunan, D. (1999). Second language teaching and learning. Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle Publishers.