Motivational Factors and Persistence in Learning Japanese as a Foreign Language

This paper aims to discuss correlation of motivation with learning Japanese as a foreign language (JFL). It will investigate what features borne from the learning process are key factors that motivate learners to continue, and whether or not motivational features differ between continuing and discontinuing students, and at different proficiency levels. Motivation is one of the most important prerequisites for learning. It is often compared to the engine (intensity) and steering wheel (direction) of a car (Gage and Berliner, 1984). Hilgard et al. (1979) state that motivation is concerned with those factors which energise behaviour and give it direction. Motivation in education is generally understood as a trigger of students' thought of engaging in a particular subject, and maintains the intensity of acquiring the knowledge of the subject. Logan (1969: 155) says that ‘motivation affects the way you practice, what you observe and what you do. And there are what you learn.’ Motivation is also an important factor in learning a foreign language. When learners start learning, they may already have some motives, and as they learn, they will experience various psychological stages. Because it takes a certain length of time for learners to reach a certain level of proficiency (and perhaps it takes longer, the more different the target language is from their first language), their initial motives may or may not change while learning. As they learn the language and its cultural background, they may pick up some stimulus that may become a new motive for them to continue their study. Other learners may find the same stimulus as hampering their learning, and terminate their study. Motivation has been much discussed and theorised in educational psychology. On the other hand, studies in Second Language Acquisition