Student's motivation in and attitudes toward third language learning: A study of Isizulu at a university of technology in Pretoria.
Kabinde, Martha Lungi
Kabinde, Martha Lungi
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Abstract
The study examines students ’motivation in and attitude towards third language learning among undergraduate University of Technology (UoT) students of isiZulu as a third language. It investigates whether UoT students are instrumentally or integratively motivated to study isiZulu. The study also looks at the relationship between UoT students’ motivation and their achievement in isiZulu. Forty UoT students studying isiZulu as a third language at a (UoT) participated in the study. These students had, as their language background, different L1s which included four African languages, English L2, which is the language of teaching and learning, and additionally, a language subject. For these students, the acquisition of an L3 was a course requirement, and isiZulu is one of the language options.
Furthermore, the study also investigates the role that language attitude, be it positive or negative, can play in L3 acquisition.
The quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (interviews) research approaches adopted for data collection in the survey revealed that UoT students were highly instrumentally and integratively motivated to study isiZulu, and their integrative motivation appeared to be a little higher than their instrumental motivation. These unusual results were attributed to the UoT students’ interest in knowing more about the isiZulu-speaking people and learning about their societies and cultures, and that was due to the strong positive attitude these UoT students have had towards the language.
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Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Magister Technologiae: Language Practice in the Department of Applied Languages Faculty of Humanities at the Tshwane University of Technology.
Date
2016-04-01
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Tshwane University of Technology
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Keywords
Language, Attitudes, Isizulu, Learning, Pretoria