Effect of inter-cultural contact on L2 motivation and L2 learning: A process product study

Abstract

The purpose of this mixed-method, classroom-based research is to determine the effect of face-to-face inter-cultural contact on Japanese university EFL students’ L2 motivation and language learning. From a pedagogical perspective, this study provides an example of how, at a classroom-level, EFL teachers can utilize the international student body to generate intercultural contact opportunities. Investigating the effects of inter-cultural contact is particularly relevant in Japan as this issue is in line with recent government initiatives that seek to internationalize education at Japanese universities. Thus, one of the goals of this study is to evaluate the motivational and language learning benefits of such an intervention. This thesis examined the effect of inter-cultural contact from a number of theoretical perspectives, which included changes in students’ motivational self-concept, the extent to which contact manifested ‘flow’ during interactions, interaction-driven language learning opportunities, and self-reported language learning outcomes. This research employed a quasi-experimental design in which the intra-cultural and inter-cultural contact was provided to learners via dialogic, oral tasks. Task performances of the Inter-cultural group (N =21) and the Intra-cultural group (N = 21) were compared. Learners in each group completed five tasks over a period of five weeks in their respective groups. The tasks were then repeated over another five-week period, during which time, the Intra-cultural group continued to perform the tasks with a Japanese interlocutor, while the Inter-cultural group performed tasks with an international (non-Japanese) interlocutor. In order to provide a comprehensive examination of the effect of inter-cultural contact, this study adopted a process-product approach, which required dividing the research into multiple components. The first research component is product-oriented in that it looked at changes in learners’ motivational states due to inter-cultural and intra-cultural contact. Drawing on Dörnyei’s (2005, 2009) L2 motivational Self System and Yashima’s (2002, 2009, 2013) International Posture, this investigation took the form of a between-groups design with pre- and post-questionnaire data. In addition to the Inter- and Intra-cultural groups, a Comparison group (N = 21) was used to determine the differential effects of intra- and inter-cultural contact. Results show that intercultural contact led to significant increases in the variables L2 learning experience and international posture, with no significant change in scores for any variables in either the Intra-cultural or Comparison group. Thus, one result of inter-cultural contact in the classroom is an improvement in students’ attitudes towards the classroom environment and a gain in attitudes towards the international community. The second research component looked at the effect of inter-cultural contact on motivation from a process-level perspective. Using the construct of motivational flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975, 1988, 1990, 1997), this part of the thesis investigated the flow states of learners during task performances. A motivational flow questionnaire measured whether interaction arising from inter-cultural contact affected learners’ flow. Learner diaries were used to examine the ways in which flow manifested in each group. Results from questionnaire data revealed that the Inter-cultural contact group had a non-significant increase in flow scores due to the treatment, while the Intra-cultural group significantly decreased their flow scores. Thus, inter-cultural contact had a positive effect on flow in that it helped learners to overcome the negative impact of task repetition. In addition to supporting the questionnaire results, a content analysis of learner diaries revealed six components of learners’ flow. Of these, inter-cultural contact seemed to heighten flow through a sense of accomplishment, which learners associated with an increase in L2 self-confidence. The third research component examined process-features of inter-cultural and intra-cultural task interaction using the framework of language-related episodes (LREs). Transcripts of audio-recorded interactions in each group were the data used for the analysis. It was found that learners involved in inter-cultural interaction had a significantly lower word-per-turn count than intra-cultural interactions, indicating an increased level of task engagement or interactivity. A correlational analysis revealed that motivational flow is positively related to the number of turns a learner took to complete the tasks. Inter-cultural interaction generated more than twice as many LREs than in intra-cultural interactions, which included proportionately more complex LREs, more grammatical LREs, and proportionately fewer LREs that were incorrectly resolved than during intra-cultural interaction. Finally, the last research component had a process-product orientation in that it examined the effect of inter-cultural contact on the relationship between features of interaction and self-reported learning. Learners in both groups completed a self-reported learning chart after each task. There were no significant differences in claims of learning between each group. Transcripts were used to identify claims of language learning in interaction and determine which kinds of LREs led to a language item being reported. Spelling/pronunciation LREs led to self-reported learning at higher rates than other linguistic foci while complex LREs led to more reported items than simple LREs in both groups. Items emerging from LREs that were resolved incorrectly were reported at nearly twice the rate during intra-cultural interactions than during inter-cultural interactions. The thesis concludes with a discussion of findings from each research component and how they may be related. Overall, the study indicates that inter-cultural contact can indeed be provided in Japanese EFL university classrooms and presents convincing evidence that the intercultural condition is a superior learning environment in terms of improving motivation and generating learning opportunities.