言語種別 英語 発行・発表の年月 2013/03 形態種別 大学・研究所等紀要 標題 University students' motivation toward learning English and other foreign languages: A preliminary investigation 執筆形態 単著 掲載誌名 桜美林大学論考 巻・号・頁 (4),pp.71-88 概要 This study attempted to shed light on the phenomenon of English learners’ demotivation within Japanese university settings by investigating the differences between students’ motivation toward learning English and their motivation toward learning other foreign languages. A major part of the research data was collected through an open-ended questionnaire given to 128 students in a compulsory English course at a Japanese university. Follow-up interviews with a small number of focal participants and observations of their “second foreign language” classes were also conducted to gather further data. The results of the data analysis demonstrated some (mostly negative) factors particular to English on the motivation of university students toward studying the language. This paper concludes by discussing some implications of the findings to argue how English educators at Japanese universities can help sustain the often ambivalent and fragile state of their students’ motivation.