A Critical Examination of the Beliefs about Learning a Foreign Language at Primary School

cultural context of language learning. However, levels of motivation are also
related to the extent to which foreign language learning per se and a foreign
language in particular is seen as relevant and useful by the learner. Gardner &
Lambert suggest that the learner with integrative motivation wants to learn the
target language to meet, to talk to and possibly become like the speaker of the
target language. Second language acquisition contexts tend to provide the
learner with some immediate payoffs in terms of increased social interaction
and integration into the target culture thus sustaining motivation. However, why
should the school child learning a foreign language well removed from any
immediate needs invest time and effort? High levels of motivation, extrinsic or
intrinsic are much more difficult to achieve or sustain in the classroom where
there is no apparent need and no apparent reason for learning a particular
language and where payoffs can be very limited. There is much anecdotal
reference to children's early enthusiasm and positive attitudes but sooner or
later, when foreign language learning starts to become 'work' and 'success' is
not within every one's immediate reach, initially high levels of enthusiasm might
start to wear out. Perseverance and goal-orientation then become crucial for
success. A cognitive approach to motivation, which implies a degree of
reasoning and conscious decision making on behalf of the learner, is more likely
to sustain motivation and to lead to a period of sustained effort in order to
achieve a desired goal. Young children who live in the here and now can often
not see the relevance of particular processes and activities. More mature
learners with higher levels of conceptual development are more likely to
recognise the value, significance and relevance of particular procedures and

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