As I see it, in the last quotation from F, he is referring to the lack of motivation
that he found when taking some of the school subjects. In fact, most of the participants
found a correlation between motivation and success in learning a language. For some of
them, this motivation is intrinsic to themselves. F, K and Ga provided good examples of
high motivation and strong will:
F: I have improved because I always wanted to speak E and now this is a
reality.
K: I was determined to Ieam English. That was my dream. I love it. Now, I am
proud of what I know.
Ga: Learning a language is a way to know places and to meet people. It
broadens your view of the world. Learning English gives a special direction to
my life. I want to teach what I know to others.
Other participants talked about how teaching styles are essential to be, or not to
be, motivated. This extrinsic motivation, or lack of it, was expressed in different ways:
T: I learned a lot at that time, and I liked it. I was really motivated. It was
because of the games and the teaching materials.
Ge: In order to Ieam it, you need stimulation from the teacher
X: The teacher needs to transmit her knowledge in a motivating way.
She needs to raise her students’ interests.
In short, according to what the participants said, learning a language is a difficult
task. In order to be successful, you need to be motivated, to start with a sound base and
the right amount of grammar and practice. Furthermore, one has to take into account that
learning a language is an individual process in which emotions are involved.
6.2.3 Beliefs about learning a language in a classroom
Because learning a language within a classroom is the mode that students in
Oaxaca are most used to, they referred to it on several occasions. This topic also
represents an interesting aspect of their system beliefs because it is contrasted with
learning a language in the SAC.