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Taking the ‘de’ out of demotivation

a
Gary Chambers
a
University of Leeds
Published online: 06 Aug 2007.

To cite this article: Gary Chambers (1993) Taking the ‘de’ out of demotivation, The Language Learning Journal, 7:1, 13-16,
DOI: 10.1080/09571739385200051

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 Taking the 'de' out of demotivation
Gary Chambers
University of Leeds
I bet you have one or two in your year nine and year 10
classes. They sit at the fringes of the class, especially at the back.
They swing on their chairs. They chew gum. They talk audibly
to their friends when the teacher is giving instructions. Some are
uncooperative, surly, silent and appear fulI of resentment. If
looks could k i l l . . . Others are disruptive, noisy, laugh when it is
least appropriate, use abusive language and flatulate loudly. Do
you have an individual in mind?
There was a time when y o u could look forward in m a n y
schools to the day when such individuals w o u l d vacate the lan-
guages classroom for the last time, usually at the end of year
nine. Some enlightened 'Languages for All' schools bit the bullet
and developed strategies to cater for these pupils u p to the end
of year 11, with greater or lesser degrees of success. It is well
established that there are no easy answers. The universal
panacea for the pupils who tend to be labelled 'demotivated',
'disaffected', 'switched off languages' and one or two less print-
able categorisations, is as accessible as the pot of gold at the end
of the rainbow.
Like it or not, however, we are all going to have to come to
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terms with the fact that in September 1995 all KS4 pupils in year
10 will be required to do a m o d e r n foreign language. At confer-
ences, in-service training events and in informal conversation
with colleagues on the National Curriculum, I get the impression
that a sizeable proportion of teachers of modern foreign lan-
guages is concerned less with rewriting schemes of work, find-
ing m o n e y to purchase IT resources, testing of integrated skills
and inclusion of cross-curricular themes in topic areas, and
rather more with September 1995 and the advent of those pupils
who pre-National Curriculum w o u l d have opted out of French/
G e r m a n / S p a n i s h lessons. This is not a reference to the less able
and pupils with Special Educational Needs. They bring with
them their own challenge for the teacher. Their presence in the
languages classroom is welcomed. Arguably the biggest prob-
lem is posed by those pupils who are quite able but do not want
to learn a foreign language and make sure the teacher knows it!
I teach a year 10 class with a fair proportion of demotivated
pupils. I observe a regrettably high proportion of classes con-
taining such pupils, taught by trainee teachers. Investment of
time and effort in the creation of a varied and challenging lesson-
content, to be delivered with appropriate pace and pupil-
centredness, more often than not has little pay-off. W h a t can be
done about it? Wherein lies the secret of taking the 'de' out of
demotivation?
In the summer term of 1991, having lost 51bs and yet more of
m y hair in the course of a double lesson which had been sys-
tematically dismantled by Wayne, Leroy and Sharon, I decided
that feeling sorry for myself w o u l d achieve little. What I n e e d e d
to find out, in the first instance, was what went on inside the
heads of Wayne, Leroy, Sharon and kindred spirits, when a
foreign language a p p e a r e d on their timetable. If I knew how
they felt, what they liked and disliked, the approaches of which
they a p p r o v e d and disapproved, then perhaps, and only per-
haps, could I put together a lesson to suit them. In the light of the
Statutory Orders, I might gain some insight into the suitability of
short courses and combined courses for these pupils. Now,
where is that rainbow?
Full of missionary zeal, I visited four Leeds schools and super-
vised the filling-out of a questionnaire by 191 year nine pupils in
eight classes. These classes had been identified by teachers as
containing demotivated pupils. A questionnaire was also filled
o u t by seven teachers.
W h y did I consult the teachers when the views of the pupils
were m y focus of attention? I felt their insights were important,
given that there was a reasonable chance that the pupils con-
Language Learning Journal No. 7, March 1993
cerned w o u l d give their teachers a real hammering in their
responses. I was eager to ascertain teacher-perception of the
extent of the problem posed by demotivation; whether a com-
mon definition of 'demotivated' was held by aI1; what they felt
could be done about it.
The teachers' views
Of the seven teachers, one regarded demotivation as a very
serious problem in h e r / h i s school, two as quite serious and four
as giving some grounds for concern.
The teachers had a very clear picture of the 'demotivated'
pupil whose demotivation manifested itself in some or other of
the following behaviours, although the list is by no means
exhaustive:
poor concentration; lack of belief in own capabilities; no effort
m a d e to learn; 'What's the use?' syndrome; negative or nil
response to praise; lethargy; lack of cooperation; disruptive; dis-
tracted; distracts other pupils; throws things; shouts out; pro-
duces little or no homework; fails to bring materials to lessons;
claims to have lost materials.
The distinction between 'demotivated' and 'less able' was far
from blurred:
'Less able pupils will express a desire to learn, take part in
lessons etc. Demotivated pupils show a lack of interest in what-
ever is placed before them and will try to disrupt other pupils.'
'Less able pupils are often very keen to learn. Their rate of
progress, even though limited, can give a sense of fulfilment to
both teacher and pupil.'
'Help given to less able pupils is more productive - demoti-
vated pupils don't respond well to extra help.'
Teachers' perceptions of the causes of demotivation gave
some indication of the multi-faceted nature of the
p r o b l e m - p s y c h o l o g i c a l ; attitudinal; social; historical; geo-
g r a p h i c a l - and offered an opportunity for comparison with
pupil-response on the same subject:
'Some pupils feel forced into choosing a language course.
Some cannot cope with the d e m a n d s of the course. Some cannot
cope with the d e m a n d s of the subject (e.g. the learning which is
required). At our school many d o n o t s e e the relevance of lan-
guages to their everyday l i v e s - t h e y are very insular and
parochial and languages are not a priority.'
'They see languages as beyond them. Language lessons reveal
to them perhaps more than other lessons the extent of their
inadequacy.'
In terms of dealing with the problem of demotivation, teacher
response varied from despair at having tried just about every-
thing and failed, to making every effort to remind pupils of the
relevance of foreign languages and endeavouring to make it a
positive experience with short-term as well as long-term pay-off:
'Try to give real encouragement for anything the pupils do
which is good; try to make language lessons as cheerful, inter-
esting and lively as possible. In m a n y cases I believe demotiva-
tion is not just a languages problem - it has to be viewed in a
whole pupil context.'
'Find their level; set tasks in which they will succeed; aim for
something positive that they can achieve by the e n d of the
lesson; try to make language learning relevant and meaningful.'
'Peers have a great influence. Grouping is vital.'
'Emphasise the importance of languages and the existence of
a world beyond the confines of South Leeds.'
In terms of what can be done and can work, the teachers came
up with the following suggestions within three broad areas:
1. Immediate pay-off: well done stickers; merit awards.
2. Teacher-pupil relationship: give them time and support;
13
 negotiate an agreement on what is acceptable and expected;
insist on small groups - behaviour is more easily managed;
greater involvement more likely.
3. Material and tasks: must be appropriate to pupils' interests
and level of ability; offer variety with the use of IT, satellite
TV, video, FLA etc.
In two cases it was a d d e d that with some pupils nothing
works! One respondent saw the problem of demotivation in a
social context requiring attention not only from the teacher:
'Pupils need more careful monitoring from an early age.
Demotivation is an affliction of our society and must be
addressed. Children need to be encouraged more to respond and
be praised for their contributions so that they feel their contri-
bution is of value. Often at home they exist and are not spoken
to, not stimulated and sit in front of the TV/video. They are
brainwashed and become passive.'
The responses of the teachers offered grounds for optimism.
Whilst remaining realistic about the difficulty of the task, they
offered simple strategies which could be replicated without
great addition to workload or financial outlay on resources. I felt
the time spent supervising the filling-out of the questionnaires
and the subsequent informal, unstructured discussion had been
time well spent.
What the pupils think
What about the clientele, however? If we w a n t to offer the
punters something new, then it makes sense to do some market-
research to ascertain the likelihood of success.
The 191 pupils were asked to respond to 14 questions on a
four point scale and give reasons for their answer and two open
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questions. The questions were based on the following:
1. the importance of learning languages;
2. whether they enjoyed languages;
3. which teaching methods they preferred - teacher-centred/
pupil-centred/group-work/pair-work;
4. the four skills;
5. materials used in class;
6. what they liked m o s t / l e a s t about learning languages;
7. their opinion of the classroom where they learned lan-
guages;
8. how they felt about the prospect of learning languages
when they started their present school; whether these feel-
ings had changed in the interim.
A detailed b r e a k d o w n of the answers is not within the com-
pass of this article. I will therefore endeavour to offer a sum-
mary of the findings and d r a w some tentative conclusions.
Given that the teachers of the eight classes had identified them
as containing a significant number of demotivated pupils, I was
pleasantly surprised that the vast majority of the ]91 respon-
dents regard learning languages as very important or quite
important. Job prospects, the EC and the Channel Tunnel are the
most quoted reasons, although one is left with the imprassion
that pupils see the traffic as one-way:
'European countries are going to be spending more time in
England because of the Channel Tunnel.'
Only 27 view this aspect of the curriculum as 'not essential' or
'a waste of time'.
Language-learning is not seen as a particularly enjoyable
experience. Only about ]0% express any kind of pleasure, about
50% do not m i n d and the remainder either do not enjoy it or
loathe it. H o w much can one read into this in an age when it is
not 'cool' to show enthusiasm for anything? 'Boredom' is in!
Pupils on the whole are quite h a p p y with a teacher-centred
approach as long as it is not overdone.
'The teacher goes on and on and we d o n ' t know what she is
talking about.'
'I'm not bothered what the teacher does to learn us but it hon-
estly doesn't matter how he does it as long as we learn it.'
Group-work and pair-work are almost universally popular,
although not always for the reason which w o u l d best please the
teacher.
'You don't have to work. I let m y partner d o it all.'
'We have the chance to chat about other things.'
More conscientious pupils have a different view:
'You learn from each other.'
]4
'Your friends understand y o u r problems better.'
'You don't get embarrassed.'
The few negative responses to group-work and pair-work
related to the frustration felt at not being given clear instructions
as to w h a t had to be done.
Of the four skills, listening is certainly the least popular. Pupils
complain of unclear recordings, defective equipment, foreigners
speaking too fast and inappropriate exploitation of material. Not
least because of the comparative artificiality of the listening sit-
uation in the languages classroom, it is seen as a test rather than
a learning experience.
Speaking is generally enjoyed, although a significant propor-
tion of pupils find it embarrassing to speak out, to have to per-
form in front of classmates and dread being invited to do so by
the teacher:
'I feel scared to answer. If I m a k e a mess, people laugh at me.'
Reading remains the forgotten third skill, and some pupils
have no objections: 'I'd rather cut m y toenails.' Extended reading
seems not to feature in m a n y lessons. Reading around the class
especially of texts which are not understood, is alive and well!
(Having to listen to someone read a text badly is enough to
demotivate the Linguist of the Year!)
Writing, especially with those pupils who are more reserved,
is not as unpopular as one might think. Some pupils see it as an
opportunity to escape from the possibility of being asked ques-
tions and to be saved from embarrassment; it gives them the
chance to occupy their own little haven and w o r k at their own
pace a w a y from the threat of outside interference. Others see it
as a dreary, meaningless activity:
'We just copy and copy and copy. Sometimes all we seem to
do is copy out things we d o n ' t understand.'
The teacher's criticism of pupil-performance in written exer-
cises, if not handled with care, can have a demotivating effect:
'I d o n ' t have neat writing and get moaned at.'
'Teachers shout at you when you don't understand.'
'When the teacher says, "I thought we went over this in class,"
it makes me mad!'
Pupils appear to have little preference when it comes to a
choice between textbook and teacher-produced materials. They
make significant criticisms of both: some textbooks have pictures
which are out of date ('Most of the pictures and w o r k inside are
from the 60s and they're flipping boring.'); some are old, tatty
and covered in grafitti. Teacher-produced materials can be
poorly presented and sometimes barely legible; instructions are
sometimes unclear.
As far as what pupils like m o s t / l e a s t in learning languages is
concerned, the data offer nothing conclusive. What one pupil
likes, the next pupil detests. The teacher cannot please all of the
pupils all of the time.
Most pupils are quite satisfied with the room in which they
learn languages ('It's big and it's a proper French room. It is
encouraging with French flags and things.'). Those w h o are not,
make some interesting observations which a d d to the a m m u n i -
tion of m o d e m language teachers negotiating with management
for suites of rooms: one language-teaching room is better than a
different one each lesson; science rooms do not offer suitable
accommodation for learning languages; a language room should
have lots of posters and realia to give it a foreign feel; the room
should be big enough to accommodate the whole class comfort-
ably; furniture should be in good order and facilitate different
seating arrangements.
Some pupils stress the importance of class-size in promotion
of a positive language learning experience:
'I can't learn German because the group is too big.'
'We should have a bigger room and two teachers.'
Prior to coming to their present school, the majority of pupils
were either quite looking forward to learning languages or were
indifferent. Few dreaded the prospect. On the basis of this
sample, those pupils who came from Middle Schools, where
they had learnt some French, tended rather more towards indif-
ference than those pupils who had come from Primary Schools,
where no French had been taught, and were quite excited at the
opportunity to experience a completely new subject:
'I couldn't wait to learn a foreign language as I d i d n ' t do any-
thing like this in junior and infant school.'
In some cases travel abroad a n d / o r the attitude of family and
Language Learning Journal No. 7, March 1993
 friends had a definite influence on the young language learner:
'I'd never done a language before and m y older friends could
talk a language and it sounded really good. I couldn't wait to get
a French homework.'
'I visited Holland and even though I can't speak Dutch,
I understood the people. I was excited about learning another
language.'
'My brothers told me it w o u l d be boring.'
Few conclusions can be d r a w n from the data on whether feel-
ings had changed in the light of language-learning experience so
far at the current school. This d e p e n d e d to a large extent on the
attitude which was brought to the language classroom from
home ('It's not as hard as m y brother m a d e out.'), pupil-percep-
tion of any previous language-learning experience and their
teacher. Some responses indicate how much a positive language
learning experience can do to build confidence and improve self-
esteem outside the classroom:
'I d i d n ' t think I could talk out in front of people but now I
can.'
A significant number of respondents, however, whose
answers suggest that they might be demotivated, clearly possess
very low self esteem. In some cases, it appears that teachers'
reaction to them only serves to compound this self image:
' I ' m no good so teachers ignore me.'
Some pupils see their difficulties with English as an impedi-
ment to learning a foreign language:
'It had taken me all m y life to learn English then we had to
learn French and it w o u l d take too long.'
'I can't get it into m y m i n d to learn it. I have trouble learning
English.'
Some pupils come to the language learning classroom already
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demotivated They do not see the point ('Everybody should learn
English.') and are not prepared to be p e r s u a d e d that some
foreign language competence might just be useful for the future
and could even be of some interest for the present. Perhaps we
should refer to them as 'unmotivated', given that motivation
appears to be absent when they begin the language-learning
experience. H o w can we ensure, however, that those w h o come
to our class with at least an open mind, do not become 'switched
off'? The data gathered allow perhaps a modest attempt to col-
late those things which are likely to demotivate year nine lan-
guage learners and their recommendations for a more positive
language learning experience. It should be noted that this is
based on the responses of a minority of pupils since most feel
either moderately satisfied with their foreign language learning
or indifferent. Nevertheless, I think the responses of a dis-
gruntled minority are worthy of note and may contain some use-
ful information.
Messages from the learners
1. We do take notice of the learning environment. The foreign
language room should be special and immediately recog-
nisable by its realia and posters.
2. We are conscious of the problems caused by class-size. We
don't like big groups either.
3. We haven't a preference when it comes to teacher-centred
or pupil-centred approach. Variety is the spice of life.
4. We are less likely to give you a hard time if you make your
instructions clear, start from a basis of what we know and
progress at an appropriate pace.
5. Some of us like practising speaking most of all. Some of us
dread speaking because we find it embarrassing. Please
bear this in mind.
6. Please prepare your listening tasks very carefully. It it soul
destroying trying to decipher a muffled, crackly recording
on a little, clapped-out cassette-player. Try to get one with a
pause button so that long, fast texts can be broken up a bit.
7. Reading - we don't do a lot of that. It just might be nice, for
a bit of a change. Some of us read aloud around the class.
It's m u r d e r having to listen to our pals reading! It w o u l d n ' t
be so bad if we understood the text!
8. Writing - sometimes this is a nice change from speaking
and listening, especially if we are writing to our penpals.
We all look forward to getting the replies. Just copying with
no purpose that we can see, is no fun at all.
Language Learning Journal No. 7, March 1993
9. Not all of us find learning a foreign language easy. We don't
like being shouted at. We don't like being ignored, just
because we are not very good. Some of us just need a little
bit of help and encouragement to boost our confidence.
10. If w e do not write neatly, the teachers criticise us. But have
you seen some of their worksheets?
A comparative dimension?
In one of the classes in which I was supervising the filling-out
of the questionnaire, there just h a p p e n e d to be a German girl
from Frankfurt who was spending some time with her English
exchange partner. She was kind enough to participate in the sur-
vey and her responses raise some interesting, if statistically
insignificant points.
The first thing which struck me was the very high quality of
this 14 year old's written English. I had given her the option of
completing the form in German. With the benefit of hindsight,
this was as unnecessary as it m a y have been offensive, given the
level of her competence. She knows the difference between
'practice' and 'practise'. She can use the apostrophe correctly.
These are skills that an alarming proportion of PGCE students
can only d r e a m about!
Her attitude to almost all aspects of language learning is pos-
itive. The importance of learning English is obvious:
'It's important for me to learn English because it's the world
language.'
Is it not the position of English as the language of world busi-
ness which makes our work as teachers of languages other than
English so difficult at times? We can show our pupils maps of
where F r e n c h / G e r m a n / S p a n i s h / R u s s i a n are spoken. We can
show them statistics of the numbers of people who speak these
languages as their mother tongue. We can discuss their impor-
tance in the world of trade and commerce. A n y amount of facts,
figures, bar charts and press cuttings are readily available to sup-
port our argument. No matter how hard we try, however, the
fact that most of our pupils already have a relatively high level
of competence in the world business language number one and
can make themselves understood almost anywhere, can pose us
a problem in terms of motivation.
Even in those areas of language learning where Ulrike is less
than enthusiastic, she regards them as a necessary part of the
learning process. She does not particularly enjoy writing
exercises:
'Mostly you write the same in different sentences and that's
boring but you can get it into your brain in this way, for
example, some grammar.'
Ulrike appreciates the long-term importance of learning the
number one world business langauge and so is prepared to tol-
erate some b o r e d o m in the short-term. Have our year nine
pupils a similar level of tolerance of what they perceive as
boring?
Apart from writing, Ulrike enjoys the other aspects of learning
English very much. No problems with poor quality sound
recordings or defective equipment are reported.
Ulrike's reasons for approving of group-work and pair-work
m a y give us some insight into other aspects of the motivation of
the German pupil not only to learn English but simply to learn:
'In this w a y you can speak in the foreign language and you
know that the others aren't much better than you and you dare
to say anything.'
Perhaps I am reading far too much into it, but does this not
give some indication of the pressure on pupils in G e r m a n y to
succeed? In addition, does it not hint at the need which the
German pupil feels to get it right because h e r / h i s performance
in class is assessed? Does the German pupil not think it wiser to
avoid risk and to speak only when sure that the utterance is
beyond reproach? Only in the safe haven of the pair or group
can s / h e throw caution to the w i n d a little.
I stress that I w o u l d not like to attach any great importance to
the responses of one German pupil. Nonetheless it appears to me
that a replication of the above exercise, but in a German setting,
could produce some interesting data which could perhaps give
some insight into w h y the Germans appear to produce better
speakers of English than we do speakers of foreign languages.
]5
 Some reasons are obvious and have already been touched on
above. Some are myths. It would be nice to get close to the truth.
What conclusions can I draw?
Am I now any better equipped to teach less well motivated in
the light of my findings? I am not so sure that I am. I feel much
the same as I usually do after attending a conference or an
INSET session. I have not learnt anything I did not already know
but I have been r e m i n d e d of a number of eternal truths:
1. the stereotypical pupil, be s / h e demotivated or not, does
not exist; all pupils have different needs, interests, likes and
dislikes; you cannot please them all, all of the time;
2. pupils identified as demotivated do not w a n t to be ignored
or given up as a b a d job; in spite of their behaviour, they
want to be encouraged;
3. demotivated pupils often have very low self-esteem; they
need to be praised for what they can do and what they are
good at; they need and often crave attention;
4. their opinions are of value; they should be asked what they
think;
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•]••
University of the
West of England
BRISTOL
Study Languages at Bristol
The Faculty of Languages and European Studies offers a
range of degree programmes with flexible options, in
purpose-built facilities, designed to equip graduates for
the European market.
• BA(Hons) Modern Languages
• BA(Hons) Modern Languages and Information
Systems
• BA(Hons)/LLB(Hons) in European Law and Languages
Students take a combination of two languages chosen
from French, German and Spanish. At least one
language must be taken post A Level. As a second
language German or Spanish may be learnt ab initio.
• BEd Modem Languages.
For this course students study French with Spanish ab
initio.
For further information contact:
Faculty of Languages and European Studies,
UWE Bristol, Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane,
Bristol BS16 1QY. Telephone 0272 763914.
(Please quote refs. ASL1/93)
16
5. they need a carrot to be dangled in front of t h e m - not a
GCSE certificate two years hence but something for now;
6. with some pupils it will a p p e a r that nothing works; d o not
despair - the problem is often not with learning languages,
it is with learning; we need to adjust the attitude of parents,
friends and society before real success can be achieved.
I started off with this little exercise to satisfy m y curiosity. Far
from feeling satisfied, I find that I am dealing not with a mole-
hill but rather a mountain. There are so many aspects to the
problem of motivation that I have not even started to do it jus-
tice. I have made a barely perceivable scratch on the surface.
Perhaps this realisation alone will help me come to terms with
the inadequacy I and others feel when dealing with demoti-
vated pupils. It is a problem we all have. We cannot solve it
alone. Seeking the help of pupils might be a good place to start.
They could well be more cooperative than school management!
Acknowledgement
Many thanks to colleagues in the four Leeds schools, Leroy,
Wayne, Sharon and the other 188 pupils.
NEW JOURNAL
Steadies in Modern Languages Education
Studies in Modern Languages Education is a new journal
which will be published annually. It will include articles on a
wide range of topics of current concern to languages teachers.
The launch issue, appearing in April 1993, is entitled
Teaching MFL in the National Curriculum
and contains articles on
Diversification Differentiation
Cross-curricular themes Information Technology
Use of the target language MFL and SEN pupils
MFL and low ability pupils.
The following issue of the journal will be entitled Assessing and
Reporting MFL in the National Curriculum and the Editors will
welcome approaches from prospective authors who feel that
their experience qualifies them to write an article in this area.
Copies of the first issue - Teaching MFL in the National
Curriculum - are available from the joint editors, Colin Asher
and Jeremy Higham, School of Education, University of Leeds,
Leeds LS2 9JT. Price £3.50 (inc. p. & p.). Cash with order,
please. Cheques payable to the University of Leeds.
Language Learning Journal No. 7, March 1993