The Librarian’s Role in Motivating Language

The Librarian’s Role in
Motivating Language Learners
Tales from an Eastern Washington
College Town
Three Events



Confronting the attitude of “what would you
need to order those books for?” (2006)
Receiving an instructor’s invitation to talk to a
class about children’s books, in particular (2007)
Coming across the LINGO Study online (2008)
LINGO Study



European Commission’s Directorate General for
Education and Culture study on “Motivating Europeans to
Learn Languages”
Highlights 50 examples of “good practices” for
language promotion in informal language learning
environments, or to promote language learning
activities outside the classroom in the case of formal
educational institutions
Examines intrinsic, rather than extrinsic motivation
Language Learning: Then and Now
Now
Then






Practice in a campus
language lab
Grammar drills
Rote learning
Repetition
Motivation as a product
Little role for the librarian





Virtual Language lab:
anytime and anywhere
Interactive, collaborative, and
student directed learning
incorporated into traditional
(grammar, rule based)
instruction
Ability to reach “beyond the
classroom” through online
target language opportunities
Motivation as a process
Opportunities for librarian
involvement
Librarian as Language Learner



What is it like to be a first year language student?
– my experience in Chinese 101
Implications for collection development
Ideas for librarian involvement
Four important Language Learning
Variables according to Gardner






Intelligence
Language Aptitude
Personality
Attitude
Motivation
Situational anxiety
(Gardner, 1985)
Integrative versus Instrumental
Motivation
Integrative Motivation
The learner is motivated through
social interaction and the desire to
become bilingual and bicultural
through a genuine interest in the
target culture or language
Instrumental Motivation
The learner is motivated to learn
the language in order to increase
their employment prospects, or to
do something concrete. In today’s
language, it even includes the
“ability to compete on the global
scene” (Guilloteaux, 2007, p. 18)
Linguistic and nonlinguistic
outcomes of the learning experience
Linguistic Outcomes
 Vocabulary
 Grammar
 Pronunciation
 Fluency
 Related to course grades
and test scores
Nonlinguistic outcomes
 Attitudes toward the
cultural values and
beliefs of the target
language community
Setting or context in which language
learning takes place
Informal context
(exposure)
Formal context
(instruction)




Class assignments
Tests
Explanations, lectures
Language lab recordings,
drills







Internet radio
Movies in the target language
Audiobooks
Conversation
Chatting online
Emailing
A variety of reading materials
The product of any language learning
context is the result of a dynamic
interplay of the experiences and the prior
cognitive and affective characteristics.
(Gardner, 1985, p. 149)
Language Learning
Theory and Research
A complex and intoxicating mix of social,
societal, personal, psychological, financial, global,
instrumental, cross-cultural, geo-political factors
involving motivation, effort, desire, apprehension,
fear, anxiety, self-doubt, goals, environment,
stereotypes, linguistic self-confidence, extraversion,
and introversion…..
Role of the Teacher…
Role of the Librarian?


A skilled teacher can have a great influence on
“awakening positive attitudes” toward the target
language
If this is true of a teacher, what role can the
librarian play, as part of the student’s linguistic
and academic community?
Research on the role of the school librarian by Keith
Curry Lance.
Implications for the
Language Librarian




Language learning is a lifelong activity, as such it
should not only take place in the classroom or
lecture hall
Extension of the student’s campus network of
support
Inspiring a language-friendly environment to
motivate learners
Promotion of creative language learning
materials
Spanish 101


Two classroom visits per semester
First visit to introduce the library resources,
visit book collections, and to discuss
supplemental motivational supports




Wiki (librarian created, student enhanced--is becoming a
community site)
Facebook
email
chatting etc.
Spanish 101: Second Session

Second visit to reinforce the theme of
immersion through library and Internet
resources, and to introduce a cultural lesson
through library resources.

Flamenco music, DVDs, dual language versions of books by
Garcia Lorca, YouTube videos
Target language resources and
opportunities to enhance social
interactions





Emailing classmates or friends in Spanish
Finding a Spanish pen pal or tandem partner
Texting a friend in Spanish
Converting Facebook language settings to
Spanish
Online language exchange and language learning
communities, livemocha and italki
Target Language Opportunities
Through Texts





Comic books and graphic novels
Children’s books
Young adult literature
Familiar series titles
High interest and popular titles
Collection Development Issues!
Collaboration with Acquisitions
Target Language Opportunities
through Media





DVD collection, feature films, travel videos
YouTube for children’s songs, popular music,
television shows, etc.
Spanish subtitles and Spanish language options
Turning on Spanish captions, when available
Identifying online resources
Outcomes




Discussions with students about challenges that first
year language learners face, including feelings of being
overwhelmed, anxiety in speaking the language, fear
that they will never learn the language, lack of
motivation, lack of support
This initial contact with students can lead to further
communication, familiarity with the library, its
resources and with the language librarian
Feedback from students regarding material requests;
opportunity to strengthen the collection
Future collaborative opportunities between the
International Students Center and campus language
learning communities
Other Benefits



Raises the profile of the library and of the librarian for
the language student
Librarian involvement provides information on library
resources, but also increases the language student’s
circle of support and encouragement
Contact with first year students who will now know
who you are if they decide to enroll in upper level
courses
Selected References










Cary, Stepehen. (2004), Going Graphic: comics at work in the multilingual classroom. Portsmouth, NH, Heinemann.
Coleman, J. and Baumann U. (2005), “The World as a Classroom”, in eds. Hurd, S. and Murphy, L. (Eds),
Success with Languages, Routledge, New York, pp. 140-160.
European Commission (2004), LINGO: 50 Ways to Motivate Language Learners, Retreived from
http://www.eurointeractions.com/projectlingo.htm#
Guilloteaux, M. (2007), “Motivating language learners: a Classroom-Oriented Investigation of Teachers’
Motivational Practices and Students’ Motivation, PhD Thesis, University of Nottingham.
Koenig, F. and Emgarth, A.(1951), “The Modern Language Teacher and the Community”, The Modern Language
Journal, Vol. 35, No. 6, pp. 481-484.
Lance, K.C. (2002), “What Research Tells Us About the Importance of School Libraries”, Knowledge Quest, Vol.
31, No.1, pp.17-22.
Lance, K.C. (2002), Information Empowered : the School Librarian as an Agent of Academic Achievement in Alaska
schools, Alaska State Library, Juneau.
Norris-Holt, J. (2001). “Motivation as a Contributing Factor in Second Language Acquisition”. The Internet
TESL Journal.Vol. 7 No. 6, available at: http://teslj.org
Stannett, Annette (1992), “School Librarians and Foreign Language Teachers”, The School Librarian, Vol. 40,
No.2, pp.8-11.
Warwick, B. (1991), “Acquiring Literacy in a Second Language: the Effect of Book Based Programs”, Language
Learning, Vol. 41, No.3, pp.375-411.

Download Report