A mixed methods study of Hong Kong adults’ motivation to learn English in continuing education

Abstract

The Hong Kong government has promoted continuing language education among adult learners outside of the formal education system through the Continuing Education Fund and the Workplace English Campaign. The city’s focus on adult learners in second language (L2) education increases the need for research on the complex and dynamic nature of adult learners’ L2 motivation. This mixed methods study is the first study in Hong Kong to examine adult learners’ L2 motivation in part-time, continuing education. It contributes to the broader literature on adult L2 motivation, an understudied area in a field that generally conducts research on secondary and university students (Boo, Dörnyei, & Ryan, 2015). The study employed a two-phase mixed methods research design to investigate the nature of Hong Kong adults’ L2 motivations, the relationships between motivational and attitudinal factors and their L2 motivation and intended effort, and the dynamic nature of these learners’ L2 motivation. In the first phase, 278 adult learners at a private language school completed a questionnaire that contained an open-ended item and 52 Likert-scale items. In the second phase, 14 participants who completed the questionnaire were selected through maximum variation sampling to participate in semi-structured interviews. Multiple regression analyses of the quantitative data revealed that integrativeness and positive attitudes toward the learning situation were most predictive of L2 motivation, and the ideal L2 self and positive attitudes toward learning English were most predictive of intended effort. The open-ended responses and interview data confirmed the quantitative finding that integrativeness and the ideal L2 self from Gardner’s (1985) Socio-Educational Model and Dörnyei’s (2005) L2 Motivational Self System, respectively, are most relevant for understanding Hong Kong adults’ L2 motivations. By using both models, this study illustrated the possibility of employing Gardner’s and Dörnyei’s theoretical work as complementary frames for interpreting the data of a single study. At the same time, several new categories of L2 motivation emerged outside of these existing L2 motivation frameworks, including parenting orientation, free time, and health orientation. To the author’s best knowledge, this study is the first in the L2 motivation literature to identify parenting motivation as a distinct factor in adult motivation. Though these emergent categories were mentioned by few participants, they show the limitations of existing frameworks for capturing the diversity of motivations among adult learners. These emergent motivators are also related to adult learners’ long-term motivational dynamics, where adult learners’ L2 motivation changes in response to new language needs of different life stages such as early career, marriage, parenthood, and retirement. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data revealed eight distinct temporal patterns related to these motivational shifts. These findings are discussed in the context of Hong Kong’s societal and historical forces.