Young learner’s lexical proficiency and motivation to learn English in Iceland

• Main Author: Jóhannsdóttir, Ásrún
• Other Authors: Birna Arnbjörnsdóttir, Mála- og menningardeild (HÍ), Faculty of Languages and Cultures (UI), Hugvísindasvið (HÍ), School of Humanities (UI), Háskóli Íslands, University of Iceland
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Iceland, School of Humanities, Faculty of Languages and Cultures 2022
• Subjects: Doktorsritgerðir; Tungumálakennsla; Enska sem annað mál; Orðaforði; Second language acquisition; Vocabulary; Motivation in education; Extramural input; Enska (námsgrein); Kalla; Iceland
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/3296

Abstract Globalization and technological development contribute to an increased demand for English skills in daily recreational activity in Iceland. This phenomenon, and a steadily growing exposure, has changed the status of English in Iceland from being a foreign language towards being closer to a second language (Birna Arnbjörnsdóttir 2007). This study aims to explore 4th-grade students’ attitudes towards English and examine which contributing factors affect their motivation for learning English, specifically learning English vocabulary. Four research questions explore the relationships between context-specific variables and whether gender or onset of instruction affects context-oriented English use or vocabulary size. The study used a quantitative method approach. First, a survey was administered based, on the one hand, on Dörnyei’s “L2 Motivational Self-System” (2005) and, on the other hand, seven context-specific factors. These are TV/Music, Computers, Education, Peers, Family, Texts and Lingua Franca. Secondly, two vocabulary tests were administered to determine students’ lexical knowledge at the onset of formal English instruction; a Yes-No test and a VKS test measured students’ vocabulary size and dimension of knowledge. Participants were 378 primary school students in the 4th-grade (190 girls and 188 boys). The quantitative methods of analysis of the survey responses and vocabulary tests include descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and stepwise multiple regression analysis to examine the relationship between motivating factors, English context-based exposure, and vocabulary test results. The study's findings are that the participants’ vocabulary knowledge is acquired largely extramurally and is motivated by a need to use English during leisure time in their daily lives. Additionally, the results indicate that the children in this study visualize how and where they need to use English in the future. Ágrip Hnattvæðing og tækniþróun í samskiptum kalla á aukna enskukunnáttu í daglegu lífi á Íslandi. ...