A Qualitative research: The influence of socioeconomic status on motivation in learning English as a second language for Hong Kong students

Background Information/Literature Review

• Gayton, A. (2010). Socioeconomic Status and Language-Learning Motivation: to what extent does the former influence the latter? [PDF]. Scottish Language Review, (22), 17-28. Retrieved from https://www.scilt.org.uk/Portals/24/ Library/slr/issues/22/3_Gayton_-_Socioeconomic_Status_ML.pdf

• Kormos, J., & Kiddle, T. (2013). The role of socio-economic factors in motivation to learn English as a foreign language: The case of Chile. Science Direct, 41(2), 399-412. https:/doi.org/10.1016/ j.system.2013.03.006

• Khansir, A. A., Jafarizadegan, N., & Karampoor, F. (2016). Relation between socio-economic status and motivation of learners in learningenglish as a foreign language [PDF]. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 6(4), 742-750. http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0604.11

• Portiño, N. P. (2018). The influence of learners‘ socioeconomic status on learning english as a foreign language. The Journal of Asia TEFL, 15(2), 550-558. https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2018.15.2.23.550

Significance of our Research

Previous research....

Research type: Quantitative

Participants: secondary school students/

teachers

Countries of research: European/Eurasian/ Middle Eastern

(Gayton, 2010, p. 17~28)

Research Question

To what extent does socioeconomic status influence motivation in learning English as a second language in Hong Kong primary school pupils?

Operational Definitions

Socioeconomic Status

According to the American Psychological Association, Socioeconomic status is the social standing or class of an individual or group. It is often measured as a combination of education, income and occupation.

Operational Definitions

Motivation refers to reasons that underlie behavior that is characterized by willingness and volition. It is the attribute that moves us to do or not do something (Lai, 2011, p. 1)

Motivation is “the combination of effort plus desire to achieve the goal of learning the language plus favorable attitudes toward learning the language (Khansir, Jafarizadegan, & Karampoor, 2016, p. 742)

Our Criterion

2 participants: low SES

2 participants:

high SES

Purposive Sampling

Sampling

Age: 11 Years (Primary 6 )

+ parents

Selection

Gender of pupils: Mixed

School: CMI (aided)

In-Class observations

DATA

TRIANGULATION

Documents

(Ss' writing tasks)

Semi-structured interviews with students and their parents

Validity & Reliability

• Maxwell’s taxonomy of validity in qualitative
• Descriptive validity and investigator triangulation
• Reliability checks
• Interpretive validity
• Data triangulation

Validity & Reliability

Limitations

It is possible that all four participants

are not found in a single class.

Limitations

Some families having high SES might still

not value English as important. This could

adversely affect students’ motivation.

Ethical Issues

1. Intrusive to confidentiality

Reassure parents that the information will be used for research purposes only.

2. The teacher might feel obligated

Teacher will remain uninformed regarding which student is being observed.

Ethical Issues

3. Parents may want the student

to drop out from the study.

Honor their request and reassure them that participation in the research is on a voluntary basis.

4. Student participants might

'perform to please'- Hawthorne Effect

Long term observation (3 weeks)

Appendices

Participant Screening

-

Questionnaire

Appendices

Interview Protocol Questions (parents)

1. How important is English to you?

2. How important do you think it is for your child to learn

English?

3. What efforts do you make to help your child learn English?

4. How often do you engage in English activities?

5. How often do you travel? Which countries have you travelled

to? Why?

6. Do you have a helper? Nationality of your helper? Why do

you choose a helper from a particular nationality?

Appendices

Interview Protocol Questions (students)

1. Do you enjoy learning English?

2. How important do you think is English?

3. How often do you engage in English activities?

5. Do you communicate with your NET outside lessons?

6. How often do you borrow English books from the library?

Appendices

In-Class Observation

1. How often they participate in class discussions.

2. Initiate group discussions in English/Chinese.

Writing Task

1. Word Choice

2. Word Count of written tasks

References