Investigating foreign language learning motivations of young adults in Singapore

• Main Author: Lim, Arista
• Other Authors: Tan Ying Ying
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2024
• Subjects: Arts and Humanities; Language learning, motivations, languages other than English
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/174250
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Much research has investigated Singapore’s oft-mentioned bilingualism and its diverse local ecology. Therefore, the focus of language acquisition or shifts tend to be on English, Singapore’s official languages, and heritage languages like Chinese vernaculars. Despite the popularity of learning foreign languages in Singapore, the research on these learners’ motivations is limited. This paper explores various aspects of motivations and how important they are to young adults who are learning a foreign language in Singapore. A total of 101 participants were recruited, most of whom were students. It was found that most learners where motivated by the desire to understand media and to travel. In comparison, the motivation of better chances of employment was one of the weaker motivations, which refutes the expectations that Singaporean learners would prefer pragmatic benefits to leisure consumption of media. Focus group discussions found that participants who were children of mixed-nationality households were motivated to learn their heritage language so better connect with their families. The results point to the strength of a country’s soft power which is exhibited through the popularity of its cultural products, and its influence on Singaporeans’ desire to learn their language.