The Handbook of Informal Language Learning

1Motivation and Informal Language Learning

ALICE CHIK

Introduction

Many readers of this chapter may be lifelong language learners, and some may be experienced language teachers or may have taught others a language at some point in their lives. Whether the reader is a language learner or teacher, it is fair to say that the motivation to learn a language is an elusive construct. A learner may have the motivation to learn the English lyrics from his/her favorite rap songs but may not apply the same drive to writing an English assignment (Benson 2015). Another learner may have excelled in written English assignments but may lack the motivation to extend his/her English learning in informal contexts. Language learners also share language‐learning experiences outside of a language classroom. Dörnyei and Ushioda (2011) point out that there is no one definition of the term motivation and assert that it relates to “the choice of a particular action, the persistence with it, [and] the effort expended on it” (p. 4). Language learning is moving increasingly from formal to informal contexts, both at individual and societal levels. Learners are therefore more likely to choose a “particular action” from a wide range of options, which then impacts the “persistence” and “effort” they associate with the action. The proliferation of online language learning websites and social network sites could mean that learners increasingly extend or complement their formal language‐learning practices ...