An examination of the factors underlying the motivation and learning strategies of generation 1.5 Korean American students.

摘要

Comprehensive research into student learning has established that the effective use of learning strategies will enable students to take responsibility for their own learning, enhance their motivation in the learning process, and improve their academic success (Sternberg & Grigorenko, 2001). However, little research has investigated the learning strategies used by immigrant students and how these strategies relate to academic excellence. While survey instruments currently exist for assessing these constructs in the general population, the construct validity of theses scales has yet to be examined within immigrant populations.;The subjects who participated in this study were randomly selected from the Korean American generation 1.5 students who were member of the Korean community churches located in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Students' motivation and their use of language learning strategies were examined using two instruments: the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) and the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL). Data were collected via 81 items from Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) and 50 items form the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL). An exploratory factor analysis was conducted in order to determine the factor structures for the self-regulated learning strategy and for the motivation question items. This study expands the continuum of ESL research by focusing on unexplored ESL population, Generation 1.5 immigrant students in higher education.