This study aims to explore (a) how a demotivated and struggling English learner regained motivation to study and (b) how demotivating and remotivating factors influenced the student’s learning process. A semi-structured interview was conducted with one female college Engineering student who made significant motivational as well as academic improvements after two years of failing English classes. In order to analyze the data from a qualitative point of view, the Structural Construction Qualitative Research Method (SCQRM), developed by Saijo (2007, 2008), was used. Two possibilities can be derived from this interview. First, the student’s perception that her difficulty in understanding learning content is being acknowledged by others without judgment or criticism could influence motivating factors, such as help-seeking, effective study strategy acquisition, an attitude toward learning without fear of making mistakes, and self-efficacy. Second, while these factors might not independently affect the student’s learning attitude and behavior, they seem to be closely related.
