2018 Volume 169 Pages 46-61
In this study, students were divided into two groups in order to test the hypothesis that the proportion of students who experience demotivation in their Japanese language study is less for those who voluntarily chose that study, versus those who had the study imposed on them, and to indentify the demotivation factors of these two groups. The first group is comprised of students who applied to learn Japanese language. The other group is made up of students who were transferred into Japanese by their university. After a questionnaire survey, the hypothesis is not supported. For each group, five different demotivation factors were found. The students who wanted to learn Japanese show such factors as not attaining their desired level of competence, and a loss confidence or of interest in learning Japanese. Thus, it is also possible for them, and not only those students forced to take Japanese, to have demotivation problems. Students who were uninterested in learning Japanese from the start tend to depend heavily on their teachers; although they wish to make an effort to study Japanese, their lack of preparation for language learning often fails them, and they make efforts without encouraging results.
