Motivating children from bilingual families to learn a foreign language

Abstract

The current study was aimed at determining the role and confirming the influence of bilingual families and the educational environment on the formation of children’s motivation to acquire skills in a foreign language. The research comprised a total of 436 learners from Russian primary, secondary, and high schools and 100 educators. The objective was to examine the correlation between the motivation of children from bilingual families to learn a foreign language and the influence of the pedagogical community, domestic environment, and social contacts. The study was carried out over 1.5 years on the surveys of teachers and family members as well as by monitoring the language learning process. A motivation model was developed and experimentally tested in primary, secondary, and high school settings. The results of the study revealed the growth of motivation with age. The proposed model can
be introduced into any secondary education institution with bilingual enrollment.