The motivation for learning German in Taiwan. A pilot study on the foreign language-specific motivation of Taiwanese learners of German

In the context of teaching and learning foreign languages, a multiplicity of internal and external variables, interacting with each other and individualizing the learning process, plays a significant role. The motivational construct represents a substantial factor in the foreign language-specific learning process because motivation is responsible for persevering in the often laborious process of learning a foreign language. It is therefore assumed that motivation plays a crucial part for achieving success in language learning. In the present pilot study, Taiwanese students of German with Chinese as their first language were asked about their motivation to learn German. A quantitative approach was employed by administering a questionnaire to students learning German as their minor field or as a second or further foreign language at National Chengchi University in Taipei. In this research, both internal personality factors and external factors were taken into account.