日本版 General Social Surveys 研究論文集[5] JGSS で見た日本人の意識と行動 JGSS Research Series No.2

The Characteristics of Motivation of Japanese Adult English Learners
from JGSS-2003 Data
Kaoru KOISO
Osaka University of Commerce
By analyzing JGSS-2003 data this study examines motivation of Japanese adult English
learners. The results show the followings: (1) the percentage of those who intend to study
English in the future decreases by age; (2) motivational orientations which have aspects of both“instrumental motivation” and “intrinsic motivation” such as “I will study English because it
will broaden my worldview” or” I will study English to go on an overseas trip” were popular
choices; (3) by factor analysis five factors were chosen, “instrumental”, “intrinsic”, “media”,“education” and “travel”; (4) the reasons for studying English vary between the sexes andbetween different age groups.
Key words: JGSS, Motivation, English learners

日本人英語学習者の動機付けの特徴−JGSS‑2003 のデータから−
小磯 かをる
本稿では、JGSS‑2003 のデータを用いて、日本における英語学習者の動機付けの特徴を調査した。 その結果以下のことが判明した。 (1) 英語学習を試みようとする者の割合は年齢が高くなるほど低下する。 (2) 英語学習の理由として、学習者が学習活動それ自体によって動機付けられているという「内的動機付け」と、報酬や賞罰などによって動機付けられているという「外的動機付け」の双方の側面を持っている項目（「視野を広めたいから」と「海外旅行のため」）の選択率が高い。 (3) 因子分析によって 道具的 、 内的 、 メディア 、 教育 、 旅行 の 5 つの動機付けに関する因子が抽出された。 (4) 動機付けは年齢や性別によって異なる。
キーワード：JGSS、動機付け、英語学習者

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1. Introduction
Motivation is considered to be one of the main determining factors of success in developing asecond or foreign language. In the field of school education, such as in junior high schools, highschools, and colleges, much research has been conducted on motivation in Japanese English learners.
However, the research on motivation in adult English learners in Japan is quite limited with a few
exceptions(1). Also there are a very few data of how many adult people want to learn English in Japan.
Fortunately, questions regarding the probability of studying English in the future and the reasons forstudying English were added to JGSS-2003. In this paper I’d like to identify the characteristics ofJapanese English learners and their motivation(2) for studying English.

2. Research background
The research on ESL (English as Second Language) motivation has focused on experiments carriedout by Gardner and Lambert (1972) in a social psychological frame work for the last thirty years. They
identified two motivational orientations toward the learning task: integrative motivation and instrumental
motivation. Integrative motivation is related to those who learn a second language in order to identify
with a member of the language community. Instrumental motivation is, on the other hand, motivation
to learn the language for an instrumental purpose, such as getting a better job or earning more money andso on. They formulated their theory on the basis of surveys conducted primarily among
English-speaking Canadians learning French. This environment is an example of a second language
context, where the target language is mastered through direct exposure to it. Therefore, someresearchers (Crookes and Schmidt; 1991; Dörnyei; 1990, 1994; Clement and Kruidenier, 1983, etc)
claim that their theory cannot be applied to foreign language learning contexts, where there is no regularinteraction with the target language community as in Japan. To find motivation commonly seen both insecond language acquisition contexts and foreign language contexts, Clement and Kruidenier (1983)
conducted a research in Quebec (unicultural setting), London (unicultural setting), Ontario (unicultural
setting) and Ottawa (multicultural setting). In their research, they found that integrative orientation
appeared only in multicultural contexts among members of a clearly dominant group and that instead ofintegrative orientations, four orientations, instrumental orientation, travel, friendship and knowledge,
were common to all contexts.
After that, a new motivational structure replaces the traditional framework of integrative andinstrumental motivation. From the psychological point of view, Deci & Ryan (1985) introduced
intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation means, for example, to do something because
we get reward from the activity itself, while extrinsic motivation means motivation to do something
because of an external reward that may be obtained.
In short, integrative motivation is no longer regarded as the one dominant motivation in L2
acquisition. The definition of integrative motivation/ integrativeness shifted from identification withthe community where the target language is spoken to a new place. Integrative motivation, especiallyin EFL (English as a foreign language) contexts, is now regarded to relate to factors such as interest in
foreign language and desire for interaction with the target language community. Also many otherorientations are extracted by factor analysis in recent research on motivation. One of these is “media
usage” extracted in the research by Dörnyei (2001). He conducted a survey of the learners of fivedifferent languages in Hungary and found that the factor labeled “media usage” played an important role
for the learners of English.
As to the motivation of Japanese college students, Koiso (2004, 2005a) conducted a research on
university students in Osaka. After factor analysis, five motivational factors were extracted; “intrinsic

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motivation”, “instrumental knowledge”, “classroom situation”, “attribution” and “achievement”. Since
the research was conducted on college students, who took English classes as a school requirement, theirmotivation can be different from that of adult people.

3. Method
3.1 Research Questions(1) “How many people are going to learn English?”, “Is there any difference between the sexes andbetween different age-groups?”(2) “Is there any unique motivational factor for Japanese adult English learners?”, “Does motivationdiffer between the sexes and between different age groups?”

3.2 Data
The sample populations of JGSS-2003 comprised men and women between 20 and 89 years old
residing in Japan. There were 7200 people, selected at 489 points across the country by two-stage
stratified random sampling. JGSS-2003 was conducted from late October to late November 2003.
JGSS-2003 received valid responses from 1957 people making the response rate 55%. JGSS-2003
used both the interview and placement (self-administered) method for each respondent. There were
two forms of self-administered questionnaire: Form A and Form B. Form A consists of replicating corequestions and topical modules. Form B consists of some core questions and some on the social
network. Form A was randomly distributed to a half of the sample, and Form B was distributed to theother half. This paper is based on the data from Form A.

3.3 Questions for analysis
Form A has the following questions about respondents’ intention to study English and motivation.
First, the respondents are asked about their intention to study English in the future, and then, for thoseanswering yes, motivation for studying English is asked.
In formulating the items used in the questionnaires, the research of Dörnyei (1990) and Schmidt(1999) was consulted and the items, “because it is useful in helping my children’s studies” and “to use
the internet in English” were developed for this survey.
In Q59 in JGSS-2003, the subject of the intention of studying English in the future was asked asfollows.
Q59-1 Are you going to learn English in the future?
1
Yes, positively.

2
Yes, when I have an
opportunity.

3
Yes, butunwillingly.

4
No, I’m not.

What is the reason for your studying English? Choose all that apply.
1. Because I need it for graduating from school or moving up to the senior class.
2. Because it is useful for finding or changing a job.
3. Because it is useful for my job.
4. To obtain a license.
5. To get a promotion.

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6. Because I feel happy when I am studying English.
7. Because I like the U.S.A and the U.K.
8. Because it will broaden my worldview.
9. Because I like to learn something new.
10. To go on an overseas trip.
11. Because it is useful in helping my children’s studies.
12. To use the internet in English.
13. Because I would like to understand English news or films.
14. Others

4. Results and Discussion
4.1 Intention to study English in the future
Figure 1 shows the result of Q59, the intention to study English in the future by gender. Here, 72.2
percent of male respondents and 65.3 percent of female respondents show no intention of studying
English in the future, 1342 out of 1957 said no, while 610 said yes, and there were 5 non-responders.
No statistically significant difference between the sexes was observed.
Figure 2 shows an intention to study English in the future by age. The x axis is the age scale. In
Figure 1, more than 60 percent of respondents state no intention of studying English in the future;
however, 54.2 percent of those in their 20s state an intention to study English in the future. The
percentage of respondents showing an intention to study in the future decreases with age, which is not
surprising because the older generation would have a fewer chances of using English while the younger
generation would think English is necessary in their future life.
80
70
60
50
% 40
30
20
10
0

72.2

65.3

M(n=869)F(n=1088)

30.4
22.2
2.8 2.8

2.2 1.1

Positively

When I have achanceUnwillingly

Not going tolearn

Figure 1: Intention to study English in the future by sex
60

54.2
47.5

50

43.9

40
31
% 30

Will study
19.4

20

8.8

10
0
20～29

30～39

40～49

50～59

60～69

70～

age

Figure 2: Intention to study English in the future by age

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4. 4.2 Motivation
4.2.1 Frequency
Those who stated an intention to study English in the future were asked their motivation forstudying English. Figure 3 shows the frequency distribution of motivation by sex. Two variables withless than 10 responses; “to get a promotion”, (only 9 responses), “because I need it for graduation fromschool or moving up to the senior class” (only 5 responses) and “others” were discarded.
The three variables on the left, “I study English because it is useful for finding or changing a job”,“because it is useful for my job”, and “to obtain a license” are considered to be instrumental motivation.
On the other hand, the three on the right, “I study English because I feel happy when I am studying
English.”, “because I like the USA and the UK”, and “because I like to learn something new” areconsidered to be intrinsic motivation. The variables in the middle have both aspects. They can be
instrumental motivation because the main purpose of the study is not the study itself but the outerelement; however, they can also be intrinsic motivation because they study for their own sake. As
shown in Figure 3, the variables which have both aspects have a higher frequency. More than fifty
percent of male and female respondents, who answered “yes” to studying English in the future , said they
will study English because it will broaden their worldview (male: 51.7%, female: 55.5%). More thanforty percent of male and female respondents said, they will study English for an overseas trip (male:
43.6%, female: 45.3%), followed by “because I would like to understand English news or films” (male:
31.4%, female: 20.7%) On the other hand the percentage of men and women who said “to obtain alicense” (male: 2.5%, female: 1.6%) and “because it is useful for finding or changing a job”(male: 7.6%,
female: 6.4%) was less than ten percent.
The variables which show statistically significant differences between men and women are,“because it is useful for my job” (male: 27.1% , female: 9.6%), “to use the Internet in English” (male:
14%, female: 2.1%), “because it is useful in helping my children’s studies” ( men: 15.3%, female :22.1%)(3), “because I like the USA and the UK” (male: 6.8%, female: 11.7%).
60
50
40
M (236)F （374）

30

%

20
10

Fi
nd

in
Us g aef
u jo b
Ob l forjtaob
Ch i n licil dre ens
n's e
Ov st
er ud
y
se
as
tri
p
In
te
r
Ne net
w
Br s/
film
oa
Ha den
pp
vie
y
w
Li
s
ke
tu
L
d
lea ikeyinrnging USA
ne /U
K
w
th
in
gs

0

Figure 3: Motivation for studying English by sex

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4.2.2 Factor Analysis
Exploratory factor analysis was conducted on the motivational orientations of more than ten
answers. After varimax rotation, a five-factor solution was chosen, which accounted for 56.3% of thetotal variance(4). Table 1 shows the result of factor analysis.
Table 1: Factor Analysis
Factor 1

Factor 2

Factor 3

Factor 4

Factor 5

Instrumental

Intrinsic

Media

Education

TravelUseful for my job

0.702-0.139

0.153

-0.18

-0.095

Useful for finding a job

0.652

0.184

-0.013

0.066

0.041

To obtain a license

0.609-0.008-0.0760.154-0.063Happy when I study

0.04

0.707

0.124

-0.102-0.004

Like USA/UK

0.047

0.604

-0.081

0.124

0.403

Like to learn new things-0.045

0.525

0.003

0.1

-0.362

To use internet-0.046-0.124

0.844

0.047

0.033

items

To understand news/films

0.089

0.359

0.625

0.015

0.067

Helping children’s studies

0.208-0.111-0.024

0.74

0.226

To broaden view

-0.116

0.164

0.117

0.683

-0.33

Overseas trip

-0.139

0.024

0.109

-0.0080.803

Engenvalue

14.107

12.611

10.482

9.651

9.443

The first factor consists of three items: “because it is useful for my job”, “because it is useful forfinding or changing a job” and “to obtain a license”. As all these items relate to instrumental purposes,
Factor 1 is labeled “instrumental”.
The second factor consists of three items: “because I feel happy when I am studying English”,“because I like the USA and the UK” and “because I like to learn something new”. As all these relate
to the enjoyment of learning, Factor 2 is labeled “intrinsic motivation”.
Factor 3 consists of two items: “to use the internet in English” and “because I would like tounderstand English news or films”. Since both of them relate to getting information through the media,
Factor 3 is labeled “media”.
Factor 4 consists of two items: “because it is useful in helping my children’s studies” and “because
it will broaden my worldview”. It is not easy to label this factor, but it can be labeled as “education”:
Education for himself/herself or his/her children.
The last factor, which consists of only one item, ‘to go on an overseas trip”, is, of course, “travel”.
Of these factors, “instrumental”, “intrinsic”, “media” and “travel” were extracted from the previous
studies. One of the newly adopted items for this survey, “because it is useful in helping my children’s
studies” emerged as an independent factor, which is unique to this study. It is very interesting to notethat educating one’s children (“because it is useful in helping my children’s studies”) and to educate
oneself (“because it will broaden my worldview”) are included in the same factor. In the previous
studies, the item, “because it will broaden my worldview”, was included “intrinsic &extrinsic/knowledge and interest” (Sawada 2004), “interest in foreign languages and cultures” (Jacques
2001) or “determination” (Schmidt 1999).
The other newly adopted item, “to use the internet in English”, loads on the same factor as “tounderstand news/films”, which is labeled “media”. Dörnyei (2001) extracted the factor “media usage”

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and all of his items have to do with the appreciation of cultural products (film, TV programs, magazinesand pop music). “Media” in this study is very similar to Dörnyei’s “media usage” since both of them
relate to getting information through the medial. It makes sense that this newly adopted item about the
new form of media, the internet, was included in this factor.

4.2.3. Differences between the components of motivation in the sexes and age groups
A t-test was conducted with sex as an independent variable with the factor scores of the five factors
as induced variables. Table 2 shows the results of the t-test.
Table 2: T-test statistics comparing male and female scores
Factortp

Instrumental

3.22 **

Intrinsic-3.154 **Media

5.988 ***

Education-2.821 **Travel-1.304 ns

A significant difference can be seen in all factors except “travel”. The male respondents havehigher motivation in “instrumental” and “media”.
With respect to job related motivation,“instrumental”, the difference in the employment rate could be a reason. In the survey of JGSS-2003,
70.7 % of all male respondents (n = 869) were engaged on jobs, while only 47.9% of female respondents(n = 1086) were engaged on jobs. The same holds for “media”. More than 30% of male respondents
used computers at the office (33.3%) and at home (34.9%), while only 15.3% of female respondents used
computers at the office and 25.2% at home. On the other hand, female respondents have higher
motivation in “intrinsic” and “education”.
To examine the age difference, ANOVA analysis was conducted. The respondents were divided
into three age groups; “early adulthood” (20s & 30s), “middle adulthood” (40s & 50s), “late adulthood”(over 60). The three age groups constituted the independent variable and the factor scores of the fivefactors were submitted to a one-way analysis of variance as dependent variables. The results wereanalyzed separately for men and women since motivation differs between the sexes.
Table 3 shows the results of one-way ANOVAs for male and female. A statistically significant
difference is observed in Factor 1, “instrumental”, Factor 4, “education” and Factor 5, “travel” for bothmales and females. But the difference is more significant for females than males.
Table 3: Results of ANOVAs
Male

FemaleFactorF

P

F

P

Instrumental

6.611

0.001***

11.1320.000***

Intrinsic

0.875

0.417

0.048

0.953

Media

0.182

0.832

0.13

0.878

Education

3.014

0.05△

12.5610.000***

Travel3.30690.03*

10.2210.000***

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Table 4 : Summary of Tukey post-hoc test

Instrumental

Education

Travelmale
F scores
0.436
0.142
-0.2380.024-0.145-0.405-0.246-0.0290.159

age group
20〜39
40〜59
60〜
20〜39
40〜59
60〜
20〜39
40〜59
60〜

femaleF scores0.121-0.195-0.4750.369-0.105-0.1610.233
0.029-0.464

Table 4 summarizes the results of Tukey’s post test. With respect to “instrumental motivation” and“education”, a significant difference was found between male respondents in their 20s and 30s and thoseover 60. On the other hand, in the case of female respondents, those in their 20s and 30s weresignificantly different from the other age groups. This indicates that in Japan younger people are more
likely to study English for job-related reasons and for educational reasons. Men in their 40s and 50s
also have instrumental motivation, while women in their 40s and 50s do not have a better job related
motivation.
A very interesting difference between the sexes was found in Factor 5, “travel”. The male
respondents over 60 showed higher factor scores in “travel” than the younger generations, while thefemale respondents over 60 showed lower scores than the younger generations. This may suggest thatin Japan elderly men are more motivated to study English because they plan to go overseas, whereas
elderly women do not intend to study English to go overseas compared to the younger generations.
According to a survey conducted by the National Land and Transportation Ministry, among the
population over 60, the number of men who took overseas trips is larger than that of women. However,
the rate of increase of female overseas travelers between 1994 and 2000 was greater than that of maletravelers(5), therefore the sex difference in Factor 5 “travel” may disappear in the near future.

5. Conclusion
English has become the international lingua franca and the process is being accelerated by theinternet and globalization. The importance of English as an international communication tool isrecognized in many countries including in Japan. For these reasons, many Japanese people wish to gain
proficiency in English(6). In this research we found that more than 50% of respondents in their 20s
intend to study English in the future, although the majority of the older generations show no intention of
studying. As English becomes more and more important, it is thought that the percentage of people
who will study English in the future will increase.
By factor analysis for motivational orientations, five factors were extracted: “instrumental”,“intrinsic”, “media”, “education” and “travel”. Of these, “education” was unique to this research. Allof the factors except “intrinsic” reflect some aspects of Japanese society, where the rapid progress of IT
prevails everywhere and people are concerned about educating themselves and their children to follow
this trend and people need to study English for their jobs, their pastimes, and travel.

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The reasons for studying English vary between the sexes and different age groups. Younger men
tend to study English for job-related reasons, while older men tend to study English for overseas travel.
Women in their 20s tend to study English for educational reason and for overseas travel. However, theresults obtained in this research may change in the near future. With a shrinking work force and a
growing elderly population, more and more female and elderly people will be working. With theretirement of baby boomers, more and more people will make overseas trips. The motivational factors,
the differences between the sexes and age groups we obtained in this paper may change according tosocial change.

[ACKNOWLEDGEMENT]The Japanese General Social Surveys (JGSS) are designed and carried out at the Institute ofRegional Studies at Osaka University of Commerce in collaboration with the Institute of Social Scienceat the University of Tokyo under the direction of Ichiro TANIOKA, Michio NITTA, Hiroki SATO andNoriko IWAI with Project Manager, Minae OSAWA. The project is financially assisted by Gakujutsu
Frontier Grant from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology for
1999-2003 academic years, and the datasets are compiled and distributed by SSJ Data Archive,
Information Center for Social Science Research on Japan, Institute of Social Science, the University ofTokyo.

[NOTE](1) Sawada (2004) conducted a survey on 160 adult learners of English enrolled in English conversation classes.
(2) The term motivation does not always mean the reasons for studying. To be precise, motivational orientations
may be a better term. However, the definition of motivation varies according to researchers. Therefore, in thispaper, the term motivation is used for motivational orientations, that is, the reasons for studying English in thiscase.
(3) 38.9% of the married women in their 20s, 30s and 40s chose the variable of “helping my children”.
(4) The Cronback alpha scores of these five factors are low: Factor 1 (.348), Factor 2 (.329), Factor 3 (.263).and
Factor 4 (.186) There are several possible reasons: all of these(5) The rate of increase for males during 1994 to 2000 is 53.5%, females 7.54%.
(6) The Yomiuri Shinbun says more than 80 percent of respondents said they wish to have higher proficiency inEnglish.

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