Critical Thinking Motivation

3.6. Critical Thinking and Motivation

One of the most crucial factors influencing second language learning is motivation. Motivation is a very complex phenomenon that is being studied by many linguists and language educators, as it has a significant role to play in the L2 acquisition. Some researchers incline to believe that motivation is a cause of learning, that is, first comes motivation – an impulse to learn – and next comes success. Others prefer to believe that motivation is rather a result of successful learning, that is, first comes success and then comes motivation – an impulse that pushes for further higher achievements. For instance, O’Malley and Chamot write:

Students who have experienced success in learning have developed confidence

1987 as cited in O’Malley and Chamot 1995: 160). If motivation can be recognized as a part of metacognition, then, consequently, it stands in high correlation with critical thinking. In fact, motivation is also one of the important factors that influence critical thinking learning, as an ideal critical thinker has certain dispositions, i.e. desires or motivation, to think critically. As well as it can serve as a cause, it can also serve as a result, that is to say, if a learner has achieved some success in thinking critically and noticed its advantageous nature for his/her achievements, or simply enjoyed being aware of the state of things, motivation here is transformed into result. In any case, motivation acts as a supporting and supplementary condition for critical thinking. Moreover, it is common knowledge that sometimes learners become more motivated while dealing with challenging tasks and activities. In the same way, some critical thinking activities are more complex than others are and demand learners to display their higher-order thinking and their critical and creative abilities, thus cultivating motivation in

Here, motivation is one of the wheels of the driving force towards success in the L2 acquisition. It relates to all of the other wheels and cannot be omitted. It is vital to remember that “a successful language learner appeared to be associated with greater motivation for learning the second language as well as with more frequent and varied use of learning strategies” (O’Malley and Chamot 1995: 143). What else should be kept in mind is how critical thinking treats all the above-mentioned concepts; that is to say, critical thinking also displays high connection to these notions. So, if motivation positively influences the frequent use of language learning strategies of learners, and if critical thinking contributes to the frequent usage of these learning strategies as well, and if all three concepts – motivation, learning strategies, and critical thinking – play a critical role in L2 via facilitating the learning process, it is possible to theorize that the integrated approach which would allow utilizing the main aspects of all the mentioned concepts would influence SLA in a positive manner. Such an approach would not only facilitate learners’ learning process but also enable them to learn how to think critically and use their critical thinking abilities, as well as