Name : Ayu Pardede

Student Number : 1061031

A Critique of an Article

Title :”There’s more to it”: A qualitative study into the motivation of Australian
university students to learn German

Author : Gabriele Schmidt

Citation : Schmidt, G. (2014). ”There’s more to it”: A qualitative study into the motivation
of Australian university students to learn German. gfl-journal, No. 1, 20-44

Outline:

A. Article’s content
I. Introduction
II. Theoretical Background
III. Research Design
IV. Findings & Discussion
V. Conclusion, Implication and Suggestion
VI.
B. Critiques

A. Article’s content

I. Introduction
- Many students who learn language other than English even though it is not required
- In 2012, the Australian government released a white paper on Australia in the Asian
Century. It is related to the need of Australia for more speakers of Asian language
- However, the concern to European languages, like German is increasing
 - So this study aimed to investigate the motivation of Australian undergraduates to study
German
- This study is a follow-up study of a large-scale questionnaire survey that investigated
the motivation of 520 Australian university students to learn German (Schmidt, 2011)
- The first study used quantitative approach, so the second study used qualitative
approach
- Therefore, this study aims to update, explain, complement and expand the findings of
the first study

II. Theoretical Background

- The findings of Schmidt’s (2011) study:
a. A general interest in the German language and culture paired with a joy and
appreciation of learning languages
b. The wish to communicate in a German-speaking country while working, studying
and travelling
c. German being considered as an important (business) language that could bring
important advantages
- Dornyei (2010) proposed “Ideal L2 Self” as a motivation of L2 learners in learning
second language
- “Ideal L2 Self” means that L2 learners “need more that that”. They learn L2 as a part of
their personal vision
- However, there was less evidence on it.
- Therefore, the qualitative study needs to prove it.

III. Research Design

a. Methodology
- Qualitative approach
- Explanatory design (to explain, refine, clarify and extend the previous findings)
E.g.: What did respondents mean when they stated that they were “interested in
German-speaking people and their culture”?
b. Participants
- Sixteen undergraduate students
- Had similar backgrounds with the participants in previous study
- Enrolled in various disciplines (ranging from science, business, arts, law and sport)
- One student enrolled in Bachelor of International Studies (German is required)
- The others studied German as an elective course
- Twelve are beginners, four are in intermediate level
- One is international student, four had German heritage
- Ten male and 6 female students
- Studied at the University of Queensland (the largest participants in previous study was
chosen from this university)
- Self-selected

c. Data collection
- Conducted in the fourth and fifth week of the first semester in 2013 (good time to
investigate)
- Conducted on campus
- Lasted for about 30 minutes
- Audio-recorded
- Semi-structured interview (began with open question, then led to follow-up questions)
- Some of the questions were replicated from previous studies (Busse & William, 2010;
Ushioda, 1996)
- Conducted in English

d. Data analysis
- All interviews were transcribed verbatim
- Noticeable non-verbal (pauses, cut-offs, laughter, emphasis and sound-stretching) were
marked in transcripts
- The data analysis used a mixture of grounded theory methods
- After coding, the data was reduced to common themes expressing the participants’
motivation to learn German
- MAXQDA (version 11) was used to manage and analyze the data
IV. Findings
- The overall results show that not only three motivational factors (as found in previous
study) were found
- Provide a greater insight into the students’ perspective, which is “there’s more to it”
- Motivational factors:
a. A general interest in the German language and culture paired with a joy and
appreciation of learning languages
b. The wish to communicate in a German-speaking country while working, studying
and travelling
c. German being considered as an important (business) language that could bring
important advantages
d. “Ideal L2 Self” which means that they learn L2 as a part of their personal vision.
This supported by some statements: It would change in some respects, feel better,
feel like more intelligent, feel more full, at the end of the day, I am and I speak
German.
e. Preference for European languages over Asian languages
(Did not interest in learning Asian languages, Asian languages like Japanese and
Mandarin are very difficult to learn).

f. Discussion
The study confirmed that:
a. For English native speakers, choosing to study other language, like German is a
conscious decision, because it is hard to find their motivation to learn another
language.
b. Students have a wide range of reasons to learn German
c. Students expressed a high level of intrinsic motivation, positive attitude towards
German speakers and cultures
d. “There’s more to it.”

g. Conclusion
The new data added:
 a. A deeper understanding about the motivation of Australian students in learning
German
b. Students consider learning German as adding value to their primary subjects
c. Personal growth is a strong element in students’ motivation. Therefore, it should be
reflected in the curriculum
d. Busse & Walter (2013) stated that intrinsic motivation decreased with time.
Therefore, it is suggested for future research to analyze the dynamics of intrinsic
motivation over time.

B. Critiques
1. Title
- Makes curiosity
- The words “There’s more to it” in the title are confusing if we do not read the whole
article.
2. Abstract
- Not too clear
- It provides the purpose, the methodology and the findings, however there is no clear
overview about the participants and there is no recommendations stated.
3. Background of the study
- Clearly identified
- Many students who learn language other than English even though it is not required
- Learning German is increasing
4. The purpose of the study
- Clearly identified
- To investigate the motivation of Australian undergraduates to study German
- To update, explain, complement and expand the findings of the first study
5. The research question
- Not mentioned
6. The significance of the study
- Not mentioned
7. Theoretical Background
 - Clearly described
- Appropriate and related to the study
- It provides the findings of previous research and the problem that will be proven
8. Research design
- Methodology is clearly explained (qualitative approach, explanatory design)
- Participants is clearly described (their university, major, sex, proficiency level, how
they were chosen)
- Data collection procedure is clearly presented (the time, place, material, how they were
collected)
- Data analysis procedure is clearly stated (how they were transcribed, coding methods,
reducing, software used to manage and analyze)
9. Findings and discussion
- Clearly explained
- Findings are stated appropriately
- There are five themes
- Related to the research purpose and phenomenon that need to be proven
10. Conclusion
- Finding’s conclusion, implication and suggestion are clearly stated
11. References & Appendixes
- Provided
12. Overall, the article is clearly presented. However, a confusing thing has been found.
- In introduction and in theoretical background parts, it is stated that this study aims to
expand previous study which already done in 2011 and used questionnaire survey
(quantitative approach). However, in research design part, it is stated that the
questionnaire survey was in 2005.