Attitudes and motivation: Determinants among African American Spanish second language learner

Many sociopsychological models of second language learning assume and promote an integrative approach. These models give little attention to second language learning contexts where learning the target language serves a functional or instrumental purpose.;The purpose of this study was to investigate African American students who were learning Spanish as a second language within a bilingual/bicultural context. In the present study, this context promotes an instrumental purpose for Spanish second language learning. Eighty-three African Americans who were enrolled in intermediate level Spanish classes participated in the study. The sample group was drawn from two settings: Two community colleges in Los Angeles, California and a historically Black university in Wilberforce, Ohio.;A small, but informative, pool of literature regarding African American second/foreign language learners motivated this study. A synthesis of the literature relevant to sociocultural factors involved in second language learning framed the study within an analysis of demographic shifts within the United States.;The research design of the study was based on quantitative research methodology. The Ethnic/Cultural survey was developed to collect data for this study. The survey included a demographic section, a Scale of Attitudes Toward Other Groups, a Social Acceptance Questionnaire and a Scale of Motivation.;Findings of the study were related to the following major areas: African American Spanish second language learners, attitudes toward the Spanish language and its native speakers, acceptance of native speakers of Spanish in social relationships and subjects' level of motivation to learn Spanish.;First, African American subjects disagreed with statements on the Scale of Attitudes Toward Other Ethnic/Cultural Groups that expressed negative evaluative beliefs about the Spanish language and Mexican Americans and other Latinos.;On the Social Acceptance Questionnaire, subjects showed positive social acceptance of members of the target language group.;On the Scale of Motivation, subjects showed a moderate level of motivation to learn Spanish.;In the present study, then, subjects were found to have positive attitudes toward the target language group, but moderate motivation to learn the second language.