Investigating second language demotivation of secondary school English as a foreign language learners in Croatia: a mixed-methods study

Abstract

Aim: This study examines demotivating factors experienced by secondary school learners of English as a foreign language in Croatia. This topic has received limited attention in local educational research. Focusing on students’ negative classroom experiences, the paper aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of second language (L2) demotivation in the Croatian context.

Methods: A mixed-methods approach was used, combining qualitative and quantitative analysis. The study was conducted on a convenience sample of 140 learners from three secondary schools in Split-Dalmatia County. This cohort was selected because of its accessibility and its relevance to Croatia’s education system, where English is a compulsory subject in both primary and secondary school. A written essay task was used as the data collection instrument because it allowed participants to describe their individual experiences. This aligns with the frequent use of qualitative methodology in previous research studies on L2 learner demotivation.

Findings: Both internal and external sources of demotivation were present in the participants' essays, with the latter being predominant within the sample. Specifically, out of the 392 demotivators identified in the sample, 283 (72.2%) were categorized as external demotivators, while 109 (27.8%) were classified as internal demotivators. External demotivators included were mainly related to the teacher’s role and to the learning environment. Internal demotivators included the lack of self-confidence, experience of failure and attitudes towards English as major categories.

Conclusions: The essay task was an effective means for collecting qualitative data on L2 students’ demotivation. The teacher’s role was the most prominent demotivating influence in L2 learning for this group of students.