Motivation and Learning: An Investigation of a Tertiary Interpreting Program in Hong Kong

Abstract

Motivation is a decisive individual difference (ID) factor that affects students’ learning in interpreting. Its significance lies in its capacity to initiate, sustain, and regulate learning behaviors. Motivation is well developed in second language acquisition (SLA), but it is rarely studied in interpreting learning. Although some researchers have started to notice the essential role of motivation in interpreting learning in recent decades, these studies are primarily based on earlier conceptions of motivation and may not accurately reflect the real learning situation nowadays. Additionally, it has been repeatedly suggested that more ID variables should be investigated in concert to reflect the complexity of the learning process. However, few studies, if any, have investigated the relationship between motivation and other learner variables in interpreting context. On top of that, university students are still in the process of learning the foreign language required for their interpreting tasks. Given this, methods and findings from previous studies on second language (L2) motivation can be adopted to explore learner motivation in interpreting classes.

This dissertation investigates the dimension of interpreting learners’ motivation based on a tertiary interpreting program in Hong Kong. The L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS), an up-to-date and most widely used theoretical paradigm in L2 motivation research, is applied in the investigation. As interpreting is a form of cross-language communication that requires interpreters to have good language and communication skills, interpreting learning necessitates extensive practice and entails meaningful learner involvement. A lack of engagement in classrooms may render learning ineffective. Engagement may, therefore, serve as a useful indicator of students’ interpreting learning motivation. Meanwhile, self-efficacy also plays a vital role in promoting students’ engagement and learning. Therefore, this study also explores the relationship among motivation, engagement, and self-efficacy as well as their interplay with other factors in interpreting learning.

One hundred and forty-nine interpreting students enrolled in Chinese-English interpreting classes at a university in Hong Kong participated in the study. A questionnaire was developed and administered to all participants. The questionnaire consisted of the following instruments: 1) Demographic Information Survey (DIS); 2) Interpreting Learning Motivation Scale (ILMS); 3) Interpreting Learning Engagement Scale (ILES); 4) Interpreting Self-efficacy Scale (ISES); and 5) Interpreting Learning Survey (ILS). A total of 41 students were selected for individual interviews. Additionally, the researcher collected detailed observational data on the students’ in-class interpreting learning behaviors through 9 weeks of observation.

Results of the study identified five key dimensions that constitute students’ motivation for learning interpreting: attitudes to interpreting learning, instrumentality-promotion, ideal interpreting self, language improvement, and ought-to interpreting self. It showed that one’s ideal interpreting self is the central driving force behind students’ motivation to learn interpreting. This was also confirmed in the interviews with students. Significant correlations were found between students’ interpreting learning motivation, engagement, and self-efficacy. The three variables were also found to be significantly related to many other interpreting learning factors, such as self-perceived language competence, interpreting competence, and interpreting practice time. On top of that, the observational data analysis revealed the types and durations of student disengagement behaviors in the interpreting classes and verified the correlation between students’ motivation, engagement, and self-efficacy in interpreting classrooms.

This study employed a triangulation approach to shed light on students’ interpreting learning motivation. It goes beyond earlier research in interpreting and L2 studies by offering a fresh perspective through integrating cutting-edge motivation theories in the study. More importantly, the findings of this study contribute to research on interpreter training, provide insights into the nature and effects of learner motivation in interpreting settings, and help trainers understand how students think and behave in their learning in tertiary interpreter training programs.

Date of Award	7 May 2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	City University of Hong Kong
Supervisor	Xiu YAN (Supervisor)