The Attitudes and Motivation of German Language-School Children in Canada

Abstract

This article analyzes 418 questionnaires completed by the pupils of two German Language Schools (GLSs) in Ontario. The questionnaires were designed to investigate the attitudes and motivation of the pupils towards the GLS and toward the study of German. Positive attitudes and motivation of the children cannot be presupposed, for, even though the majority of the parents were born in German-speaking countries, the majority of the pupils were born in North America. Fewer than half of the children “want to go” to a GLS. The majority are there because they were sent by their parents. Nevertheless, 75 percent “really want to study German.” The highest percentages of those having a positive attitude toward attending a GLS and toward the study of German are found among children from essentially unilingual families (German or some other language). The percentage of children with one parent who speaks German and the other, another language is substantially lower than that for children from unilingual families. Utilitarian reasons for wanting to study German outnumber emotional reasons (e.g., because the father is German) in every respect. Parental reinforcement in the form of helping with the German homework was found to have no effect on the child's motivation. However, the number of parents who “wouldn't care” in the event of the child's failure in the GLS was found to be relatively higher among those children with a negative attitude toward their German studies than among those with a positive attitude. Linguistic habits in the home offer little reinforcement in the child's German studies. Many parents, who speak mostly German to each other, will switch codes when speaking to the child. About half the children of German-speaking parents speak non-German to their parents. Only 11 percent of the children speak German with brothers and sisters.

It appears that on the whole a GLS serves the needs of the parents rather than those of the children. The children who are very strongly motivated—with an emotional motive—make up a relatively small number, about one-third of those attending a GLS. The number of those who are very slightly motivated or not motivated at all amounts to 25 percent.