Annotated Bibliography 3

Annotated Bibliography 3
Culhane, Stephen F. (2004). An Intercultural Interaction Model: Acculturation Attitudes in Second Language Acquisition. Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 1(1), 50-61.

This paper discusses approaches in sojourner research to understand how motivation to interact in the second language (L2) and in a second culture (C2) relates to attitudes toward second language acquisition (SLA). The writer reviews a variety of perspectives by an eclectic group of researchers. He proposes an intercultural model, termed as the Intercultural Interaction Model, to enhance understanding of SLA by integrating factors from acculturation research.


The writer begins with the overview of learner motivation in SLA. He referred to Gardner’s theory of learner motivation (1959) which consists of instrumental and integrative motivation (p. 4). Instrumental motivation refers to individual primary concern whereas integrative motivation is driven by social interactions. Accordingly, instrumental motivation has a primary role in learning L2.

In other studies, Berry et al (1986) view that attitudes toward acculturation also contributes an important impact on the process of SLA. Berry sees that a learner’s attitudes in perceiving home culture (C1) and host culture (C2), and a learner’s level of acculturation determine the success of his SLA. The patterns of acculturation are termed as integration, assimilation, separation and marginalization (p.5). Ward and Kennedy (1994), later on, find that “sojourners with Integrated and Assimilated acculturation attitudes demonstrated lower level of sociocultural difficulties than ones with Separated and Marginalized attitudes” (p.7). As a result, these Integrated and Assimilated acculturation attitudes can accelerate the process of SLA.

The writer combines Gardner’s integrative and instrumental motivation with Berry’s four acculturation patterns into an orientation toward learning a new culture and language within an L2 speaking community or authentic L2/C2 context. He proposes three levels of functioning: instrumental, integrative, and psycho-social functioning (p.9). The level of functioning a learner adopts shows his relative balance of instrumental and integrative motivation. This should be recognized as a fundamental and determinant of SLA and acculturation (p. 14).

The reader finds this article worth reading. The reader’s prior knowledge of integrative and instrumental motivation helps her understand further studies on motivation in SLA. In the reader’s point of view, Berry’s four acculturation patterns and Culhane’s three levels of functioning can be applied only for L2 learners in authentic L2/C2 context. Further study on motivation should be conducted with L2 learners who never have any contact with authentic L2/C2 context. The future findings may eliminate the failure of SLA in L1/C1 context.