The Pathology of Demotivation and Amotivation in English Language Learning Context: A Case Study

The Pathology of Demotivation and Amotivation in English Language Learning Context: A Case Study

Abstract Foreign language learning disabilities (FLLD) is one of the new terms in the literature of learning disabilities (LD) which seeks to investigate the disabilities English language learners may have in their experience with language. Many areas affecting learning a language are being investigated. Motivation and two other related terms demotivation and amotivation, as affective factors, are among the most recent undiscovered areas in studying FLLD. This paper aims at investigating the learning disabilities of an Iranian girl student called Shiva in pursuing her language learning in university. Different research instruments like MSQ, WTC Questionnaire, and Nelson English Language Test were adopted to diagnose different aspects of her disabilities to devise the most efficacious type of help for her. The findings indicated that demotivation causes mostly as a result of the misconduct of the teachers in not only their teaching techniques but also their misuse of motivational strategies.