Needs and motivations of adults learning foreign languages : the Maltese perspective

Abstract

Recent studies (Pace 2013; Pace 2018) have shown a dramatic increase in interest in foreign language learning among adult learners in the Maltese Islands. However, to date, there is lack of research about the aspects that determine participation in adult education and about the adult learners’ educational needs (Borg et al. 2016, MEDE 2014). In this paper we will first explore the needs and motivations of adults learning foreign languages along with the reasons for which they enrol in such courses at the Lifelong Learning Centres. We will also analyse how different variables, such as their background, prior knowledge of the foreign language, as well as teaching and learning factors, influence their language learning process. By means of two separate questionnaires administered to adults learning foreign languages at the Lifelong Learning Centres in Malta it resulted that intrinsic motivations are the driving force behind the majority of the adults’ choice to learn a foreign language. This makes the educators’ role in motivating adult learners pivotal during the learning process. Consequently, the latter highlights the need for the implementation of professional training programmes for all educators in this sector.