Girls show better quality motivation to learn languages than boys: latent profiles and their gender differences

Students' gender can have subtle long-term effects on students' motivation, engagement, and ultimate achievement in learning a new language. Given the current focus on motivation in primary and secondary schools in many Asian countries, understanding both boys' and girls' orientations toward learning English may offer insight into students' future trajectories. In this study, we sought to demonstrate the differences in students' motivational profiles originating from their gender. Using a sample of 398 elementary school students in western Japan, we administered motivation surveys at the beginning of the 2013 school year. We analyzed these surveys using latent profile analyses to determine differences in three sub-groups: good quality (high intrinsic regulation, low external regulation), high quantity (high intrinsic and external regulations), and poor quality (high external regulation, low intrinsic regulations). Post-hoc tests showed gender differences within these subgroups. Results indicate that male students were more likely to demonstrate low quality, externally controlled motives, while girls were more likely to show higher quality internally regulated motives. These findings indicate the need to improve support for boys' internally regulated motivation in Asian foreign language settings.