Among those teaching a group of Swedish military officers, little is known about motivation to learn English as part of a one-year military staff course. This research therefore aims to explore possible motivational characteristics while attempting to identify ways in which they may be theoretically linked to Dörnyei’s (2009) L2 motivational self system. A particular area of interest is the officers’ view of their motivation having taken part in a one-year English course and also an international military staff exercise which was conducted in English. The study used a two phase mixed-methods design, with an interview study and a follow-up questionnaire. Qualitative data were gathered by conducting seven individual interviews using a semi-structured interview schedule. Analysis of the qualitative data allowed themes to emerge. The questionnaire used in phase two was based on these themes and enabled the qualitative data to be triangulated. Twenty-eight Swedish military officers responded to the questionnaire. A variety of key variables were confirmed and it was possible to view them using the chosen theoretical framework. The Ideal L2 self and L2 learning experience were found to be particularly important motivators. It was also found that despite the officers’ high levels of motivation, their willingness to exert effort on learning is relatively low. It may therefore be concluded that teachers could address this through a focus on motivational teaching practice. Overall, this research provides insight into L2 motivation within a participant group which has not previously been studied.
A presentation about a series of military English lessons conducted with a group of advanced military professionals studying English through CBLT techniques.
This chapter discusses the challenges of facilitating the development of advanced learners of English in the Scandinavian military context. It focuses on meaningful interaction, which relates to military students’ professional language needs and the immediate context of their learning in university programs. These programs include content instruction and military exercises in English on topics relevant to war studies within a Masters degree. The paper describes a series of lessons taught at the Swedish National Defence College that bring together two program components, namely the students need to understand the military content of their subjects in English and their professional English language workplace requirements. It describes how the author used reading comprehension and the genre of presentation to develop a repertoire of questioning strategies for application in the defence workplace.
A presentation about techniques for promoting learner agency and languaging at advanced level when teaching military professionals on CBLT courses.