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Factors That Lead American Foreign Language Students To Discontinue The Study Of The Target Language Past The Minimum Requirement, Gabriele Seffert

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Factors that lead American foreign language students to discontinue the study of the target language past the minimum requirement. This research project expanded on a study by Shedivy (2004) who investigated motivational factors for continuation of foreign language acquisition after the two-year minimum requirement during high school. Seffert's (2007) study sought reasons why students did not continue beyond the two-year minimum. The phenomenological inquiry was supported by literature on historic-political factors, motivational considerations, and educational strategies influencing students' interest in second language acquisition. Subjects of this study were between the age of 18 and 40 and had discontinued foreign language …