Motivational factors in learning Portuguese as a Foreign Language in China

Abstract

Affective and motivational factors play a determining role in the success of students learning foreign languages and are also essential for teachers to better understand and address more efficiently students' needs. This study aims to analyze the influence of motivational factors that involve and guide the path of Chinese students through the process of learning Portuguese. For this purpose, questionnaires and interviews were used to hear the voice of Portuguese students at Sun Yat-sen University, located in the Chinese province of Guangdong. The results reveal the predominance of instrumental motivation in the decision to study Portuguese, in addition to the influence that external factors (social environment, family, etc.), the teacher, the personality issues and the type of content addressed in the classes have on students to learn Portuguese.