| Abstract: | The presented master's thesis attempts to analyze the correlation between foreign language pronunciation and the learning motivation of Slovenian high school students, with a focus on the foreign languages German and English. The master's thesis is divided into two parts: the theoretical part and the empirical part.
In the theoretical part, foundational theories are presented and explained, which serve as the essential building blocks for the subsequent empirical section. Topics discussed will include communicative competence, as it is the main goal of modern educational methods, fluency and accuracy, as instructional approaches vary, and teachers must decide whether to prioritize fluent or correct communication. These aspects can impact learners' motivation, which is at the core of the argument. The pluricentric nature of the German and English languages is critically presented. When comparing the two languages, not only their differences must be shown, but also what connects them and where they resemble each other. Both languages are pluricentric. Furthermore, German and English are compared in the Slovenian school system. The focus is on the curriculum for high schools and the current “Maturitetni” catalog, as these two documents are of essential importance for the progression and success of secondary education. The curriculum is compared with the “Maturitetni” catalog content, aiming to assess the extent to which learning content parallels “Maturitetni” catalog content, and where the two documents diverge. Any differences could be influential for learning motivation, which will be explained using the concept of the washback effect. Not only the curriculum and “Maturitetni” catalog must be compared, but also the German as a Foreign Language (DaF) “Maturitetni” catalog with the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) “Maturitetni” catalog, to observe if there are differences in the treatment of the individual languages that could impact learners' motivation. Where motivation is discussed as an essential concept, a definition and explanation of motivation, especially learning motivation, must also be discussed, as the definition of the terms itself can serve as an explanation. To conclude the theoretical part, previous research on the subjects of learning the German and English languages is presented, particularly how they are perceived differently in society and how the societal monopolization of the English language makes it difficult for German to gain traction. The concept of Lingua Franca will be central here. The theoretical part concludes with a comparison between the existing theories and the opinions of individual secondary school teachers who have agreed to anonymously share their observations and experiences in hopes of improving shortcomings in the school system.
On the theoretical basis, three hypotheses were formulated, which were evaluated using the results from the empirical part. The first hypothesis stated that students are equally unmotivated to learn pronunciation as they are to learn German, and attempted to analyze whether students show equal disinterest in pronunciation as they do in learning German. The second hypothesis, that the unequal treatment of German and English in the curriculum and matriculation does not affect learning motivation, sought to examine whether the differences in the curriculum and “Maturitetni” catalog could influence learners' motivation. The third hypothesis, that teachers and students have different perceptions of what motivates students, aimed to analyze whether teachers are aware of what motivates learners. The first hypothesis was rejected, the second hypothesis was partially rejected and partially confirmed, and the third hypothesis was rejected.
The empirical part of the master's thesis is divided into two primary sections. The first part involves the analysis and interpretation of surveys, with statistical significance being demonstrated to assess the reliability of the sur |
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