A Examining Grit and Motivation in Learning French as a Foreign Language Through the Lens of Social Cognitive Theory

Abstract

Learning a foreign language comes with its own set of challenges as students are required not only to learn something new but also to familiarize themselves with an entirely different culture embedded within the language. This can pose a challenge to students’ motivation in learning a foreign language which may also affect their perseverance and sustained interest (grit) in the learning process. Therefore, this study seeks to examine the grit and motivation in foreign language particularly in the context of French language through the lens of Social Cognitive Theory. A total of 277 undergraduate students studying French as a third language at a public university in Malaysia participated in this study by answering questionnaires comprising validated scales measuring grit and motivation. The data, which were later analysed using SPSS, indicated that students’ motivation was not related to gender or academic stream. However, several interconnected factors were found to influence motivation. These factors include personal factors (consistency of interest and perseverance of effort), behavioural factors (self-efficacy, intrinsic value, and test anxiety) as well as environmental factors (cognitive strategy use and self-regulation). The study further provides an overview of how grit acts as an important element in sustaining students’ motivation. Pedagogical implications include the need for educators to design learning environments that foster resilience, goal-setting, and long-term commitment among French as foreign language learners.