Investigating second language demotivation of secondary school English as a foreign language learners in Croatia: a mixedmethods study

Aim: This study examines demotivating factors experiencedby secondary school learners of English as a foreign languagein Croatia. This topic has received limited attentionin local educational research. Focusing on learners’ negativeclassroom experiences, the paper aims to contribute toa deeper understanding of second language (L2) demotivationin the Croatian context.Methods: A mixed-methods approach was used, combiningqualitative and quantitative analysis. The study was conductedon a convenience sample of 140 learners from threesecondary schools in Split-Dalmatia County. This cohortwas selected because of its accessibility and its relevanceto Croatia’s education system, where English is a compulsorysubject in both primary and secondary school. A writtenessay task was used as the data collection instrumentbecause it allowed participants to describe their individualexperiences. This aligns with the frequent use of qualitativemethodology in previous research studies on L2 learner demotivation.Findings: Both internal and external sources of demotivationwere present in the participants’ essays, with the latterbeing predominant within the sample. Specifically, out of the392 demotivators identified in the sample, 283 (72.2%) werecategorized as external demotivators, while 109 (27.8%)were classified as internal demotivators. External demotivatorswere mainly related to the teacher’s role and to thelearning environment. Internal demotivators included thelack of self-confidence, experience of failure and attitudestowards English as major categories.Conclusions: The essay task was an effective means for collectingqualitative data on L2 learners’ demotivation. Theteacher’s role was the most prominent demotivating influencein L2 learning for this group of learners.