3. Perceptions and Culture

In order to understand the motivations  ELLs have towards writing, I expanded my search to include ELL perceptions and attitudes about writing and reading English.

Many of the articles I read pointed out that the ELLs native culture influences and is transferred over into how one writes, reads and processes information.

Watabe(1991) discusses how Japanese ELLs will use the passive voice in their writing, thus transferring cultural values and writing styles in their SLA.
Watabe, M., & And, O. (1991). Transfer of Discourse Function: Passives in the Writing of ESL and JSL Learners. Iral, 29(2), 115-34

Also, I took note in how research was gathered. Data was often gathered through comparative analysis as well as through survey questions included asking about the differences between reading in native language vs English.

Iwai, Y. (2008). The Perceptions of Japanese Students toward Academic English Reading: Implications for Effective ESL Reading Strategies. Multicultural Education, 15(4), 45-50.
Read: Iwai(2008)

• This got me thinking, perhaps to understand the motivational aspect better I can ask questions that compare writing in the ELL's native language vs. English. These differences and the attitudes the learner has about them can have insight on what is motivating or discouraging writing in SLA.