Modern English Education 2025 KCI Impact Factor : 0.96
-
pISSN : 1598-0782 / eISSN : 2586-6141
- https://journal.kci.go.kr/meeso
KJCKorea
Journal Central
The Effect of Learning Motivation on Korean Learners’ Textual Features in English Essay Writing: A Coh-Metrix Study
- Modern English Education
- Abbr : MEESO
- 2025, 26(), pp.320~335
- DOI : 10.18095/meeso.2025.26.1.320
- Publisher : The Modern English Education Society
- Research Area : Humanities > English Language and Literature > English Language Teaching
- Received : July 14, 2025
- Accepted : August 7, 2025
- Published : August 19, 2025
Chung, Hyenyeong
1,
Jeon, Moongee
1
1건국대학교
Accredited
ABSTRACT
This study investigates how integrative and instrumental motivation affect the textual features of essays written by Korean EFL learners, addressing the limited research that connects motivational constructs to actual language use in learner-generated writing.
We analyzed 600 essays from the ICNALE corpus using Coh-Metrix, a computational text analysis tool. To explore how motivation influences text, we selected 27 indices that encompass surface, lexical, syntactic, and discourse/text levels. We conducted a series of linear regression analyses with motivation scores as predictor variables and Coh-Metrix indices as criterion variables. The results indicated significant differences in linguistic features based on motivational orientation, particularly at the surface, lexical, and discourse levels. Higher integrative motivation correlated with a richer focus on conveying meaning, while higher instrumental motivation was tied to a greater emphasis on message clarity. These findings suggest that learner motivation impacts various aspects of text construction and underscore the importance of studentcentered instructional approaches that consider learners’ motivational profiles in second language writing instruction.
Statistics
-
596 Viewed
-
569 Downloaded
Tools
Issue List
Citation status
* References for papers published after 2025 are currently being built.
[journal]
Alotaibi, H.
/ 2015
/ The role of lexical cohesion in writing quality
/ International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature
4(1)
: 261~269
[journal]
Aspuri N
/ 2019
/ The role of instrumental motivation among EFL students in language learning process
/ Journal of English Education
4(1)
: 48~53
[journal]
Bonney, C. R.
/ 2008
/ Understanding strategies in foreign language learning: Are integrative and intrinsic motives distinct predictors?
/ Learning and Individual Differences
18(1)
: 1~10
[book]
Brown, H. D.
/ 2000
/ Principles of language learning and teaching
/ Prentice-Hall
[journal]
Cahya, P.
/ 2017
/ The Correlation between students' L2 motivation and their EFL proficiency
/ Ethical Lingua: Journal of Language Teaching and Literature
4(2)
: 176~183
[journal]
Chung, E.
/ 2025
/ Examining the use of academic vocabulary in first-year ESL undergraduates' writing: A corpus-driven study in Hong Kong
/ Assessing Writing
63
: 1~13
[journal]
Csizér, K.
/ 2005
/ The internal structure of language learning motivation and its relationship with language choice and learning effort
/ The Modern Language Journal
89(1)
: 19~36
[journal]
Cocca M.
/ 2019
/ Affective variables and motivation as predictors of proficiency in English as a foreign language
/ Journal on Efficiency and Responsibility in Education and Science
12(3)
: 75~83
[journal]
Crossley, S. A.
/ 2011
/ Understanding expert ratings of essay quality: Coh-Metrix analyses of first and second language writing
/ International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Life Long Learning
21(2-3)
: 170~191
[journal]
Crossley, S. A.
/ 2014
/ Does writing development equal writing quality? A computational investigation of syntactic complexity in L2 learners
/ Journal of Second Language Writing
26
: 66~79
[journal]
Dao, P.
/ 2020
/ Effect of interaction strategy instruction on learner engagement in peer interaction
/ System
91
: 1~13
[journal]
Dabbagh A
/ 2019
/ The role of vocabulary breadth and depth in predicting second language descriptive writing performance
/ The Language Learning Journal
47(5)
: 575~590
[book]
Deci, E. L.
/ 1985
/ Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior
/ Plenum Press
[journal]
Deci, E. L.
/ 2000
/ The "what" and "why" of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior
/ Psychological Inquiry
11(4)
: 227~268
[journal]
Dewaele, J. M.
/ 2007
/ Predicting language learners' grades in the L1, L2, L3 and L4: the effect of some psychological and sociocognitive variables
/ International Journal of Multilingualism
4(3)
: 169~197
[journal]
Ely, C. M.
/ 1989
/ Tolerance of ambiguity and use of second language strategies
/ Foreign Language Annals
22(5)
: 437~445
[journal]
Fazel, I.
/ 2011
/ On the relationship between writing proficiency and instrumental/integrative motivation among Iranian IELTS candidates
/ Theory and Practice in Language Studies
1(7)
: 747~757
[book]
Gardner, R. C.
/ 1985
/ Social psychology and second language learning: The role of attitudes and motivation
/ Edward Arnold
[web]
Gardner, R. C.
/ 2004
/ Attitude/motivation test battery: international AMTB research project
/ http://publish.uwo.ca/~gardner/docs/AMTBmanual.pdf
[book]
Gardner, R. C.
/ 1972
/ Attitudes and Motivation in Second-Language Learning
/ Newbury House
[journal]
Gardner, R. C.
/ 1991
/ An instrumental motivation in language study: Who says it isn't effective?
/ Studies in Second Language Acquisition
13(1)
: 57~72
[journal]
Graesser A. C.
/ 2004
/ Coh-Metrix: Analysis of text on cohesion and language
/ Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers
36(2)
: 193~202
[journal]
Graesser, A. C.
/ 2014
/ Coh-Metrix measures text characteristics at multiple levels of language and discourse
/ The Elementary School Journal
115(2)
: 210~229
[journal]
Green, C.
/ 2012
/ A computational investigation of cohesion and lexical network density in L2 writing
/ English Language Teaching
5(8)
: 57~69
[journal]
Güvendir E
/ 2023
/ L2 writing anxiety, working memory, and task complexity in L2 written performance
/ Journal of Second Language Writing
60
: 1~15
[journal]
Hashemian M.
/ 2013
/ The relationship between L2 learners' motivation/attitude and success in L2 writing
/ Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences
70
: 476~489
[journal]
Hernandez, T. A.
/ 2008
/ Integrative motivation as a predictor of achievement in the foreign language classroom
/ Applied Language Learning
18(1&2)
: 1~15
[journal]
Hinkel, E.
/ 2009
/ The effects of essay topics on modal verb uses in L1 and L2 academic writing
/ Journal of Pragmatics
41(4)
: 667~683
[web]
IELTS Partners
/ 2019
/ IELTS writing band descriptors (public version)
/ British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge Assessment English
/ https://www.ielts.org/-/media/pdfs/writing-band-descriptors-task-2.ashx
[book]
Ishikawa, S. I.
/ 2023
/ The ICNALE guide: An introduction to a learner corpus study on Asian learners' L2 English
/ Routledge
[journal]
Johnson, M. D.
/ 2016
/ Vocabulary knowledge and vocabulary use in second language writing
/ TESOL Journal
7(3)
: 700~715
[journal]
Liao, J.
/ 2020
/ Metadiscourse, cohesion, and engagement in L2 written discourse
/ Languages
5(2)
: 1~21
[journal]
Martínez, J. J. R.
/ 2016
/ Language learning strategy use by Spanish EFL students: The effect of proficiency level, gender, and motivation
/ Revista de Investigación Educativa
34(1)
: 133~149
[book]
McNamara, D. S.
/ 2014
/ Automated evaluation of text and discourse with Coh-Metrix
/ Cambridge University Press
[journal]
Nasihah, M.
/ 2017
/ Language learning strategies, motivation, and writing achievement of Indonesian EFL students
/ Arab World English Journal (AWEJ)
8(1)
: 250~263
[journal]
Nikoopour J.
/ 2012
/ Motivation and the choice of language learning strategies
/ Journal of Language Teaching and Research
3(6)
: 1277~1283
[journal]
Noels K. A.
/ 2001
/ Learning Spanish as a second language: Learners' orientations and perceptions of their teachers' communication style
/ Language Learning
51(1)
: 107~144
[web]
Purdue Global Writing Center
/ Using "you" in academic writing
/ https://purdueglobalwriting.center/using-you-in-academicwriting/
[journal]
Ortega, L.
/ 2015
/ Syntactic complexity in L2 writing: Progress and expansion
/ Journal of Second Language Writing
29
: 82~94
[journal]
Oxford, R.
/ 1989
/ Variables affecting choice of language learning strategies by university students
/ The Modern Language Journal
73(3)
: 291~300
[journal]
Peng R.
/ 2021
/ The effect of Chinese EFL students' learning motivation on learning outcomes within a blended learning environment
/ Australasian Journal of Educational Technology
37(6)
: 61~74
[web]
R Core Team
/ 2025
/ R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing
/ R Foundation for Statistical Computing
/ https://www.R-project.org
[journal]
Reynolds, D. W.
/ 2001
/ Language in the balance: Lexical repetition as a function of topic, cultural background, and writing development
/ Language Learning
51(3)
: 437~476
[journal]
Ryan, R. M.
/ 2000
/ Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and wellbeing
/ American Psychologist
55(1)
: 68~78
[journal]
Samad, A. A.
/ 2012
/ Motivation and language proficiency: Instrumental and integrative aspects
/ Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences
66
: 432~440
[web]
Scribbr.
/ Second-person pronouns
/ https://www.scribbr.com/nouns-and-pronouns/second-person-pronouns/
[journal]
Song S
/ 2016
/ Motivation for learning among Thai students studying Korean as a foreign language in Thailand
/ Scholar: Human Sciences
8(2)
: 154~164
[journal]
Sparks, R. L.
/ 2019
/ Why reading is a challenge for US L2 learners: The impact of cognitive, ecological, and psychological factors in L2 comprehension
/ Foreign Language Annals
52(4)
: 727~743
[journal]
Suliman W.
/ 2024
/ Students' integrative and instrumental motivation for learning English as a second language
/ Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental
18(8)
: 1~17
[journal]
Wang Y.
/ 2021
/ Researching and practicing positive psychology in second/foreign language learning and teaching: the past, current status and future directions
/ Frontiers in Psychology
12
: 1~10
[journal]
Widiastuty H
/ 2024
/ The relationship between instrumental and integrative motivation on the students' writing ability
/ Multidisciplinary Science Journal
6(10)
: 1~9
[journal]
Wigfield, A.
/ 2000
/ Expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation
/ Contemporary Educational Psychology
25(1)
: 68~81
[journal]
Xu, X.
/ 2011
/ The relationship between language learning motivation and the choice of language learning strategies among Chinese graduates
/ International Journal of English Linguistics
1(2)
: 203~212
[journal]
Yu, B.
/ 2019
/ The predicting roles of approaches to learning, L2 learning motivation, L2 learning strategies and L2 proficiency for learning outcomes: A comparison between Mainland and Hong Kong Chinese students
/ Educational Studies
45(4)
: 520~532
[journal]
Zarei, A. A.
/ 2013
/ The effect of motivation on the choice of language learning strategies
/ International SAMANM Journal of Business and Social Sciences
1(1)
: 51~63
[journal]
Zhang, X.
/ 2019
/ Foreign language anxiety and foreign language performance: A meta-analysis
/ The Modern Language Journal
103(4)
: 763~781
[journal]
Zhang H.
/ 2020
/ Motivation and second foreign language proficiency: The mediating role of foreign language enjoyment
/ Sustainability
12(4)
: 1~13
[book]
Zipf, G. K.
/ 1935
/ The psycho-biology of language: An introduction to dynamic philology
/ Houghton Mifflin