Gender differences in L2 motivation among secondary school students in Hong Kong: a meta-analysis of studies on learning English as a second language

Thesis

This meta-analysis synthesizes existing research on gender differences in L2 motivation among secondary school students in Hong Kong. A total of eight research reports, involving 24,660 language learners, were meta-analyzed. The results showed that studies on general L2 motivation found a significant, small effect size in favour of females (p=0.00, d=-0.226), indicating that females were slightly more motivated than their male counterparts in learning English. However, studies concerning specific English skills (i.e., reading motivation, writing motivation) only found a very small gender difference (p=0.04, d=-0.037), indicating that the gender effect may not be observed in the motivation to learn specific language skills. Overall, the combined effect size across studies was significant, but very small (p=0.00, d=-0.161).

This study also examined the moderating effects of four factors: (i) age, (ii) medium of instruction, (iii) school banding, and (iv) L2 proficiency. The results suggested a significant age effect on the gender difference (t(1)=-3.178, B=-0.149, F=10.100, p=0.025): the older the participants, the wider the gender gap in L2 motivation. The gender gap was found to emerge in Secondary 3, but the difference became insignificant again in Secondary 6. No significant effect was observed for the medium of instruction, school banding, and L2 proficiency, possibly due to missing data.

This meta-analysis provided novel insights into the criticality of adolescence in L2 motivation, adding crucial evidence to the discussion of gender divergence in language abilities during teenage years. Given the observed differentiation in Secondary 3, it is recommended that teachers devise focused motivational strategies, enhance career consultations for students, and participate in ongoing professional development to create gender-inclusive L2 classrooms.

Authors: Chan, PYI

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-bpwx8jdjo
• Type of award: MSc taught course
• Level of award: Masters
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: gender; ALSLA2024; second language; systematic review; teenagers; motivation; ALSLA; meta-analysis; Hong Kong; secondary school; English
• Subjects: Meta-analysis; English; Education, Secondary; Applied linguistics; Second language acquisition; Gender; Motivation in education; Hong Kong Island (China); Teenagers