Issues in Applied Linguistics

Despite growing evidence that males are less motivated than females to learn second languages, research in this area has yet to investigate gender differences in two of the most well-known elements of motivational theory: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Using data from a large-scale study by Kissau (2006), the researcher further explores the issue of male disinterest in second language studies by investigating gender differences in intrinsic and extrinsic motivation amongst adolescent students studying French in Canada. A total of 490 students studying French as a second language in Grade 9 completed a survey. The quantitative data from the surveys were then further explored in interviews with students andteachers.Resultssuggestthatone’smotivationalorientationisanimportantfactorin the decision to study French and that boys are perceived to be less intrinsically and more extrinsically motivated than their female peers. Due to the suggested benefits of an intrinsic orientation, suggestions for how to develop intrinsically motivated behaviors amongst boys in the second language classroom are discussed.