Examining Hospitality Students Motivation to Acquire a Second Language at Third Level

Since the middle of the last century, global tourism has developed rapidly into an industry which encompasses a vast range of ethnic and linguistic diversities. In order to embrace such diversity, the hospitality industry requires workers who can meet the demands of its multicultural customers. Apart from having the necessary practical skills required to work in the industry, workers also need to be good and effective communicators in more than one language. Acquiring a second language not only allows for linguistic exchanges but also promotes a better understanding of cultural differences. If hospitality workers are not encouraged to become effective communicators in other languages than this can have an adverse effect on an industry which is heavily reliant on foreign markets. An effective way to promote language learning in the industry is to develop the interest of hospitality students while at 3rd level. Institutes teaching hospitality courses need to maximise student learning in order to yield positive results in language acquisition. This can be achieved by assessing what motivates students to study a second language and implementing teaching strategies which incorporate these motivational forces into the language curriculum. The Shannon College of Hotel Management was chosen as a case study to explore the type of motivation which influences its students in the language classroom and then using this information to formulate possible teaching strategies which could be used to optimise student learning.