How to make your language program a success

Maximizing Language Learning Success: The Crucial Role of Motivation, Tutor Assistance, and Administrative Support

Introduction

In today's interconnected world, mastering multiple languages is crucial for effective communication and cultural understanding. AI and translation apps are increasing in accuracy and are proving to be valuable tools, but they cannot fully replace the nuanced human interactions and deep cultural insights gained through language learning. For global professionals, fluency in additional languages remains essential for building strong relationships, negotiating deals, and navigating diverse cultural landscapes. The problem is: Language Learning is Hard.

Acquiring new language skills as an adult is the most difficult kind of learning one can do. Research shows that the critical window for language acquisition ends after puberty, at age 17 or 18. Adults also have greater cognitive load, life stressors and time restrictions that make focused learning challenging, and their well-established grasp of their native language causes interference and makes it difficult to learn new rules of grammar and pronunciation.

My experience in the language training industry and with programs that have helped hundreds of thousands of learners worldwide gain new language skills has shown me that there are three key factors that contribute to language learning success: motivation, tutor assistance, and administrative support.

The Power of Motivation

Motivation is the driving force that compels individuals to pursue and achieve their goals. In the context of language learning, motivation is crucial as it determines the learner's commitment, effort, and persistence. There are two main types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic.

Intrinsic motivation comes from within the learner, driven by personal interest, enjoyment, or a desire for self-improvement.

Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is influenced by external factors such as rewards, recognition, or the need to meet specific requirements. Strong motivation, whether intrinsic or extrinsic, leads to higher engagement and better retention of language skills.

While some learners are inherently more intrinsically motivated, I have found that certain extrinsic factors affect how important language acquisition is to the learner. Learners who must have new language skills to get a new job or promotion, who need to use another language extensively in their job role – such as with a global merger or acquisition, or who need language skills to pass an exam to enter or graduate from University or to immigrate to a new country are far more likely to succeed in their language program than learners who enter language training to aid in travel or for personal enrichment.

These motivated learners are more likely to practice regularly, seek out additional resources, and overcome challenges, ultimately achieving greater success in their language learning journey

The Role of Tutor Assistance

Tutors play a pivotal role in the language learning process by providing personalized guidance, support, and feedback tailored to the learner's needs. They help clarify complex concepts, correct mistakes and offer encouragement, making the learning experience more effective and enjoyable. There are various types of tutor assistance, including one-on-one tutoring, group sessions, and online tutoring. One-on-one tutoring offers individualized attention and customized lesson plans, while group sessions provide opportunities for collaborative learning and peer interaction. Personalized guidance from tutors enhances learning efficiency by addressing specific challenges, reinforcing strengths, and maintaining motivation. This tailored approach leads to better retention of language skills and a more successful learning outcome.

Learners who know their progress is being monitored by a human they can connect with directly perform at much higher rates than learners who white-knuckle through a self-paced program. The Dynamization model that we use at Ardor Learning assigns a human expert to every learner, who is in regular contact with their students and who proactively offer tips, tools and resources for learner success. Most learners will also work with one or more of our expert teachers, in one-to-one or group classroom settings. This one-two punch of expert human assistance from beginning to end is the secret to the high success rates of our programs.

The Influence of Administrative Support

Over the past two years, Ardor Learning has worked closely with a corporate client that has clearly demonstrated the importance of the learner environment and administrative support.

This workplace Administrative support in language learning encompasses various forms of assistance provided by employers, sponsors, or social networks to facilitate the learning process. This support can include financial aid, which helps cover the costs of courses and materials; flexible schedules, allowing learners to balance their studies with work or other commitments; and access to resources, such as language labs, libraries, and online tools. The importance of administrative support lies in its ability to alleviate external pressures, enabling learners to focus more on their studies. By reducing financial burdens, providing time management flexibility, and offering essential resources, administrative support creates a conducive learning environment that enhances motivation and improves learning outcomes. Some of the most effective administrative support I have seen included performance in the language program as part of the employee’s performance review. This holistic support system ensures that learners have the necessary tools and conditions to succeed in their language acquisition journey.

This has always been the most challenging aspect of the programs for language training providers – we can offer the best content, the best tutors and the best teachers, we can apply all the best science on program pacing and class session frequency, we can load up our learners with extra practice and chatrooms and writing assignments – and we will still see only middling success, because the learner environment is not offering proper support and motivational tools.

An Organizational workplace that values language skills and that clearly demonstrates that value through manager and HR involvement, helping employees block time for language programs,rewarding employees for progress in their language program, and even implementing some small consequences for not meeting training goals will always win with higher program success rates.

Interplay of the Three Factors

We recently conducted an analysis of our program success rates, and I was struck by the clear connection between these three factors: learner motivation (Is there a consequence for me if I do not complete the program?), tutor assistance (Is there a human I can connect with who can help me navigate the learning program?), and administrative support (Is the organizational environment offering clear signals about the importance of the language program?). When all three factors were present in the program, we saw completion rates of 90-100%. When only two factors were present, the completion rates fell to as low as 50%.

But what was most striking to me was that these three factors did not bear equal weight on the program outcomes. When learners were motivated and had proper tutor assistance, their program outcomes hovered around 70-80%. When learners were motivated and had administrative support, the success window increased to 70-90%. When learners were not motivated but had tutor assistance and administrative support, their success rates topped out at 60%.

Learner motivation is the most important factor to language learning success. But the other two factors are also very important. As you design your language program keep in mind that a focus on all three factors will lead to a high probability of success.