Commitment Control Strategies

Commitment control strategies refer to the strategies learners apply to their language learning in terms of the setting of shortand long-term goals, and in terms of controlling their ability to achieve these goals. It is unsurprising that commitment control is a major facet of self-regulation in the learning of the Japanese written language. Students must organize their learning so that they can learn more than 100 kana and 2000 kanji to become functionally literate in the language. Mastery of the Japanese writing system is not an easy or quick task, thus it is an outcome that needs to be broken down into short-term goals over a long period of time in order to achieve success.

Before we examine to motivational control strategies of setting and reaching goals, it is first important to analyze what constitutes a ‘good’ goal in learning. McCombs and Pope (1994) explain that a goal needs to have four attributes in order to have success:

• (1) Achievability (the learner must possess the ability to reach the goal).

• (2) Believability (the learner must believe they can reach the goal).

• (3) Conceivability (the goal must be clearly stated and measureable).

• (4) Desirability (the goal must be desired by the learner).

In this framework, there is a connection between commitments in learning and a learner’s abilities, beliefs, desires and their understanding of the goal.

In terms of achievability, goals must be of the nature that learners are able to reach them. A learner that expects to become literate in the Japanese language to an extent that they can engage with authentic texts within two semesters of study (a true case in The Self-regulation Study), may not be setting a realistic goal. Such a goal would require a learner to memorize upwards of 80 new kanji per week, as well as to stay on top of the vocabulary attached to them.