Structur agus Fèin-riaghladh: Buaidhean agus Fèin-fhiosrachadh air Gàidhlig Ionnsachadh mar Inbhich

The social turn in L2 research (Block, 2003) has shown that learners are situated in a dynamic social learning environment, both in and beyond the classroom. In this paper, we draw on a mixed-method study, involving a survey of adults engaged in community classroom learning of Scots Gaelic, classroom observations, and, qualitative interviews with learners and teachers, to analyse motivation in Gaelic language learning. We identify constraints and opportunities for sustaining motivation as afforded by different social learning environments. Our findings suggest that the potential for this diverse group of community language learners to contribute to Gaelic language revitalisation through becoming active speakers is relatively less than policy makers might hope. The paper concludes with a discussion of the pedagogical and policy implications arising from the findings.