Praxis 5362 Practice Question
Paula arrived in the United States at the age of 15 with very little knowledge of English. She speaks only Portuguese at home and lives in a predominantly Brazilian community. Since her arrival， Paula has struggled to learn English. Now at 19， Paula is a senior in high school and is taking extra English writing courses at a local community college. She knows that having strong English skills will lead to a higher paying job， which in turn will better enable her to help support her family. Which of the following describes Paula's reason for taking the writing courses?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Paula's motivation for taking writing courses stems from her desire to improve her English skills to secure a better job and support her family. This aligns with instrumental motivation, where an individual learns a language to achieve specific practical goals.
Fossilization (A) refers to the stagnation of language learning at a certain level, which is not applicable here, as Paula is actively seeking to improve. Automatization (B) involves the unconscious use of language skills, which does not capture her conscious effort to learn. Positive transfer (C) relates to applying knowledge from one language to another, but Paula's primary goal is job-oriented, not about leveraging her Portuguese skills.
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