Avoidance of complex grammar by senior high school L2 english students : motivations and cognition

Abstract

This study investigates the motivations and thought processes behind grammar avoidance in senior high school second language (L2) English learners during grammar learning. Twelve suburban public school intermediate proficiency L2 English learners were selected. Data was collected through qualitative semi-structured interviews and thematically analyzed. Using Bourdieu's sociological theory, the following themes emerged from the data analysis: (i) Strategic Simplification: Navigating Linguistic Capital and Habitus for Effective Communication, (ii) Strategic Avoidance: Navigating Complex Sociolinguistic Forces to Optimize Communication, (iii) Managing Perceived Communication Risk, and (iv) Strategic Avoidance as Temporary Adaptation: Ambivalent Linguistic Simplification. Cognitively, limited working memory hindered processing and producing complex syntax, while avoidance helped manage high cognitive load. Insufficient explicit grammatical knowledge also prevented consolidating new structures. Avoidance allowed time to acquire the declarative knowledge needed. The findings suggest grammar avoidance balances complexity and accuracy, motivated by affective and cognitive constraints. Implications include building confidence, knowledge, and skills to enable early practice with complex constructions rather than prolonged avoidance. The study recommends that further research is required to determine optimal thresholds for avoidance and levels of optimal challenge for introducing complex grammar.