Perceived violence, the affective filter, and academic motivation: a qualitative case study of university students in Guayaquil, Ecuador

Abstract

This qualitative case study examines how undergraduate students in Guayaquil, Ecuador, describe the impact of perceived violence on their affective filter, and how they draw on sense of purpose and academic motivation to navigate their English-language learning process. Drawing on Krashen's Affective Filter Hypothesis, the study focuses on students in an agricultural sciences program who are required to reach B1 English proficiency for graduation through the university's Language Center (Centro de Idiomas). Data were collected from ten semi-structured individual interviews, one focus group interview, and non-participant classroom observation with third-semester students. Thematic analysis identified six recurring patterns: a split sense of safety between campus and commute, chronic emotional strain, behavioral adaptation to insecurity, direct intrusion of violence-related worry into academic concentration, family as the central driver of purpose, and education reframed as a pathway to a safer future. Findings suggest that perceived violence elevates students' affective filter during second-language learning, while a relationally grounded sense of purpose functions as a protective mechanism that sustains academic motivation. The study contributes to a largely unexamined intersection of violence, purpose, and motivation within Ecuadorian higher education, with implications for psychosocial support integrated into language instruction.