HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION AND THEIR ACHIEVEMENT IN ENGLISH LEARNING
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Transcript of HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION AND THEIR ACHIEVEMENT IN ENGLISH LEARNING
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Motivation 2
Abstract
This research was designed to find out about D.P. High School students motivation in
terms of three elements: (1) Attitudes toward learning English; (2) Desire to learn
English; (3) Motivational intensity. At the same time it was also intended to look at their
instrumental motivation , and to see if there was any relationship between their
motivation and their achievement in English learning. The results of a survey of 70 grade
12 students indicate that they are highly instrumentally motivated and motivationally
intense, but their attitudes toward learning English are not distinct and their desire to
learn English is not very strong. In other words, they have good reasons to learn English,
but they lack motivation for learning it. The results also reveal that there is a correlation
between the students motivation and their achievement in English learning. Based on the
research findings some pedagogical implications are discussed.
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Motivation 3
Introduction
The English teaching and learning at the researchers school, D.P. High School,
is not very good in terms of the students achievement. At the end of the school year 2007
2008 only about 50% of the students got an average of 5, and only 47.41% of grade -12
students got an average of 5 in the English test in the 2008 State Graduation
Examination. These figures displease the principal and disappoint us, the teachers of
English at the school.
This poor achievement has lasted for years, and we, the teachers, have done a lot
about it but the situation has not improved. We have given the students extra lessons so
that they have more time to practice their English. We have helped them with the revision
before every test. We have even prepared hand-outs of the points on which we are going
to test them and told them what to learn to do the tests well. In spite of what we have
done for them, to our disappointment, they have not improved their achievement.
More things must be done to change the situation for the better. To this end , we,
the teachers of English at the school, have met with each other and discussed what must
be done to solve the problem. During the discussion the word motivation has been
mentioned by 80% of the teachers present and they have come to a conclusion that it may
be the students lack of motivation that leads to their poor achievement in English
learning.
Is it true that the students lack of motivation leads to their poor achievement in
English learning? It is not easy to answer this question because language learning is a
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Motivation 4
complex process. Idapper (2006) explains that in this process language learners are
exposed to input, which is constrained by such variables as individual differences and
situational factors. Under the influence of individual differences and situational factors,
learners use their own learning strategies to turn as much input as possible into a variable
second language (L2) output in the form of writing or speaking.
However, there is the fact that different learners, in spite of being influenced by
the same situational factors, produce very different outputs. In fact, it has been observed
that even in the same classroom setting, some learners make rapid progress through the
first stage of learning a new language, while others have to work very hard making very
slow progress. Is this to say that individual differences play an important role in language
learning? And if so, which factors are important? Is it motivation?
To find out which factors are important in language learning, it is necessary to
have a close look at social factors as well as a number of psychological dimensions
of difference. These dimensions are many and various. Such affective factors as
learners' personalities and their learning styles can have an effect on their language
learning. For example, their learning styles may influence their beliefs in the learning
task and the kind of input with which they choose to work. Their personalities can
influence the degree of their anxiety and their willingness to take risks in learning
and using an L2 (Ellis,1998). Attitudes and motivation, self-confidence, field
independence, intelligence, language aptitude, and language learning strategies have also
been found to have an effect on language learners success in their language learning
(Gardner, 2001).
In spite of a variety of variables that have influence on individual difference
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Motivation 5
characteristics of the language learner, Gardner (2001) states that motivation is a central
element along with language aptitude in determining success in learning another
language in the classroom setting(p.2) because he believes that many of these other
variables are dependent on motivation for their effects to be realized (p.2). He argues
that the individual who does not have motivation to learn a language probably will not
use language learning strategies, and that the individual who has little or no intention to
learn a language will not take risks using it. Thus, the focus of this present study is on
D.P. High School (DPHS) students motivation in learning English as a foreign language
as well as the relationship between their motivation toward English learning and their
achievement. Furthermore, the findings of study may promise some improvements and
changes regarding English teaching and learning at the school.
Research Questions
The study seeks answer to the following questions:
(1) What is D.P. High School students motivation toward English learning?
(2) Is there any relationship between the students motivation and their achievement in
English learning?
Literature Review
The Status of The English Language in Vietnam
The English language may be the most important foreign language in Vietnam.
As a result English learning plays an important role in learning activities throughout
Vietnam. Foreign languages centres where English is mainly taught can be found all over
the country, especially in such major cities as Hanoi, Danang, HCM city, or Cantho. The
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Motivation 6
English learning has become important since 1995 when the United States lifted an
embargo on economy from Vietnam, and it has even become more important since
Vietnam became a member of the World Trade organization in 2006. Its importance can
easily be seen through different levels . Most job applicants are required certain levels of
English if they want a good job with a good salary. Civil servants or government workers
are encouraged to learn English to meet the requirement of promotion. University
students need a certificate of intermediate level in English to meet the requirement of
graduation. Students have to study English when they are in grade six, and English is one
of the compulsory subjects on which grade-12 students are tested in their State
Graduation Examination. However, most of the students cannot use their English
communicatively after studying it for seven years in their schools and also passing some
credits in universities. The reasons for this problem are many and various but the focus of
this study is on the reasons related to motivation. The insights into this subject can help
DPHS teachers find new ways to improve the quality of teaching and learning English at
D.P. High School .
Motivation and second language learning
Motivation involves the attitudes and affective states that influence the
degree of effort that learners make to learn an L2( Ellis,1998,p.75). The research
findings of the role of attitudes and motivation in second language learning show that
there is a relationship between learners success and their positive attitudes and
motivation (Gardner, 1985). Various kinds of motivation have been identified.
Robert Gardner and Wallace Lambert (1972) created the terms integrative motivation
and instrumental motivation. Research has shown that these types of motivation are
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Motivation 7
related to success in second language learning.
Integrative motivation refers to a sincere and personal interest in the people and culture
represented by the other language group (Lambert, 1974, p.98).
Some learners may choose to learn a particular L2 because they are interested in the
people and culture represented by the target-language group. For example, people who go
abroad to work or live usually learn the target language, the language of the country they are
going to. Some young people learn English to understand the English songs they like; others
learn English to read books or magazines in English so that they can broaden their
knowledge of American or British cultures.
Instrumental motivation refers to the practical value and advantages of learning a new
language (Lambert, 1974, p.98).
Learners may make efforts to learn an L2 for some functional reasons - to pass an
examination, to get a better job, or to get a place at university. For example, in Vietnam
some people learn English to get better jobs with high salaries in foreign companies.
Some students or teachers learn English to get scholarships for their higher study
abroad.
Gardner (1985) developed the Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) to measure
L2 learners motivation. He and his colleagues found that integrative motivation was a more
powerful predictor of linguistic achievement as it was consistently correlated with L2
linguistic achievement. Instrumental integration was found to be related to L2 linguistic
achievement in some studies.
With the development of the AMTB many more research studies on L2 motivation
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Motivation 8
have been driven. The studies reveal that students learning goals are also directed to
different motivation types, whose definition varies according to the socio-cultural setting in
which the data are collected (Oxford & Shearin, 1994). As a result, new types of motivation
have been identified. In an attempt to challenge Gardners theory of motivation Graham
Crookes and Richard Schmidt (1991) identified resultative motivation, and intrinsic
motivation.
Resultative motivation
An assumption of the research referred to above is that motivation is not only
the causeof L2 achievement but also the result of learning. That is, that learners may
become more or less motivated to learn depends on their success or failure in learning. The
researchers colleague used to tell the researcher about his sons English learning. At first,
when he was in grades six and seven he did not study English well, so he did not like
studying it and found English learning boring. Later, when he was in grade 8, a good female
teacher of English helped him make progress in his study, and he found English learning
useful and interesting. Finally, when he finished lower secondary school, he had such good
knowledge of English that he passed the exam into Le Hong Phong High School, a school
for the gifted in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Intrinsic motivation
In some learning situations, learners may have good reasons for learning an L2
or a foreign language, but they are not very highly motivated to learn it . This may be
because their attitudes towards the target-language group are not distinct, positive or
negative. The researcher has many times seen this kind of motivation in his English
evening class at the Foreign Languages Center of Ho Chi Minh City University of
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Motivation 9
Pedagogy, where learners of different ages and jobs have to pay to study English for
different reasons. In speaking activities, when we talk about such topics as the best
companies to work for or Vitamins and health, young learners look dead and do
not pay attention, and sometimes ask for permission to leave early. However, when
we talk about fashion, films, or music they become alive and take part in the activities
actively.
Another distinction which may be useful for teachers is that betweenintrinsic and
extrinsic motivations.
Extrinsic motivation, like instrumental orientation, is caused by any number of outside
factors. Thus, the individual desires to learn a second/foreign language because of some
pressure or reward from the social environment . For example the need to pass an exam, the
hope of getting promotion or financial reward (Harmer , 2002).
Intrinsic motivation, like integrative motivation, is derived from within the individual.
Therefore, a person learns a second/foreign language because the learner enjoys the learning
process itself or desires to make himself feel better (Harmer , 2002).
When a learner is not extrinsically or intrinsically motivated to learn a language, the
learner may quit learning the target language at the earliest convenience (Noels, Clment ,
and Pelletier, 2001). Most researchers and methodologists have come to view that intrinsic
motivation plays a central role in learning a second/foreign language and is especially
important for encouraging success (Harmer, 2002).
However, empirical studies on second language learning motivation has suggested
that The level and type of motivation is strongly influenced by the social context in which
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Motivation 10
learning takes place ( Ellis,1985, p.119). He argues that in certain situations an
integrative motivation may be more powerful in facilitating successful L2 learning,
but in other situations instrumental motivations may count far more. To make it
clearer he gives an example of the case where Gardner and Lambert (1972) found the
relationship between an integrative orientation and the success in French learning in
schools in both Canada and USA, but in the Philippines an instrumental motivation
was more effective. Gardner and Lambert (1972) based their explanation for this on
the role the L2 plays in the learners community . They put it that an integrative
motivation is more effective in the community where the L2 is used as a foreign
language, and that in the community where the L2 is used as means of wider
communication outside the classroom, the role of a second language, an
instrumental motivation is more important. In an investigation into a learning
situation of non-westernized female learners of L2 English in Bombay, which was very
similar to that in the Philippines described by Lambert and Gardner, Lukmani (1972)
also found that an instrumental motivation was a more major force determining success in
L2 learning than an integrative motivation in this learning context. Thus, to determine
which type of motivation is more important for the language learner to be successful in
language learning is to depend on the specific social situation where learning takes
place.
In conclusion, Motivation and attitudes in language learning are important
factors to help determine the level of proficiency achieved by different learners (Ellis,
1995, p.118). Motivation which can be identified as integrative ,instrumental, resultative,
or intrinsic is clearly a highly complex phenomenon. Ellis (1998 ) states that:
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Motivation 11
These four types of motivation should be seen as complimentary rather than as
distinct and oppositional. Learners can be both integratively and instrumentally
motivated at one and the same time. Motivation can produce successful learning then
successful learning in turn enhances motivation (p.76 ).
The social situation helps to determine the types of motivation learners have as well as the
one that is most effective for language learning. Furthermore, motivation is dynamic in
nature; it is not something that a learner has or does not have but rather something that
varies from one moment to the next depending on the learning context or task ( Ellis, 1998,
p. 76). Therefore, the concern of this study is to investigate DPHS students integrative and
instrumental motivations to see if the integrative one, in spite of the students possibility of
high instrumental motivation, is a more major force determining success in English learn-
ing in Vietnam, a country where English is used as a foreign language.
To know more about integrative motivation, it is necessary to have a close look at
Gardners (2001) Socio-Educational Model of Second Language Acquisition. In this model ,
integrative motivation, which is made up of Integrativeness, Attitudes toward the Learning
Situation, and Motivation, is hypothesized to be a complex of attitudinal, goal-directed, and
motivational attributes (Gardner ,2001, p. 9), and he stresses that it is motivation that is
responsible for achievement in the second language(p.9). This model also shows that
motivation consists of three elements: (1) Motivational Intensity; (2) Desire to Learn
English; (3) Attitudes toward Learning English, and that all the elements are necessary to
distinguish between individuals who are more motivated and those who are less motivated
(Gardner ,2001, p.8).
Based on this literature research DPHS students Motivational Intensity, Desire to
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Motivation 12
Learn English and Attitudes toward Learning English as well as instrumental motivation
which the researcher and his colleagues in Vietnam usually refer to as reasons for learning
English are investigated in this study to find out about their motivation and to see if there is
any relationship between their motivation and their achievement in English learning.
Methodology
1. Subjects
The subjects involved in this research were 70 students randomly selected from
three classes 12A4, 12A5,and 12A8 at D.P. High School, Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi
Minh City, Vietnam. These students , who were just back to school after five weeks
summer holiday, are grade 12 students in the school year 2008 - 2009.
Among 70 subjects 60 students( 85.71%) were 17 years old and 10 students
( 14.29%) were 18 years of age. Forty-five of them (64.29%) were female students and
25 (35.71%) were male.
2. Materials / Instruments
The instrument used in the study was made up of a motivation survey, and two
open-ended questions.
The motivation survey used in this study was designed in two parts with
exploratory questions adapted from Gardners (1985: 177 - 184) Motivation/Attitude Test
Battery. The first part aimed to get the information about DPHS students reasons for
learning English (instrumental motivation) , and the second one about their motivation to
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Motivation 13
English learning, which focused on the three elements: (1) Attitudes toward English
learning; (2) Desire to learn English; (3) Motivational intensity
At the end of the survey, so as to find out if there is a relationship between the
students motivation and their achievement in English learning, two open-ended
questions were added: (1)Why do you think the students at DPHS cannot get a good
achievement in English learning?; (2) What was your achievement in English learning at
the end of grade 11? What led you to have this achievement?
3. Procedures
The survey items were translated into Vietnamese to make sure that the subjects
could understand them well. The survey was first piloted to a small sample and then
administered to 70 grade - 12 students in 3 classes by their content course teachers on the
same day. The survey was conducted on July 8th 2008, the date when the students
returned to school for a summer course after five weeks summer holiday . The students
were asked to finish the survey within 15 minutes before teaching and learning began. All
the questionnaires were collected by the teachers and given to the researcher, and 70 were
complete for data collection. Before the survey was conducted the students were given
assurance that the information provided in the questionnaire would be kept confidential
and used for research purposes only so that they would be honest in filling out the
questionnaire.
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Motivation 14
Data Analysis
The results analyzed and interpreted below were collected from the data in the
motivation survey, and the two open-ended questions.
Findings And Interpretation
I. Instrumental motivation(adapted from Gardner, 1985: Attitude/Motivation Test
Battery):
Reasons for learning English Agree % Partly
agree
% Disagree %
for my future career 48 68.5
7
21 30.0
0
01 1.43
a more knowledgeable person. 36 51.43
30 42.86
04 5.71
be useful in getting a good job. 56 80.0
0
12 17.1
4
02 2.86
Be more respected 25 35.7
1
35 50.0
0
10 14.29
understand films, music,
newspapers, magazines, orbooks in English.
41 58.5
7
26 37.1
4
03 4.29
to search for the information
and materials in English I need
on the internet.
38 54.2
9
25 35.7
1
07 10.00
Examination 51 72.8
6
15 21.4
3
04 5.71
As can be seen from the above table , the students instrumental motivation is strong.
They have very good reasons for learning English. They believe that English can bring
them a better life with 68.57% thinking English is good for their future career and 80%
agreeing that English can help them find a good job. They also think that English can
help enrich their minds with knowledge. 51.43% agree that English helps them become a
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Motivation 15
more knowledgeable person. With a wide knowledge of English, they can understand
films, music, newspapers, magazines, or books in English (58.57%) and they can search
for the information and materials in English they need on the internet(54.29%).72.86%
think that learning English is important because of an examination reason, which is not
surprising because English is one of the compulsory subjects they are tested on in the
State Graduation Examination. 35.71% agree and 50% partly agree that they will be more
respected if they have a good knowledge of English. This finding shows that they may
think English is important, but difficult to master.
II. Motivation
A. Attitudes toward learning English (adapted from Gardner, 1985: Attitude /Motivation Test Battery):
Attitudes toward learning
English
Agree % Partly
agree
% Disagree %
Studying English is an enjoyable
experience.
23 32.8
6
34 48.5
7
13 18.57
I really enjoy learning English. 14 20.0
0
35 50.0
0
21 30.00
I plan to learn as much English as
possible.
25 35.7
1
33 47.1
4
12 17.15
I would rather spend my time on
learning other subjects than
English.
23 32.8
6
32 45.7
1
15 21.43
When I leave school, I shall stop
learning English entirely because I
am not interested in it.
09 12.8
6
18 25.7
1
43 61.43
I find it a waste of time to learn03 4.2 11 15.7 56 80.00
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Motivation 16
English.9 1
The data from the above table show that the students Attitudes toward learning English
are not distinct, neither negative nor positive. Although 61.43% do not agree that they
will stop learning English entirely when they leave school because they are not interested
in it, and 80% do not find it a waste of time to learn English, only 35.71% agree and
47.14% partly agree that they plan to learn as much English as possible. This is because
only 32.86% agree and 48.57% partly agree that studying English is an enjoyable
experience, and only 20% agree and 50% partly agree that they really enjoy learning
English. These findings suggest that the students may think English is important and want
to learn as much English as possible for their future career, but it may be the teachers
methodologies or the heavy syllabus that make them find English learning boring and so
they do not really enjoy learning it. The data also show that 32.86% agree and 45.71%
partly agree that they would rather spend their time on learning other subjects than
English, which is not surprising because the students may not need English in their
examinations into university. They think they can study English later at some foreign
language centers when they are university students . That is why the researcher has seen
many university students in his English evening class at the Foreign Languages Center of
HCM University of Pedagogy during his 17 years teaching there.
B. Desire to learn the second foreign language (adapted from Gardner, 1985: Attitude /Motivation Test Battery):
1.
During English class, I would like Respondents
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Motivation 17
to have a combination of Vietnamese and English spoken. 65 (92.86%)
to have as much English as possible spoken. 04 ( 5.71%)
to have only English spoken. 01 ( 1.43%)
2.
If I had the opportunity to speak English outside of school, I
would
Respondents
never speak it. 06 ( 8.57%)
speak English most of the time, using Vietnamese only if really
necessary.
13 (18.57%)
speak it occasionally using Vietnamese whenever possible. 51 (72.86%)
3.Compared to my other courses, I like English Respondents
the most. 05 ( 7.14%)
the same as all the others. 50 (71.43%)
least of all. 15 (21.43%)
4.
I find studying English Respondents
not interesting at all. 02 ( 2.86%)
no more interesting than other subjects. 40 (57.14%)
very interesting. 28 (40.00%)
5.
If there were English speaking families in my neighborhood, Iwould
Respondents
never speak English with them. 10 (14.29%)
speak English with them as much as possible. 18 (25.71%)
speak English with them sometimes. 42 (60.00%)
6.
If I had the opportunity and knew enough English, I would
read English magazines and newspapers
Respondents
as often as I could. 49 (70.00%)
never. 06 ( 8.57%)
not very often. 15 (21.43%)
92.86% would like to have a combination of Vietnamese and English spoken during
English class. 72.86% would speak it occasionally using Vietnamese whenever possible
if they had the opportunity to speak English outside of school. 71.43% like English the
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Motivation 18
same as the other subjects. 57.14% find studying English no more interesting than other
subjects.If there were English speaking families in their neighborhood, 60% would speak
English with them sometimes. 70% would read English magazines and newspapers as
often as they could if they had the opportunity and knew enough English. The data
suggest that they do not really enjoy speaking English or listening to it, which they rarely
do or are afraid of doing in class. They are not willing to speak English outside
classroom. They do not really enjoy the learning process. They have to learn English
because it is included in the school subjects. However, they enjoy reading in the English
language, which they are studying. This may be because they usually do it in class. These
findings show that they do not have much Desire to learn English .
C. Motivational Intensity (adapted from Gardner, 1985: Attitude/Motivation Test
Battery):
1
I actively think about what I have learned in my English class Respondentshardly ever. 19 (27.14%)
once in a while. 41 (58.57%)
very frequently. 10 (14.29%)
2
When I have a problem understanding something we are
learning in the English class, I
Respondents
immediately ask the teacher for help. 54 (77.14%)
only seek help before the exam. 13 (18.57%)
just forget about it. 03 ( 4.29%)
3
When it comes to English homework, I Respondents
put some effort into it, but not as much as I could. 16 (22.86%)
work very carefully, making sure I understand everything. 35 (50.00%)
skim over it. 19 (27.14%)
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Motivation 19
4
Considering how I study English, I can honestly say that I Respondents
do just enough work to get along. 17 (24.29%)will pass on the basis of sheer luck or intelligence because I do
very little work.
20 (28.57%)
really try to learn English. 33 (47.14%)
5
If my teacher wanted someone to do an extra English
assignment, I would
Respondents
definitely not volunteer. 05 ( 7.14%)
definitely volunteer. 11 (15.71%)
only do it if the teacher asked me directly. 54 (77.15%)
6
After I get my English assignment back, I Respondents
always write them, correcting my mistakes. 42 (60.00%)
just throw them in my desk and forget them. 13 (18.57%)
I look them over, but don't bother correcting mistakes. 15 (21.43%)
7
When I am in English class, I Respondentsvolunteer answers as much as possible. 20 (28.57%)
answer only the easier questions. 22 (31.43%)
never say anything. 28 (40.00%)
The data show that they take their English learning seriously with 77.15% immediately
asking the teacher for help when they have a problem understanding something they are
learning in the English class and 50% working very carefully, making sure they
understand everything when it comes to English homework. They make efforts to learn
English with 47.14% stating that they really try to learn English and 24.29% doing just
enough work to get along . 60% always write their English assignment, correcting their
mistakes after they get them back. They also want to take part in the English learning
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Motivation 20
activities when stating that they volunteer answers as much as possible (28.57%) and
answer only the easier questions (31.34%). However,if their teacher wanted someone to
do an extra English assignment, 77.15% would only do it if the teacher asked them
directly. This may be because of their reticence , which can be seen in Asian students in
general, and Vietnamese students in particular . To sum up, they have Motivational
intensity to learn English.
III. Motivation ( openended questions)
1. Why do you think the students at DPHS cannot get a good achievement in
English learning?
Reasons Number of ideas
Lack of effort 34
Lack of required language proficiency 19
Not an important subject 17
Difficult to learn 12
Methodologies 10
Heavy syllabus 09
No activities related to using English 07
As can be seen from the above table, the reasons why the students at DPHS cannot get a
good achievement in English learning are many and various. However, the dominant
reasons are their lack of effort, lack of required language proficiency, and negative
attitudes toward English. This to say that they lack motivation to English learning.
2. What was your achievement in English learning at the end of grade 11? What
led you to have this achievement?
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Motivation 22
Conclusion
This research was conducted to investigate DPHS students instrumental motivation
and their motivation toward English learning in terms of the three elements: (1) Attitudes
toward learning English; (2) Desire to learn English; (3) Motivational intensity. It was
also intended to see if there was a correlation between their motivation and their
achievement in English learning. The interpretation of the data collected reveals that their
instrumental motivation is high. They are aware of the importance of English learning.
They think that English is good for their future career. It can be useful to them in finding a
good job. With a wide knowledge of English they can be more knowledgeable. They can
understand mass media in English and search for information and materials on the
internet. Surprisingly, the data from the research into their motivation show that although
they have Motivational intensity, their Attitudes toward learning English are not very
positive and their Desire to learn English is not strong. In other words, the students are not
motivated because the truly motivated individual displays effort, desire, and affect and
each element, by itself, is seen as insufficient to reflect motivation (Gardner, 2001, p9).
The data collected from the first open-ended question also give the same result. More
importantly, the interpretation of the data collected from the second open-ended question
reveals that the good and quite good students are highly motivated, whereas the below
average ones lack motivation. This suggests a correlation between their motivation and
their achievement in English learning.
These research findings are important and useful to us , the teachers at D.P. High
school. Motivation which is responsible for achievement in the second language should
be much considered in the process of teaching and learning English. Therefore, if the
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Motivation 23
teachers want to improve their students achievement they have to make special efforts to
motivate the students. To this end, they should not just stick to the textbooks, try to stuff
the students minds with dead knowledge, or make the students focus on the lessons in
class and do a lot of homework. These things do not help create an English learning
environment where the students can actually use English because unlike other school
subjects learning a second language involves making part of another culture group part
of ones self ( Gardner, 2001, p17). More importantly, the teachers had better improve
their methodologies by paying more attention to the three elements of motivation, effort
expended, desire to learn, and favourable attitudes toward learning the language, so that
they can create a true English learning environment where the students can use the
language they are learning inside and outside the classroom. However, the big question is
what exactly can the teachers do to motivate the students?. To have a full answer to the
question, more research should be done on this field.
The results of this research are , of course, tentative and the research needs to be
reproduced with better plans and preparations because of some limitations that have been
found.
Firstly, this research was conducted with a small sample of students with the same
level of English proficiency and almost the same age. The results might have been
somewhat different if it had been conducted with a larger sample of students with
different levels of English proficiency and ages.
Secondly, there might have been something wrong with the instrumental questions,
which led to the inconsistent results of the research in terms of the students Motivational
intensity, or effort extended. The data collected from the questions adapted from
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Motivation 24
Gardners Motivation / Attitude Test Battery show that DPHS students have made their
effort to learn English, whereas those of the second open-ended question suggest their
lack of Motivational intensity.
Lastly, the research was not intended to investigate the students Integrativeness and
Attitudes toward the learning situation, two elements together with motivation that form
integrative motivation. If this had been done , there would have been more insights into
the students motivation and more explanation for the correlation between their
motivation and their achievement in English learning.
However, The research suggests the value of motivation as a significant factor
influencing achievement in English learning, which is useful to the teachers in improving
their English teaching at the school.
(5,642 words)
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Motivation 25
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