Motivation 1

VICTORIA UNIVERSITY
& HANOI UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN STUDIES

FACULTY OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

GRADUATE PROGRAM IN TESOL

 Course: MTESOL7

 Subject Code and Title: AER 0001

INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

 Assignment topic:

D. P. HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION AND

THEIR ACHIEVEMENT IN ENGLISH LEARNING

 Student’s name:

 VU Student number:

 Lecturer:

 Due Date of Assignment: September 22, 2008

 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.

 Motivation 3

Introduction

The English teaching and learning at the researcher’s 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
 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

 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
 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
 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
 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 Gardner’s 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 cause of 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

researcher’s colleague used to tell the researcher about his son’s 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
 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 between intrinsic 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, Clėment ,

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
 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 learner’s 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:

 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

Gardner’s (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

 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 Gardner’s (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
 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.
 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 % Disagree %

agree
for my future career 48 68.5 21 30.0 01 1.43
7 0
a more knowledgeable person. 36 51.4 30 42.8 04 5.71
3 6
be useful in getting a good job. 56 80.0 12 17.1 02 2.86
0 4
Be more respected 25 35.7 35 50.0 10 14.29
1 0
understand films, music, 41 58.5 26 37.1 03 4.29
newspapers, magazines, or 7 4
books in English.
to search for the information 38 54.2 25 35.7 07 10.00
and materials in English I need 9 1
on the internet.
Examination 51 72.8 15 21.4 04 5.71
6 3

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
 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 Agree % Partly % Disagree %

English agree

Studying English is an enjoyable 23 32.8 34 48.5 13 18.57

experience. 6 7

I really enjoy learning English. 14 20.0 35 50.0 21 30.00

0 0

I plan to learn as much English as 25 35.7 33 47.1 12 17.15

possible. 1 4

I would rather spend my time on 23 32.8 32 45.7 15 21.43

learning other subjects than 6 1
English.

When I leave school, I shall stop 09 12.8 18 25.7 43 61.43

learning English entirely because I 6 1
am not interested in it.
I find it a waste of time to learn 03 4.2 11 15.7 56 80.00
 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

 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 Respondents

would

never speak it. 06 ( 8.57%)

speak English most of the time, using Vietnamese only if really 13 (18.57%)
necessary.
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, I Respondents
would
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 Respondents

read English magazines and newspapers
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
 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 Respondents
hardly 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 Respondents

learning in the English class, I
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%)

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%)
 Motivation 19

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 20 (28.57%)
very little work.
really try to learn English. 33 (47.14%)

If my teacher wanted someone to do an extra English Respondents

assignment, I would
definitely not volunteer. 05 ( 7.14%)
definitely volunteer. 11 (15.71%)
only do it if the teacher asked me directly. 54 (77.15%)

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%)

When I am in English class, I Respondents

volunteer 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
 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 ( open–ended 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?
 Motivation 21

Achievement Respondents Reasons Number

( Average scores) of ideas
Good 01 (1.43%) Highly interested in the subject 01
Positive attitudes toward the subject 01
(8.0 – 10.0) Special effort 01
Quite good 10 (14.29%) Much effort 09
interested in the subject 04
(6.5 – 7.9) Positive attitudes toward the subject 09
Average 22 (31.43%) Effort 14
Methodologies 01
(5.0 – 6.4) Positive attitudes toward the subject 14
interested in the subject 06
Below average 37 (52.85%) Lack of effort 24
Lack of required language 10
(3.5 – 4.9) proficiency
Unimportant subject 16
Heavy and boring syllabus 03
uninterested in the subject 16

The data from the above table suggest that the students’ positive attitudes toward the

subject, efforts (Motivational intensity) and their interest in English (Desire to learn

English) play a dominant role in their achievement in English learning. The more positive

attitudes, Motivational intensity and Desire to learn English they have, the better their

achievement is . This finding shows that there is a correlation between students’

motivation and their achievement.

 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
 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 one’s 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
 Motivation 24

Gardner’s 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)
 Motivation 25

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