Investigating Motivation in Iranian Secondary School ESL Learners

Investigating Motivation in Iranian Secondary School ESL Learners

Taqipour, Sepide

Learning a second language is a multidimensional process in the sense that multiple factors impact upon the learning process and in various ways. In fact, there is a large body of literature investigating the effect of such factors on language acquisition. Previous research has indicated that the motivation and attitude of the learners significantly affect the success, or otherwise of, language learners in acquiring a second language. The present study was an attempt to investigate Iranian students’ motivation and attitude towards learning English. To this end, a sample of 123 students was randomly selected from two secondary schools. All the participants were in their second academic year. For the purposes of the study, a questionnaire composed of 18 items was developed. The results of an independent-samples t-test revealed that female students were more integratively motivated than their male counterparts. In addition, females had more positive attitudes toward learning English than males. Overall, the results indicated that the females had more potential to integrate into the culture of the second language, in this case English. In addition, they enjoy a higher level of positive attitude that is of utmost important in learning a second language.

Conference or Workshop Item
PeerReviewed

2012

991