An Exploration of Students’ Motivation in Learning English

Abstract

Motivation has been recognized for some time as one of the fundamental elements that influence English language learning. The English language is considered a world language and has therefore become a necessity for many people, whether for education, employment, or the like. The ability to speak English fluently is now considered a necessary skill, especially for the younger generation, and therefore various studies have been conducted to investigate the nature of motivation. This study analyzed the sort and level of English language learning motivation (extrinsic or intrinsic) of 100 randomly chosen participants from 16 to 35+ years old in the Sarajevo Canton. A quantitative motivational survey of 15 questions based on Gardner's Attitude/Motivation Test was adapted. The data were analyzed by frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, and standard deviation. The main results show that participants tend to be highly but extrinsically motivated to learn English. This indicates that extrinsic motivation is an important component in this group of English learners. Based on the current study findings, a few relevant and beneficial learning suggestions are proposed for the improvement and growth of the learners' motivation.