motivation as a contributing factor in second language learning

MOTIVATION AS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE

LEARNING: A COMPARISON BETWEEN DIFFERENT ENGLISH

PROFICIENCY UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA

UNDERGRADUATES

YONG SOOK MUN

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA

MOTIVATION AS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE

LEARNING: A COMPARISON BETWEEN DIFFERENT ENGLISH

PROFICIENCY UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA UNDERGRADUATES

YONG SOOK MUN

This thesis is submitted as a partial fulfillment for the award of

the degree of Bachelor of Science and Education (TESL)

Faculty of Education

University Technology of Malaysia

MARCH 2004

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Firstly, all praises, glory and thanks to God for His amazing grace, undying love

and comforting strength that had faithfully led me through the whole process of

completing this project.

Secondly, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to my

supervisor, Puan Azian for her guidance, encouragement and support throughout the

whole research of this project.

Next, I would like to thank the TESL lecturers who helped me in my

questionnaires distribution and the staff of Perpustakaan Sultanah Zanariah for their help

in getting the information for this project.

Finally, I would like to thank my family members for their ceaseless love,

encouragement and support. My heartfelt thanks and gratitude to my brothers and sisters

in Christ too for their unending prayers, encouragement and help when the going was

tough and not forgetting my three closest course mates, for their prayers, support and

encouragement throughout the whole duration of this research.

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ABSTRACT

In second language learning, it is believed that motivation plays a contributing factor and there is a relationship between the motivational intensity of learners and their language proficiency. It is claimed that the English proficiency of Malaysian students is poor despite the importance of English and it being the second language in our country. There are many contributing factors, one of which is motivation. In view of this, this research seeks to find out whether motivation plays a role in English language learning. In particular, it intends to investigate the relationship between the learners’ English language proficiency levels and their motivational intensity and the motivational orientation (i.e. integrative or instrumental motivation) in learners. In carrying out this research, undergraduates from UTM were used as sample. A survey in the form of a bilingual questionnaire was used as the research tool to elicit data. The findings revealed that generally the learners’ motivation of learning English is average. As for the aspect of motivational orientation, there is no major distinctive difference among the high, average and low English proficiency learners. Findings indicated that for all three proficiency levels, learners were driven by instrumental motivation to learn the language. However, there is evidence suggesting that the more proficient the learners are in English, the higher their motivational intensity towards the language.

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ABSTRAK

Dalam mempelajari bahasa kedua, adalah dipercayai bahawa motivasi memainkan peranan sebagai faktor penyumbang dan terdapat hubungan di antara tahap motivasi pelajar dengan tahap penguasaan bahasa mereka. Adalah didakwa bahawa tahap penguasaan bahasa Inggeris di kalangan pelajar Malaysia adalah lemah walaupun bahasa Inggeris adalah penting dan merupakan bahasa kedua di negara kita. Terdapat banyak faktor penuymbang kepada masalah ini, yang mana salah satu daripadanya adalah motivasi. Oleh sebab itu, kajian ini bertujuan untuk mencari sama ada motivasi memainkan peranan dalam mempelajari bahasa Inggeris. Secara lebih khusus lagi, ia berhasrat untuk menyelidik perhubungan di antara tahap penguasaan bahasa Inggeris pelajar dengan tahap motivasi dan juga orientasi motivasi (motivasi integrative atau instrumental) pelajar. Untuk menjalankan kajian ini, pra graduan UTM digunakan sebagai sampel. Kaji selidik dalam bentuk soal selidik dwibahasa digunakan sebagai alat kajian untuk mendapatkan data. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa secara amnya tahap motivasi pelajar untuk mempelajari bahasa Inggeris adalah sederhana. Untuk aspek orientasi motivasi pula, tidak terdapat perbezaan yang besar di antara pelajar-pelajar yang tahap penguasaan bahasa Inggeris mereka tinggi, sederhana ataupun rendah. Hasil kajian juga menunjukkan bahawa pelajar-pelajar daripada ketiga-tiga kategori tahap penguasaan itu adalah didorong oleh motivasi instrumental dalam mempelajari bahasa Inggeris. Walau bagaimanapun, ada bukti yang menunjukkan bahawa semakin tinggi tahap penguasaan bahasa Inggeris pelajar, semakin tinggi tahap motivasinya.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENTS PAGE

TITLE PAGE i

DECLARATION ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii

ABSTRACT iv

ABSTRAK v

TABLE OF CONTENTS vi

LIST OF TABLES ix

LIST OF FIGURES x

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xi

LIST OF APPENDIX xii

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction 1

1.1 Background of the Problem 2

1.2 Statement of Problem 7

1.3 Objectives of the Study 8

1.4 Research Questions 8

1.5 Importance of the Study 9

1.6 Scope of Study 9

1.7 Definition of Terms 9

1.7.1 Motivation 10

1.7.2 Integrative Motivation 10

1.7.3 Instrumental Motivation 11

1.7.4 Second Language Acquisition (SLA) 11

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CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE

2.1 Motivation 12

2.2 Integrative Motivation 13

2.3 Instrumental Motivation 17

2.4 Integrative Versus Instrumental Motivation 21

2.5 Conclusion 23

CHAPTER III: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

3.0 Introduction 24

3.1 Research Design 24

3.2 Sample 25

3.2.1. English Language Proficiency Level 25

3.3 Instrument of Measurement 26

3.3.1 Scoring Procedure 27

3.4 Administration of Data Collection 28

3.4.1 Distribution of Questionnaires 28

3.4.2 Collection of Questionnaires 29

3.5 Data Analysis 29

3.6 Conclusion 30

CHAPTER IV: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

4.0 Tabulations of Data 31

4.1 Section A 32

4.1.1 Sex, Age and Race of Respondents 32

4.1.2 Field of Study 33

4.1.3 SPM English Results 34

4.2 Section B 36

4.2.1 Integrative Motivation Items 36

4.2.1.1 Item 1 of Integrative Motivation 36




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4.2.2 Instrumental Motivation Items 51

4.2.2.1 Item 1 of Instrumental Motivation 51










4.3 Research Question 1: Integrative and Instrumental Motivation 66

4.4 Research Question 2: Overall Motivational Level 68

4.5 Conclusion 69

CHAPTER V: SUMMARY, LIMITATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Summary 70

5.2 Limitations of Study 71

5.3 Recommendations 72

5.3.1 Recommendations for Pedagogical Study 72

5.3.2 Recommendations for Further Research 75

References 77

Appendix A – Questionnaire for Respondents 83

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LIST OF TABLES

Table Title Page

Table 3.3 Distribution of Questionnaire Items 27

Table 4.1.1 Sex, Age and Race of Respondents 32

Table 4.1.2 Respondents’ Field of Study 33

Table 4.1.3 Respondents’ SPM English Results 34

Table 4.2.1.1 Frequency of Integrative Motivation for Question 1 37










Table 4.2.2.1 Frequency of Instrumental Motivation for Question 2 52










Table 4.3 Motivational Orientation of Respondents with Differing

Level of English Proficiency 67

Table 4.4 Frequency and Percentage of Motivational Intensity 69

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Title Page

Figure 4.2.1.1 Percentage of Integrative Motivation for Question 1 37

Figure 4.2.1.2 Percentage of Instrumental Motivation for Question 3 39








Figure 4.2.1.10Percentage of Instrumental Motivation for Question 19 50










Figure 4.2.2.10Percentage of Instrumental Motivation for Question 20 65

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

UTM – Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

SPM – Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia

Muet – Malaysian University English Test

SLA – Second Language Acquisition

EFL – English as a Foreign Language

ESL – English as a Second Language

ELT – English Language Teaching

ESP – English for Specific Purposes

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List of Appendix Page

A. Questionnaire 83

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction

Knowing and using a language has long captured the imagination of humans.

How a person learns and acquires a language has been a fascinating and interesting

subject that has attracted the attention of a lot of people. A lot of research has been

done to study how languages are learnt and what are the factors that contribute to

language acquisition and successful language learning. Language learning especially

in the field of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) has always been an interesting

topic of research and debate. A lot of language learning theories such as

Behaviourism, Innatism and Interactionist has been developed throughout these

periods.

Malaysia, a country, which is blessed with a wide variety of races, cultures

and language, provides a very good platform to study on how language other than the

native language are learnt. In order to study on how languages are learnt, it is worth

looking at motivation as it is one of the variables that are always closely linked to

language acquisition and learning. It has been widely regarded as one of the factors

that influence the proficiency of learners as well. So, in this research, it will look at

motivation as a contributing factor in language learning and its role according to the

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types of motivation (i.e. integrative and instrumental motivation) among different

English proficiency levels undergraduates.

1.1 Background of the Problem

The English language plays an important role in society. Even though it is

not the native language of the Malaysian society, it still assumes a very influential

and prominent role in the country. This is because despite having one or more

language to choose from in order to perform various functions related to personal,

utilitarian, academic or official needs, English is still used and very much needed in

performing functions for which the national language or native language are not

used. Therefore, English, being the official second language in Malaysia, is widely

used for official and formal purposes, especially in the areas of international

relationships, economics and education.

Since English is also the lingua franca in the international society, it is

indisputable that in order to thrive and succeed in this age of globalisation, the

mastery of the English language plays a prominent role. In a sense, it is an essential

prerequisite for our nation progress and survival. In the educational context, English

being a second language is attested by nomenclatures given to certificates, diplomas

and degrees in the acquisition and teaching of the language as well as in research

conducted on the language concerned (Asmah Haji Omar, 2000). Its importance as a

language of educational instruction as well as its position as an important language in

various professions have been highlighted and emphasized. This can be seen

particularly in the education field. With the implementation of using English as the

medium of instruction for the teaching and learning process of Science and

Mathematics in schools starting from the year 2003, Malaysia is experiencing a

paradigm shift language-wise. Leaders have seen the importance of catching up with

the latest information and knowledge through the global language, English. If

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Malaysia really wants to be a developed nation by the year 2020 and plays a more

active and influential role in the world stage, the mastery of English in order to get

access to the latest development is crucial and cannot be taken lightly. Since the

children and youths of today are the future nation bearers of tomorrow, it is indeed a

wise decision to let the English language regain back a more prominent role in the

education field. By doing so, the younger generation will be more equipped to

follow the latest knowledge and information that are being ‘traded’ all around the

world.

When the issue of mastering English is touched upon, issues such as SLA,

language learning as well as factors that can contribute to language learning and

acquisition such as motivation will spring into mind. Numerous researches have

been conducted concerning language learning and acquisition as well as factors that

contribute to learners’ success in learning or acquiring the target language (i.e.

English). One of the most well known researches on motivation is by Gardner

(1972). The work conducted by Gardner in the area of motivation was largely

influenced by Mowrer (1950) whose focus was on first language acquisition (Norris-

Holt, 2001). It touches on individual differences and is believed to be the most

influential in SLA. These include the variables of intelligence, language aptitude,

motivation and situational anxiety (Giles and Coupland, 1991). Linguistic and non-

linguistic outcomes of the learning experience are also identified. Linguistic

outcomes refer to actual language knowledge and language skills that includes test

indices such as course grades or general proficiency tests. Non-linguistic outcomes

reflect an individual’s attitudes concerning cultural values and beliefs, usually

towards the target language community. Ellis (1985) reasons that individuals who

are motivated to integrate both linguistic and non-linguistic outcomes of the learning

experience will attain a higher degree of second language proficiency and desirable

attitudes.

Besides that, there is also the perception that motivation is composed of three

elements. These include effort, desire and affect. Effort refers to the time spent

studying the language and the drive of the language. Desire indicates how much the

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learner wants to become proficient in the language and affect illustrates the learner’s

emotional reactions with regard to language study (Gardner, 1982). Looking at the

Malaysian scenario, the element of effort can be seen in the schooling system. Our

students have been learning English formally in primary and secondary schools for

the past 9-11 years. Whether consciously or unconsciously, they are fully aware of

the importance and the usefulness of the language, not only for educational purposes

but also in their future career prospects and daily life usage. Based on this, it can be

said that motivation should be high as the educational system provides the drive for

the students where a lot of time is being spent on learning the language. However, it

is these factors too that can have adverse effects on the students’ motivation,

especially for those who are weak or unsuccessful English learners because despite

the fact of learning the language for so many years, they still have difficulties with

the language.

With the importance and usefulness of the language being directly or

indirectly grounded into students whether through the schools or the society, students

should generally have a desire to be proficient in the language. However, as noted

by Anna Kwan-Terry (1975), when English is seen as a service course, students will

tend to consider them as secondary in importance to their content subjects such as

Mathematics, Science, etc. This is further compounded by the fact that our

educational system is very much examination oriented and all the content subjects

are taught in the national language. As Covington (1999) says, many students are

grade driven and this preoccupation begins surprisingly early in life. So, students

will generally strive to score high grades in their content subjects in order to gain

admission to universities. Thus, the English language course falls into

insignificance. With the recent changes of using English as the medium of

instruction for Mathematics and Science in schools, it is hoped that it can ignite back

the desire of students to learn and be proficient in the language.

Lastly, for the element of affect, through the trace of history which dated

back to the generation of the colonial days, it was believed that English medium

schools would improve the standard of living of the people (Asmah Haji Omar,

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2000). The English language was not seen as a colonial language that made the

people subservient to the British. Instead, knowledge and mastery of the language

was seen as a promise of good career prospects and advancements as well as

opportunities of higher education. Even in the height of nationalism, English is seen

as a second language (ESL) and it has never been considered as a foreign language.

In fact, placing the label of English as a foreign language (EFL) in the Malaysian

setting is considered as downgrading the Malaysians’ ability and proficiency in the

language during that time (Asmah Haji Omar, 2000). However, the extent of truth

and applicability of this in the current context leaves a question mark, especially in

the younger generation (e.g. students) as the standard of English competency and

proficiency seems to be falling as the years pass by. The question of the extent of

attachment, be it personal, emotional or utilitarian, the students have on the language

remains to be answered if the current condition is used as an indication.

Apart from that, Gardner and Lamberts (1972) seminal work on positive and

negative attitudes aiding or inhibiting second language acquisition identified two

types of motivation for learning a language, which is integrative and instrumental

motivation. Integrative motivation refers to the learners’ desires to be acculturated

and become an accepted member of the target language community. They want to

take on the customs, values, etc of the target language and to be able to do so,

learning the target language becomes an important means for them to integrate into

the community. On the aspect of language learning, integrative motivation can be

regarded as a catalyst to successful language learning. This is because when the

learners like the people of the target language, admire the culture and have the desire

to become familiar with or integrate into the society, it helps them to develop some

level of proficiency in the language. According to Finegan (1999), integrative

motivation typically underlies successful acquisition of a wide range of registers and

a native like pronunciation. So, in the Malaysian context, where English is in an

ESL setting, it is more appropriate to suggest that learners with the integrative

motivation to learn or acquire a language would be the learners’ desire to become

bilingual or multilingual while at the same time maintaining their native language. It

can be said that it is not difficult for learners to be driven by integrative motivation to

learn the language, as there is a rich and abundant variety of English materials that

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are easily accessible especially in the urban areas in Malaysia. There are also a lot of

opportunities and avenues for learners to be exposed to the language, be it in learning

institutions, working places or through the mass media. Thus, the potential for

learners to be “integrated” into the language is considerably high regardless of their

proficiency in the language as long as they have the integrative motivation to learn it.

On the other hand, instrumental motivation is the desire of the learners to

gain some advantages by learning the target language. It is also characterised as the

desire of learners to obtain something practical or concrete from the learning of the

language (Hudson, 2000). So, basically it can be said that the learners see the target

language as an instrument to get a reward or something beneficial to them. For

example, learners might be motivated to learn the language for utilitarian purposes

such as meeting the requirements for school or university examinations, job

application, career advancements in terms of pay and position, the ability to read and

understand technical, informational and academic materials, translation work or even

achieving higher social status. Here, instrumental motivation is also evident in our

society. One very clear-cut example is in the school setting. Since our education

system is very much examination-oriented, it is not surprising to see that there are

students who are motivated to learn the language and even strive to be successful in

their language learning for examination purposes. However, how long this

motivation can be sustained in students remains to be seen because once the goals in

their student life are achieved, they will lose the interest and the desire to continue to

learn and equip themselves in the language.

Thus, based on the discussion above, it can be concluded that motivational

factors do play a role in language learning. However, if the current English

proficiency level of our society is looked into, a wide gap exists in the society.

Generally, those who are proficient in the language are considered as successful

language learners and vice versa. This means that there are two distinct groups of

English language learners, which are the successful and the unsuccessful learners.

This is especially evident between the generation that was born post-independence or

received their formal education during that period and the current younger

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generation. It is undeniable also that this gap cuts across geographical factors as well

whereby those in the urban areas are seen as more successful in learning the

language compared to those in the rural areas. If English is seen in the way that its

status implies, the reason behind this gap in terms of proficiency as well as learning

and mastering the language is indeed confounding. Since studies have shown that

learners’ motivation towards the second language do contribute towards language

learning, it is worth looking into whether this attribute contributes to the success of

language learning in our society which will definitely be refle cted in the language

proficiency of a particular person.

1.2 Statement of Problem

Generally, Malaysian students learn ESL which is provided in the school

curriculum. For the students, especially those in the rural areas, their only usage and

contact with the language is only during English lessons in schools. Most of the time

too they are learning the language and doing activities that are not real life

application based. So, it is not surprising that they are not interested and motivated

to learn the language and after so many years of studying it, most of them are only

slightly better compared to when they first entered school (Asmah Haji Omar, 2000).

The same applies for tertiary level students as well as most of them cannot function

actively in the language despite scoring a credit in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM)

English paper. Maybe due to this factor, in December 1993, Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir

Mohammad opened the door to the usage of English in universities as the medium of

instruction in the science-based subjects (Asmah Haji Omar, 2000). The move of

teaching Science and Mathematics in English in primary and secondary schools

beginning from the year 2003 is a further emphasis although it may be a bit overdue.

From the English Language Teaching (ELT) point of view, this is regarded as a good

move to provide real life and functional context to students and can help to motivate

them to learn the language as well as to increase the level of English proficiency.

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Despite of all these, one question that remains to be seen is does the society at

large especially tertiary level students perceive it in the same manner and are they

motivated to learn the language. Thus, the purpose of this research is to find out

whether undergraduates are motivated to learn English and this can be indicated

through their motivational level towards English language learning when all of them

are exposed to the same elements. It will also look into the types of motivation

inherent in the undergraduates according to their level of English proficiency.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The objectives of this study are as follows:

a) to compare the type of motivation inherent in high English proficiency

undergraduates, average English proficiency undergraduates and low

English proficiency undergraduates.

b) to find out undergraduates’ motivational level in English language

learning.

1.4 Research Questions

Based on the problem statement of this research, the questions for this

research are as follows:

a) Are there any differences in terms of types of motivation among high English

proficiency undergraduates, average English proficiency undergraduates and

low English proficiency students?

b) What is the motivational intensity of undergraduates in English language

learning?

motivation as a contributing factor in second language learning

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