Individual differences in the English language ability of students have been studied and many researchers have concluded these differences are affected by motivation for language learning and attitudes toward English and American people. Researchers h...
Individual differences in the English language ability of students have been studied and many researchers have concluded these differences are affected by motivation for language learning and attitudes toward English and American people. Researchers have also founds that conscious and frequent use of appropriate language learning techniques is a key attribute of good language learners.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between motivation and attitude, and achievement, among high school students. This study also investigated various learning strategies and how they perform with the different attitudes and motivation levels of the students.
Based on several theories, I established six null hypotheses and examined learning motivations, attitudes and strategies. The subjects of this study were 192 students from a girls' high school in C city, who completed a questionnaire focused on these three areas. It was administered by Attitude/Motivation Test Battery(AMTB, Gardner, 1985) and Strategy Inventory for Language Learning(SILL, Oxford, 1990). Achievement was measured by mid-term and final exams and standardized achievement test. SPSS statistical package was used for the analysis of results.
The major findings of this study are as follows;
(1) Those students scoring well on the achievement test were more motivated and had more positive attitudes and interest towards English and other languages. They also used multiple learning strategies.
(2) There were not significant correlations in most of the motivational variables and English achievement, especially in instrumental motivation.
(3) There were low correlations in most of the attitude variables (interest and attitude toward English) and achievement. However, there were negative correlations between attitudes toward American people and English achievement.
(4) There were low correlations between most learning strategies and achievement.
(5) There were significant correlations between motivation for English and attitude and strategies and achievement.
(6) Learners English achievement was significantly affected by their interest in English and their attitude toward American people and cognitive strategies.
In conclusion, motivation for English learning, attitude and effective strategy are all significant for the improvement of English ability. The results of this study suggest that teachers should identify students' individual characteristics and plan systematic teaching methods to increase the efficiency of their learning. Also, English teachers should try to develop materials and activities which encourage positive attitudes and increase motivation for English.