Metodički Vidici (Feb 2012)
STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN EFL CONTEXT: MOTIVATIONAL INFLUENCES AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
Abstract
This paper analyses students’ motivation to learn English as an optional foreign language at the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, with respect to their success in learning. Motivation to learn a foreign language is a complex concept which is under the influence of cognitive factors, affective (emotional) factors and the context in which learning takes place. In this respect, the research reported in this paper analysed three stages in the students’ motivation (preactional, actional and postactional stage) during two phases of research, on a sample of eighty-seven (N=87) first and second year students. For the purpose of gathering data, two questionnaires, which contained items that were rated on a 5-point Likert scale, were used during the research. The results of the research indicate that there is a relationship between certain aspects of motivation and the success students achieved in learning English. Specifically, the results indicate the following: first of all, the influence of the preactional stage in the institutionalized context of learning English is decreased; second of all, there is a direct connection between the actional stage and the results of the proficiency test; finally, the postactional stage can be a strong indicator of future success.
