The influence of the foreign language certificate regulation on motivation among undergraduates

Abstract

This paper aims to analyse the extent to which the latest changes to the foreign language certificate regulation have influenced undergraduates’ motivation to learn English, especially among final year students at the Centro de Magisterio La Inmaculada. The main reason why we focused on the students in question is the fact that they are divided into different groups depending on their major subject (Science, English, Physical Education and Attention to Diversity), which has enabled us to observe four different profiles. Furthermore, we wanted to explore the possible differences between them regarding two main issues: their motivation to study English as a Foreign Language and their opinions about the change in foreign language regulation at the University of Granada. In order to examine these questions, we created a questionnaire that gathered both quantitative and qualitative data. The results confirmed our hypothesis: the latest regulation has affected students’ motivation towards EFL learning. Now, more than ever, undergraduates opt for learning English to obtain a B1 certificate that will allow them to graduate from University. Moreover, there have been some significant differences between the groups, especially in the case of future English teachers and the rest of specialities.

Keywords

• EFL, motivation, foreign language certificate regulation.