The Motivation of Adolescent Pupils to Learn English as a Foreign Language

Abstract

An investigation was carried out on pupils who attend classes in rural secondary middle schools in the north of the province of Pordenone in order to determine their motivation in language learning. It was a mixed-method research, since quantitative questionnaires and qualitative interviews have been adopted in order to collect the data. The research is interpretative in nature because the data have been interpreted only through the use of descriptive statistical methods. Four aspects have emerged from the study. First, lack of interest in the English course seems to be the main problem regarding the pupils’ language learning motivation. Second, pupils are not exposed to English sufficiently in their everyday lives. Third, the position of Second Year pupils, who represent a sort of grey area, would appear to be the most critical of the Middle School pupils. Lastly, the position of the female pupils who, in general, tend to be more demanding than the male pupils.