Investigating Students’ Motivation towards Learning English in the Department of English at Mouloud Mammeri University of Tizi-Ouzou: The case of First-Year students
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Date
2015
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Mouloud Mammeri University of Tizi-Ouzou
Abstract
The present study investigates first-year students’ motivation towards learning English in the
department of English at Mouloud Mammeri University of Tizi-Ouzou. It aims to figure out to
what extent first year students are motivated to learn English as well as the different factors
that motivate and demotivate them. Our research relies on an integrated approach combining
Dornyei’s and Williams and Burden’s frameworks of second language motivational
strategies. To collect data, we administered a questionnaire to one hundred and four (104)
students. In addition, another questionnaire was administered to their teachers and an
interview was conducted with them. For the analysis of data, a mixed-research method was
used. The study, in fact, combines quantitative and qualitative methods. We used statistical
analysis and Qualitative Content Analysis for both results obtained from the two
questionnaires. As regards the interpretation of the teachers’ interview, we followed the
Qualitative Content Analysis method. The main finding of the teachers’ questionnaire
indicates that the majority of teachers (55.55%) responded that their students are motivated
to learn English. On the other hand, the main results of the students ‘questionnaire indicate
that 47% of the respondents are ‘sometimes’ and 21.15% are ‘often’ motivated by their
teachers. As regards the demotivational factors, our findings show that factor relating to
“fear of making mistakes” with 44.23%, “shyness” with 28.85% and “anxiety” with 19.23%
is the most common. Finally, on the basis of the results obtained we reached the conclusion
that the majority of first-year students are motivated to learn English and their teachers
motivate them to learn it using different techniques and strategies.
Description
98p.:ill;30cm.(+cd)
Keywords
Motivation, L2 Motivation, Motivational Strategies, Qualitative Content Analysis, Demotivation
Citation
Social Semiotics and Applied Linguistics