Motivation in learning English as second language of secondary students in semi-rural secondary school

Abstract

The study was conducted to determine the level of motivation towards learning English in a semi rural secondary school. The study also aims to investigate if there is a relationship between motivation towards learning and the language achievement in English. A quantitative research method was employed. Through a questionnaire, data was collected and analyzed using statistical method. Prior to the study, reliability test was conducted beforehand using Cronbach Alpha method to select and finalized the items in questionnaire. Selected items were adopted from Gardner’s (1985) Attitude/ Motivation Test Battery (AMTB). The subjects of the study were selected from Form Four students in SMK Taman Desa Skudai. About 110 students consist of different level of English proficiency, involved in the study. For each item, data was analyzed using SPSS 20 to determine its frequency, mean score, standard deviation. The findings indicate that the motivation of the subjects is above average. Pearson-correlation was computed to determine the relationship between variables in the study. A significant relationship was found between the motivation towards learning English and the learning achievement in English.