Attitude and Motivation in learning English as a foreign language: a correlative study from the socio-educational and L2 Motivational self system perspectives

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to describe and examine English language learning motivation of Libyan secondary school students. In this study, 134 students participated by completing a questionnaire reflecting their attitude and motivation towards learning English. Both motivational theories; socio-educational by Gardner and L2 motivational self system by Dornyei were applied in order to determine the extent to which the variance or accordance between the two perspectives apply in the Libyan context. The results have shown that Libyan students have relatively high motivation and positive attitudes towards learning English. The study also found that ideal L2 self component in Dornyei’s L2 Motivational self system appropriately applies in the Libyan EFL context as it correlated better with students’ intended effort, attitude towards learning English and language achievement more than integrativeness did. Eventually, significant differences were found between male and female learners in terms of their motivational orientations which could lead to broader understanding of the motivational variables that could result in enhanced English language achievement.