Factors Affecting Engineering Students’ Motivation in Learning English

Abstract

Motivation is one of the most critical factors influence students' English achievement or performance. It means that motivation could be defined as one of the essential factors that determine learning English. Motivation can push students to reach learning goals. Without motivation, the purposes of learning are hard to be achieved. By being motivated, students will be enthusiastic in the teaching-learning process, so students will be pushed to study English well.

Motivation is important in language learning. Students with a good attitude towards English are more likely to work hard and keep going when learning becomes difficult. Without motivation the purpose of learning is tough to be achieved. When students have it in learning process they will more understand with the lesson taught.

Teachers always feel frustrated when their message is not understood by their students or when they notice that their students have lost motivation in learning English. Understanding students’ motivation in learning English is necessary for ESL teachers because teacher should know how to motivate students learning English in class by focusing on the factors that can affects their students in learning English.

Thus, this study was conducted with the aim to identify the factors that contribute to motivation for learning English among 135 Engineering students in Polytechnic Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah. This study attempted to identify the students’ motivation for learning English with factors such as parental influence, teacher influence and students’ own attitude using a set of questionnaires adapted from Mohamed Amin, Juriah and Mohd Isa(2001). Finding showed that teachers influence, personal attitudes and parental influence affecting students’ motivation to learn English as a second language.