Ungku Omar Polytechnic Students’ Motivation in Participating in English Extracurricular Activities

Abstract

Education is an integrated process with multiple dimensions that extends beyond classroom activities. It includes extracurricular activities that deepen and expand the knowledge gained in the classroom, enrich students' experiences, and create opportunities for growth in various fields. Education, which is related to goals, objectives, interests, needs, and experiences, influences changes in learners' behaviours. Polytechnic students learn to address real-world problems and acquire knowledge that satisfies their needs or aligns with their interests. Extracurricular activities (ECAs) are highly significant and play a crucial role in education. This study explores the motivations and participation of Ungku Omar Polytechnic students in English extracurricular activities organised by the Language Unit, General Studies Department. In Ungku Omar Polytechnic, the Language Unit of General Studies Department plans and organises different types of programs to encourage the students to participate and hence improve their language. Among the programs were public speaking competitions, debate competitions, podcasting, etc. Respondents for this study were all Ungku Omar Polytechnic students and the data was collected via questionnaire adapted from The Extracurricular Involvement Inventory (EII) questionnaire developed by Winston & Massaro (1987) based on Astin’s theory of student involvement, to measure the quality and the quantity of the students’ involvement in extracurricular activities. The data collected was analysed using SPSS 29.0 for descriptive analysis. The results demonstrate students are moderately motivated to participate in English extracurricular activities due to different reasons such as lack of confidence in speaking in English and fear of talking in public. The results suggest that by overcoming the issues/challenges, the students can benefit from the activities and hence improve their language.

Key words:  Extracurricular activities (ECAs), motivation, socio-cultural competence