Motivation in learning English as a foreign language : A study on motivation and classroom experience in adult students learning English

Sammanfattning: This essay examines whether a group of adult students of upper secondary school level are instrumentally and/or integratively motivated to learn English as a foreign language. The study also examines if there are any similarities/differences between the students in the different motivation categories classroom experience. This essay is based on a quantitative questionnaire. The questionnaire was answered by adult students who were studying English 5 at upper secondary level in Sweden. The results show that some of the students were instrumentally motivated by factors such as their desire to enter university or get a good job. They were also motivated by the notion that the English language is useful when working abroad. Furthermore, some of the students were integratively motivated by factors such as their desire to develop their language skills so they would be able to use them abroad when travelling. Some of the students, however, were both instrumentally and integratively motivated and the key factors which motivated them were combinations of instrumental and integrative elements. The instrumentally and the integratively motivated students’ classroom experiences were overall positive where the teachers were described in a positive light. The students who were both instrumentally and integratively motivated, however, were less positive than the other students regarding their classroom experiences and their descriptions of their teachers.