Significance of Study

Motivation is the impulse that brings us to carry out and achieves what we propose and plays a
large role in learning. According to a study, learning motivation influences English performance
for Engineering Technology students. Learning motivation is to promote, guide and maintain
learning activities which have been conducted an internal strength or internal mechanism.
Learning motivation once formed, the student will use an active learning attitude to learn and
express a keen interest in learning while can focus attention in class to master knowledge.

Researchers found that a factor in the successful of English skill, it mostly applies to the basic
concepts that you learn in early schooling. Learning motivation and study skills become more of
a determining factor as you continue to develop English skills. The students that felt competent
were intrinsically motivated to learn and used skills like explaining, synthesizing and making
connections to other materials while avoiding memorization. Here, there are several significant
of the study where the motivation

 improves persistence and effort

 improves initiative

 Improves cognitive processing skills

 improves overall performance

Background of Study

In recent years in Faculty of Engineering Technology and Environment(FTKA), learning English

has been prevalent and it has become more popular. As a global language, English is becoming
more important in international cooperation and communication and become more popular in
FTKA. Therefore, motivation is very important for the foreign language. Learning motivation is
to promote, guide and maintain the skill of the language in order to get improvement. Learning
motivation can be implemented by using an initiative study, express a keen interest in learning
and can focus attention in class to master knowledge. Learning motivation has a relationship
which is learning can produce motivation, and motivation can promote learning again, as
Ausubel (1968) says, there is the complementary typically relationship between Motivation and
Learning. Thus, learning motivation plays an important role in learning English. We can see that
students with strong motivation can always make good achievements while students without
motivation are often losers of language learning.

Moreover, the English learners have become younger and younger. At school or anywhere
education in Malaysia, English subject is the compulsory subject for the student to take it. As for
the junior students, they need motivations in learning a foreign language. Therefore, teachers
should know the psychological theory and the process of English learning in order to encourage
and enhance students’ English learning.

Learners’ motivation is an essential part in learning English. The role of learners’ motivation in
learning has been examined by many researchers who are interested in this subject area. Gardner
(1985) seems to support this idea and point out that motivation in language learning is of
particular importance. He said that foreign language learning contains four aspects such as a
goal, effortful behavior, a desire to attain the goal and attitude. From Gardner opinions, we can
conclude that who have strong learning motivation will take a correct and positive attitude
towards study while make great efforts to master English with clear goal and desire and
consequently gain better grade. It is true that motivation is such a basic factor in language
learning that no teacher could avoid being concerned with students’ motivation. So, teachers and
students also pay more attention to motivation, which can drive students to learn English
actively.