Chilean Primary Learners’ Motivation and Attitude towards English as a Foreign Language

Abstract

This study aims to identify motivational and attitude variables among Chilean young English learners from Concepción. A child-appropriate Likert scale questionnaire was distributed to 137 students from the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade of two state-run primary schools. The instrument considered five variables: attitude towards English, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, Ideal L2 Self, and parent-oriented motivation, because the eclectic nature of early language learning has been shown to be influenced by these factors. The variables for teacher profile considered years of teaching experience, training in primary English language teaching, and access to multisensory and audio-visual materials. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to determine the internal consistency of the instrument. The Mann–Whitney U test and the Kruskal–Wallis H-test using Dunn’s post hoc contrast were used to compare the motivations and attitudes by gender, teacher profile, and grade. Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient was then used to identify the relationship between the target variables and the teacher profile. Results show that teacher profile is a key factor in motivation and attitude to learning English, particularly their access to multisensory and audio-visual materials. This study’s main novelty is that it is the first time a questionnaire focused on children’s attitudes and motivations has been applied in Chile, with clear implications for teacher education and policy implementation assessment.