EFL Student Learning Motivation: A Study of Classroom-Specific Factors

Abstract

Motivation plays a vital role in foreign language learning as it leads to deep, goal-oriented and persistent learning. A number of variables are associated with motivation, among which five factors viz., Teacher, Teaching Methodology, Text, Task and Test. These are classroom-specific and can be adjustable for enhancing student learning motivation. This paper investigates EFL students’ perception of these five variables and factors that influence their motivation. Renandya’s 5Ts model was used as a framework for investigation. The instrument for data collection was a five-point Likert Scale questionnaire that included 27 items related to factors that affected students’ motivation in language learning classroom. The data was analyzed with SPSS software version 21.00. It was found that the students perceived Teacher as the most important factor, followed by the factors of Teaching Methodology, Task and Text; the Test factor was considered as the least important. The regression analysis, however, shows that the Text, or Teaching materials in current use were the most influential. The findings fill the gap of research in Vietnam’s EFL context and therefore, they are of theoretical and practical significance.