Motivation and Attitudes towards English Language Learning in Thailand: A Large-Scale Survey of Secondary School Students

Abstract

Motivation and attitudes are believed to be significant factors in successful language learning. This study aims to investigate Thai EFL secondary school students’ motivation and attitudes towards learning English. The participants of this study comprise 640 secondary school students from all over Thailand. Data was collected using a modified 34-item motivational survey adapted from Gardner’s (2004) international version of Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) and was analysedusing descriptive statistics and content analysis. The findings revealed that Thai EFL students are highly motivated, and they are keen to learn and improve their English. However, most of them said that English language learning in classrooms does not meet their needs, and prevents them from improving English skills that are useful for their real-life situations. Based on the findings, some pedagogical implications are also demonstrated. It is hoped that the findings from this study will benefit English teachers in Thailand as well as helping those in similar EFL contexts to gain insights about how they can support students’ motivation and attitudes in learning English.