Professional foreign language – analysis of motivation and attitudes of healthcare students

Abstract

The significance of foreign language proficiency in the global environment is characterized as a crucial component for enhancing international communication, collaboration, and labor market mobility. English is currently widely used as the language of international communication in various domains, while German is increasingly becoming the language of communication within the European Union. This paper presents the results of a study conducted on the courses of English Language and German Language in the first year of the undergraduate program in Radiological Technology and Physiotherapy at the Faculty of Health Studies, University of Mostar. The study aimed to analyze students' attitudes and motivation towards learning a foreign language in the context of their studies. The study investigated the factors contributing to students' motivation for learning a foreign language for specific purposes, such as the need for communication within the profession, expectations of employment in an international environment, and personal development aspirations. For this purpose, an anonymous questionnaire was constructed and administered among the target student population (N=95), and statistical analysis of the collected data was performed using the SPSS 20.0 statistical software. The introduction provides an overview of previous research on motivation for learning foreign languages in professional contexts, followed by the presentation of study findings. The obtained results enable a detailed analysis of motivational factors and can be utilized for the development of various teaching approaches and tailored instructional strategies to stimulate student motivation.