Motivation And Attitudes In Learning English Of Selected Secondary Schools In Jolo

Abstract

This study determined the extent and the significant difference between motivation and attitudes of high school students toward learning English language at selected high schools in Jolo, Sulu during the school year 2016-2017 when data are grouped according to students’ gender and average monthly family income. This study answered the following research questions based on the following hypotheses: 1) There is no significant relationship between students’ motivation and attitudes toward learning English language; and 2) There is no significant difference in students’ motivation and attitudes toward learning English language when data are grouped according to gender and average monthly family income. It employed the descriptive-quantitative research design with 100 student-respondents. The mean, percentage score and standard deviation were used to determine the extent of students’ perceptions on motivation and attitudes; t-Test for independent samples and One-Way ANOVA were used to determine the significant differences in the perceptions of students on motivation and attitudes toward learning English as a second language. Hence, this study supports Gardner’s (1985) Motivation Model and Gardner’s (1980) Construct of Attitudes which emphasizes that through motivation individual learner works or strives to learn the language because of a desire to learn the language and the satisfaction experienced in this activity. A motivated learner is, therefore, characterized as one who is: (a) eager to learn the language, (b) willing to expend effort on the learning activity, and (c) willing to sustain the learning activity (Gardner, 1985). This study recommends that an  in-depth  research  can  be  carried  out  with  different variables  on  motivation  and  attitudes  to  a larger  sample  which  will  give  a  better  insight  into  the  students’  motivation  and  attitudes  on  the English language learning in Philippine setting.