ROLE OF MOTIVATION IN STUDENTS’ LEARNING OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ENUGU NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ENUGU STATE

Abstract

This study investigated the role of motivation in students’ learning of English Language in secondary schools in Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population comprised 2708 senior secondary school students in public secondary schools in the study area, while a sample of 270 students was used for the study. A structured questionnaire titled Role of Motivation in Students’ Learning of English Language Questionnaire (RMSLELQ) was used for data collection. The instrument was validated by experts in English Language Education and Measurement and Evaluation. For the reliability Cronbach Alpha was used to obtain a coefficient of 0.80. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation, with a criterion mean of 2.50. The findings revealed that students’ intrinsic motivation influences their learning of English Language to a high extent, with a grand mean of 3.05. The study also found that extrinsic motivation influences students’ learning of English Language to a high extent, with a grand mean of 3.09. The study concluded that both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation play important roles in promoting students’ interest, participation, persistence and commitment to learning English Language. It was therefore recommended that teachers, parents and school administrators should adopt appropriate motivational strategies to improve students’ engagement and learning outcomes in English Language.