Students’ instrumental and integrative motivation in learning English

Abstract

A number of studies have indicated that it is very impossible to successfully reach goals and good achievement without sufficient motivation, i.e: Mayer in Liu (2010), Williams and Burden in Kelly (2005), and Dornyei (1998). Brown (2000) then explains that in context of learning, there are two types of motivation. They are instrumental and integrative motivations. This current research attempted to address relevant research questions related to: (1) type of motivation that the students have in learning English and (2) the students’ reasons related to their motivation in learning English. The findings revealed that the students have instrumental and integrative motivations. When being asked about the students’ reasons related to their motivation in learning English, it comprises from many aspects or indicators related to instrumental and integrative motivation. For reasons related to instrumental motivation, they learn English because it is useful in getting a good job in the future, to study or work abroad, to pass a test (school test or TOEFL/IELTS test) and to be able to read materials in English language for school assignments or competition material. Then for reasons related to integrative motivation, they learn English because they like the language, they would like to make friends with people from English-speaking countries, they are interested in English movies and songs, they enjoy talking in English and they want to understand English life style and culture as reference for them to increase their knowledge and insight about the outside world