Attitudes and Motivation Towards Learning English Among FELDA School Students

TLDR: In this paper, the authors investigated FELDA primary school students' attitudes and motivation towards English and the learning of the language and found that students are highly motivated, have positive attitudes towards learning English and are extrinsically motivated although it does not necessarily translate into favorable efforts in improving proficiency.

Abstract: Attitudes and motivation are key factors to successful second language acquisition. The rising importance of English as evidence in the new National Education Blueprint (2013-2025) calls for immediate attention to students‟ low proficiency problems especially among FELDA school students. The problem could stem from primary school students having a lack of motivation and poor attitude towards English and learning of the language. This study investigates FELDA primary school students‟ attitudes and motivation towards English and the learning of the language. A total 40 respondents, age between 10-12 years old took part in this preliminary study. Data was collected via a questionnaire survey and interviews and was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings suggest that students are highly motivated, have positive attitudes towards learning English and are extrinsically motivated although it does not necessarily translate into favorable efforts in improving proficiency. Based on the findings, some recommendations are presented.