Sebuah Kajian Pustaka: Yuzulia: A Study on Students’ Motivation … 10 A STUDY ON STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION TOWARDS LEARNING ENGLISH LANGUAGE Irza Yuzulia irzayuzulia@gmail.com UNIVERSITAS PENDIDIKAN INDONESIA ABSTRACT Motivation is the main point to determine the students’ desire to learn English. Students’ motivation will be correlated with their performance and achievement during the learning process. The research aimed to find out students’ motivations in learning English and the kinds of motivations they have. The respondents of this study were sixty two third-grader students of senior high school in Pekanbaru. In order to cope with the purposes of the research, this study used qualitative case study design. The data in this study was collected through questionnaire that consists of twenty-five questions and open-ended questions. The answers of the respondents were analyzed descriptively. Based on the result of the study, it is found that the students have high motivation to learn English. They are two types of motivation possessed by the respondents. Related to Instrinsic motivation, the data showed that they always attend the English class on time (88.1%), they need to be able to master English (95.2%), and usually learn English in my free time (69%). While, regarding the extrinsic motivation, the data revealed that students’ motivation in learning English due to several reasons such as to answer English tasks correctly (88.1%), to pass National Examination (80.9%), the teacher as the biggest inspiration to learn English (69%) and English will be beneficial for their future career (92.81%). Keywords: Motivation, EFL, English Learning A. INTRODUCTION English has an essential role in many aspects of life where English is used in communication, technology, education, science, and career. English in Indonesia has been taught as one of the essential subjects from kindergarten until university. In Senior High School, English is examined in the national examination and a complementary subject while at the university level. English is used as a complementary subject to help the students access references for their reading in English. The aim of English teaching and learning in Indonesia is to develop communicative ability in the four language skills: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. In terms of learning English, the students will succeed in learning if they have a will to learn. This will is called motivation. Motivation plays a vital role in foreign language students' classroom performance (Dornyei, 2001). Motivation has the specific role of raising eagerness, willingness, and gladness in learning. It will determine students' success or failure in learning a foreign language (Smith, 2012). Motivation can directly influence the frequency of using learning strategies ELTIN Journal, Volume 9/No 1, April 2021 11 According to Suprijono (2009), motivation to learn gives the spirit of learning, direction, and behavior persistence. Learning motivation is a momentous field in language pedagogy since it is seen as one of the key variables contributing to the successful acquisition of a foreign language or second language (Kormos & Csizér, 2010). Two kinds of motivation can influence the learners, namely integrative motivation and instrumental motivation (Gardner, & Lambert, 1972). Integrative motivation is an interest in foreign languages, a desire to interact with native speakers of the target language, and a positive attitude toward these people and their culture. On the other hand, instrumental motivation is a desire to study the target language to achieve a pragmatic objective such as improving an individual's future employment opportunities. Learning a foreign language is challenging, and teaching a foreign language can be just as daunting. So the teacher should look for new and creative methods to boost students' motivation. If the students feel better about themselves, they will achieve more outstanding results as learners. The more inclined students share their interests, hopes, feelings, and dreams, the more self-confident they will be. It implies to foreign language teachers that our students would have the confidence to speak more in the target language and move closer to full linguistic competence. Therefore, this study aims to examine students’ motivation towards learning English. B. LITERATURE REVIEW Many experts in psychology have given various definitions of motivation. According to Quan (2014) motivation is important and the same as aptitude, intelligence and attitudes which can greatly influence the achievement of learners’ foreign language acquisition. According to Santrock (2004), motivation is the process that activate, directs, and sustains behavior. It means that motivation is pushing and showing students to do something and continuously keep on the activity. As stated literally, motivation is enthusiasm or the need for doing something. Santrock (2011) also defined that "motivation involves the processes that energize, direct, and sustain behavior." Schunk, Meece & Pintrich ( 2012) also state that "motivation is the process whereby goal-directed activity is suggested and continued." It means that motivation can direct someone’s behavior to achieve his/her goals. A person has a goal and enthusiasts to do something in his/her life by motivation. According to Shearin (1994), motivation is a desire to achieve a goal combined with the energy to work toward the goal. Motivation has been an important research topic in psychology. Psychologists have put forward numerous theories and concepts to describe human motivation. It also has been recognized that motivation is an essential agent in the cognitive process. Motivation can be divided into two kinds. These kinds of motivation are divided the how the motivation arrives and the influences around the person itself. They are extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation. According to Santrock (2011), intrinsic motivation involves the internal motivation to do something for its own sake. Alderman (2013) also defines that "the intrinsic motivation is typically defined as students engagement in actions for their own sake and without coercion such as satisfaction, interest, learning, and challenge." With intrinsic motivation, the students do not need to be pushed to do something. This statement is the same as this next statement: "Intrinsic motivation describes self-initiated task engagement with no apparent extrinsic rewards beyond the activity itself. While, extrinsic motivation happens when students engage in activities for external reasons (outside of themselves) such as grades, praise, special privileges, and certificates or material rewards (Alderman, 2013). Yuzulia: A Study on Students’ Motivation … 12 From the above statements, it can be concluded that extrinsic motivation is the one that comes from the outside of individuals, for example, punishment or the reward, so that they will be motivated and achieve the target expected. There are two main types of extrinsic motivation based on (Gardner & Lambert, 1972). They are integrative motivation and instrumental motivation. In integrative motivation, the student needs to be attracted by the role of the target language community. It involves students' reasons for learning the language. To strengthen this motivation, students have to learn hard to master the language and have to integrate themselves into that culture. Instrumental motivation describes a situation in which students believe that mastery of the target language will be instrumental in getting them a better job, position, or status. The language is instrumental in their attainment of such a goal. C. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This study used a qualitative case study design to find out some information from actual conditions. This research population was the senior high school students who enrolled in the third grade in Pekanbaru. The total numbers of respondents were sixty students. For this study, the author formed a questionnaire that consists of 25 questions related to students' motivation to learn English. The data obtained through an online survey were analyzed by frequency of common students' responses and percentages. Demographic data were obtained using the Likert scale and is reported in percentage of students' responses. Furthermore, the questionnaire also provides some open-ended questions to clarify students' responses. D. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION Based in the data from questionnaires, it was revealed that the respondents have two types of motivation. They are intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The types of motivation are described in the following table. Table 1. The Data of Questionnaires No Components Agree Neutra l Disagree Intrinsic Motivation 1. I always attend the English class on time 88.1 9.5 2.4 2. It won’t be a problem if I do not attend English class 0.1 19 80.9 3. I am reluctant to practice English at school 9.5 31 59.5 4. I usually learn English in my free time 69 28.6 2.4 5. I feel the need to be able to master English language 95.2 4.8 0 6. The tasks given by the teacher burdens me 19.1 59.5 23.8 7. I feel challenged by the tasks 26.2 61.9 11.9 8. When I find difficult words in English, it will not stop me from keeping learning 75.6 19.5 4.9 9. I do not give my maximum effort in English class 4.9 12.2 82.9 10. I make my own goal in learning English 52.4 45.2 2.4 ELTIN Journal, Volume 9/No 1, April 2021 13 11. I love to listen to English songs to support my learning 81 16.7 2.3 12. I am confident to be asked to speak English in the classroom 23.8 61.9 14.3 Extrinsic Motivation 13. English will be beneficial for my future career 92.81 7.1 0.09 14. English is not interesting 95.2 4.8 0 15. The presence of native speaker will boost my motivation to learn English 42.9 54.7 2.4 16. I learn English to communicate with my teacher and my friends 50 33.3 16.7 17. I learn English to answer English tasks correctly. 88.1 11.9 0 18. I learn English to get the high score in m class 31 64.3 4.7 19. My purpose to learn English is to pass the National Examination 80.9 1.9 17.2 20. I’m not interested to communicate with native speaker of English 2.4 54.8 45.3 21. My teacher is my biggest inspiration to learn English 69 28.6 2.4 22. I like to listen to dialogues in English movies. 78.6 19 2.4 23. Getting low score makes me lazy to learn English 2.4 11.9 85.7 24. I will ask my teacher if I find problems during learning English 80.9 19 0.1 25. I love to learn English to make me easier to understand reading materials in English. 90.5 9.5 0 Regarding to instrinsic motivation, the data above showed that 88,1 % of students are willing to attend the English class on time, and 57,1% of the students disagreed that it will not be a problem if they do not attend English class. The data also found that They never late coming to the class because they are afraid of missing the teacher's explanation. It can be seen in the following excerpt: "I always come to the class on time because I do not want to miss the teacher's explanation." The data above revealed that 61.9 % of students agreed if they learn English at home in their free time. It is supported by the data from open ended questions that the students join in the community to practice their English with their friends or even with native speakers. It can be seen in the following excerpt: "I joined an English club in my city at the weekends. It is helpful for me to increase my speaking ability." The finding above is in line with Kasmalinda (2011) who stated that the main purpose of holding English club is to improve students’ motivation to speak English with a high self- confidence. Oemar (2007) also argue that an enjoyable activity will develop their experience and it will make the students to improve their confident through participation actively in English club. Yuzulia: A Study on Students’ Motivation … 14 While, relating to the task given by teacher, 59,5 % of students are "neutral" regarding that they are burdened by the number of tasks, and 61,9% of students are "neutral" about feeling challenged by the tasks given. From the open-ended questionnaire response, it is found that many tasks sometimes burden them because they are bored to learn English grammar and theories most of the time. On the other hand, some students came up with the idea that tasks were essential to enhance the vocabularies. Furthermore, the data also showed that 63,4% of students agreed that when they find difficult words in English, they will keep learning. They tend to use dictionaries or guessing the meaning from the context to comprehend reading materials. It is supported by the data from open ended question. It can be seen in the following excerpt: "I usually look at my dictionary whenever I find the difficult words in English." "I will finish until I understand what is the whole text about when I have reading class or reading tasks." Regarding "creating their own goal in learning English", 52.4 % agreed that Some of them plan to continue their study to another country and have a plan to choose the department that requires good English ability. As stated by two respondents below: "I have a plan to continue to school at Malay or Singapore, that is why I have to be able to speak English well." "I want to continue my education to International Relations which requires the mastery of the English language." It is relevant with Holt (2001) that most students learned the target language—English with instrumental motivation. That is, the underlying reason for studying English is simply to pass the university entrance exam. Once students enter the university, their interests to continue studying English are diminished. This agrees as what previous research has found that integrative motivation can sustain long-term success in foreign language learning. Furthermore, referring to extrinsic motivation, it was revealed that watching movies and listening to English songs become the hobbies that can help them master English. From the results, it is found that most of the students (78.6%) like to listen to dialogues in English movies and52.4 % students agreed that they loved to listen to English songs. This findings is in line with the statement of Allan in Haghverdi, 2015 that when students are watching films, they can learn language components such as grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation. The data also revealed that students’ motivation in learning English due to several reason such as to answer English tasks correctly (88.1%), to pass National Examination (80.9%), the teacher as the biggest inspiration to learn English (69%) and English will be beneficial for my future career (92.81%). This findings showed that extrinsic motivation happens when students engage in activities for external reasons (outside of themselves) such as grades, praise, special privileges, and certificates or material rewards (Alderman, 2013). Thus, it can be concluded that extrinsic motivation is the one that comes from the outside of individuals, for example, punishment or the reward, so that they will be motivated and achieve the target expected. ELTIN Journal, Volume 9/No 1, April 2021 15 In addition, based on the findings above, it can be concluded that the fluency in speaking English is also essential. This result is in line with Gardner ( as cited by Al-Tamimi & Shuib, 2009) who defined these fact as instrumental motivation. He stated that less motivation in learning a language is due to less clearly perceived utility it might have for the learner. Based on the findings, the students have seen the utility of English as a foreign language for them. It is supported by Wilkins (1972) who found that a learner is instrumentally motivated when he/she wants to learn a language to use it in one’s job, to use it in holiday in other countries and to use it in one’s job or due to the national system that requires it. In connection with this phenomenon, Gardner (1985) also found two main orientations through his research. The instrumental motivation entails a more functional reason for learning the target language, such as job promotion and a language requirement. "I know it. English becomes "a must" in this era. Everything is written in English, and many people could speak English well now. So I have to learn very hard from now." "English is essential to increase my career level in the future. I believe that." Based on the findings, it is found that most students have high motivation to learn English. They tend to come to the class on time, do all the tasks, learn English in their free time and try to find the meaning of difficult words they found while learning English. Most of the students also doing some efforts to practice their English such as joining an English club. They stated that they are more comfortable to practice their English in their community because they do not need to worry about their grammar since the members come in various level of English ability. Regarding the presence of native speakers to boost their motivation, most of students are neutral about it. In other words, they still have reluctance to get to know English more in order to connect with its persons or culture. Talking about students' purpose to learn English, the respondents' responses are varied. They learn English to communicate with their teacher and friends, to understand novels or other reading materials, and to be able to get a promising career in the future. Surprisingly, based on the results, it is found that the primary purpose of the students to learn English was to get high scores in English subjects and pass the national examination. The students are also found to listen to songs and to watch English movie as medias to learn English. Much previous research has provided insights into the advantages of learning English through songs in the classroom (Mora, 2000; Liu, 2006). For helping learners to develop their multiple intelligences, Simpson (2000) believes that through well-planned teaching activities, linguistic intelligence and musical intelligence can benefit each other. Therefore, popular songs can be effective materials that relate English learning to students’ daily life. Presenting a learning media such as a movie in a classroom can be very beneficial if it is integrated with some learning activities. Some activities such as discussion or practicing language skills based on the movie can improve students' motivation in learning. Students can learn a language in an enjoyable and interesting way with media. Films are a shift from the conventional and offer students realistic learning environments (Sherman in Khan, 2015). Considering this information, it is evident that English as a foreign language for the non- native students can be more interesting when the teachers understand the better way of Yuzulia: A Study on Students’ Motivation … 16 teaching English. English teachers should understand both the students’ intrinsic motivation and language teaching strategy (Richard & Renandya, 2002). Methods of teaching and approaches to language teaching must be mastered by the teachers so that they can cater for their students in classroom. E. CONCLUSION Based on the result of the study, it can be concluded that the respondents of the study have high motivation to learn English. The students tend to have two kinds of motivation; instrumental motivation and integrative motivation. The study results also indicated that the respondents could be categorized as having instrumental motivation because they regarded English as a compulsory subject and fulfilled the need to pass the examination level. The students also identified having integrative motivation because students have reasons for learning the language. The students also realized that English is crucial for them for their future. It can be identified by their purpose to learn English in order to communicate, to be able to understand reading materials in English, and to get a better job in the future. The teachers are suggested to encourage students to focus on their improvement, not only grade or examination. The students can do a self-assessment of their work and find out their strengths and weaknesses. 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