Motivation and Purpose of English Language Learning among Iranian Undergraduate Students

This study aimed at exploring the motivation and purpose of Iranian EFL learners while attending general English course at university. Therefore, 86 students as EFL learners were selected based on their availability and willingness to participate in the study. The motivation questionnaire designed by Gardner was adopted, modified, and then distributed among the respondents. The analysis of the results revealed that the respondents had high instrumental motivation towards learning English. The students demonstrated a higher degree of instrumental motivation than the integrative or intrinsic motivations. The findings also indicated that majority of respondents learned English in order to pursue their studies and obtain post graduate degrees. These results hold useful implications for EFL learners and teachers and material developers.

Keywords:

Motivation , instrumental orientation , integrative orientation , EFL learners