Motivation as a factor for proficiency in early EFL-learners

Abstract

This study investigated how motivational factors affect proficiency in early English as a foreign language (EFL)-learners in a classroom setting. 44 participants attending fourth and fifth grade in Norwegian primary schools were tested in proficiency and asked to answer a questionnaire detailing different motivational factors and method preferences in EFL-learning. The motivational statements in the questionnaire were based on Organismic Integration Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2020) and a scale of extrinsic to intrinsic motivation. The findings showed that there was a strong negative correlation between external extrinsic motivation and proficiency, the stronger the experienced motivation stemmed from external sources such as expectations of others, the lower the proficiency. On the other side, internal extrinsic motivation showed a strong positive correlation with proficiency, indicating that students that are motivated by valuing what they are learning and have goals of integrating with other speakers of English achieve a higher proficiency. The method preferences in EFL-learning showed a strong positive correlation between oral production preference and proficiency. These findings are discussed in light of several motivational theories and frameworks, suggesting how this can impact teaching practices in the EFL-classroom.