Intrinsic motivation in two instructional settings (Official Language School and High School)

Abstract

The present study investigates if the contrast between two English as a Foreign Language (henceforth EFL) contexts can propitiate a difference in the students’ motivation levels. I focused on the distinction of motivation proposed by Ryan and Deci (1985), which divides it into intrinsic and extrinsic. Moreover, I analysed if there is any connection between a negative self-perception of the language teacher’s methodology and of the time of day of the class and the students’ level of intrinsic motivation. In order to complete this study, I selected two EFL contexts: Official Language School (henceforth OLS) and high school. In total, I had 38 participants, 18 from the OLS and 20 from high school. They were asked to complete a questionnaire based on Gardner’s (2004) Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (henceforth AMTB), which intended to measure their level of intrinsic motivation and their self-perception of their teacher’s method and their class schedule. The final results obtained from the investigation were that the set of participants from high school have a higher level of intrinsic motivation. However, the difference between the results obtained by each group was not very relevant since they both show a high level of motivation. Concerning the external factors, high school participants negatively perceived their teacher’s methodology and class schedule, yet they were the ones who obtained a higher level of motivation. These results allow me to conclude that the contrast provided by the instructional settings can create a difference regarding motivation, although not a highly meaningful one. Moreover, I found that there is not an apparent link between a negative self-perception of class schedule and teacher’s methodology and a low percentage of intrinsic motivation.