Cross-Sectional Survey of Motivation Among Urban Students to Learn French as a Foreign Language

Each student of foreign language has a different level of motivation to learn the language. This paper examines the motivation level of 191 students (between the ages of 15 and 55 years) of an international French language and culture institution. A self-reported questionnaire by Vivian Cook was used for the assessment. Five dimensions of language motivation were measured; Self-Image, Inhibition, Risk Taking, Ego Permeability and Ambiguity. The average score that the participant obtained in these five dimensions was termed the 'overall language motivation score'. Motivation levels were classified as high (48-64), above average (36-47), average (16-34) and low (below 15). The data was collected during the period of March-May 2015 and analyzed using SPSS 20. Results showed that motivation levels were; high (n=0), above average (n=35, 18.3%), average (n=155, 81.1%) and low (n=1, 0.5%). The study revealed that the majority of students lack overall motivation in learning the language, which is a factor for increasing attrition rates in higher levels of language learning. Foreign language learning classrooms should concentrate on reinforcing the intrinsic motivation through techniques that extrinsically motivate students. Further studies are required to qualitatively analyze the motivating factors and the reasons for attrition.