The Influence of Motivation and Attitude on Writing Strategy Use of Undergraduate EFL Students: Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives
Title
The Influence of Motivation and Attitude on Writing Strategy Use of Undergraduate EFL Students: Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives
The Influence of Motivation and Attitude on Writing Strategy Use of Undergraduate EFL Students: Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives
Keywords: Writing Strategies, Motivation, Attitude, Writing Goals, and Motivational Variables
Authors
Deepti Gupta is a professor in the department of English, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. She holds an M.A. (English Literature and Linguistics), an M.Phil. (Stylistics) and a PhD (ELT), all with first-class honours. She published 20 research papers in different journals such as ELT Journal (Oxford University Press), Asian EFL Journal and IATEFL Issues as well as a seminal work: Communication Language Teaching: Then and Now (Books plus, New Delhi, 2006 ISBN 81-87403-20-9).
Deepti Gupta is a professor in the department of English, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. She holds an M.A. (English Literature and Linguistics), an M.Phil. (Stylistics) and a PhD (ELT), all with first-class honours. She published 20 research papers in different journals such as ELT Journal (Oxford University Press), Asian EFL Journal and IATEFL Issues as well as a seminal work: Communication Language Teaching: Then and Now (Books plus, New Delhi, 2006 ISBN 81-87403-20-9).
Getachew Seyoum Woldemariam completed his Master s Degree in TESP at Aston University, UK. He has recently completed his PhD studies at Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. He is an assistant professor in the department of English at Jimma University, Ethiopia. He is currently teaching postgraduate students and is also a senior director for student affairs. He is interested in researching writing strategies, writing assessment, reading skills, and the production of materials.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of motivation and attitude on the writing strategy use of undergraduate EFL students at Jimma University, Ethiopia. The students are required to develop their writing skills to meet academic requirements and future demands of writing in professional settings. Data was collected from respondents about their motivation and attitude, writing ability and writing strategy use using questionnaires, proficiency test and interviews (n=680, 668 and 46 respectively). Analyses and summaries of the data were done using quantitative and qualitative techniques. Results obtained indicated that undergraduate students with strong motivation demonstrated high level of enjoyment, confidence, perceived ability, and positive attitude towards effective teaching methods of writing, and they were found to have employed writing strategies most frequently. That is, highly motivated students were found to use more writing strategies than less motivated ones. Moreover, students who frequently practised writing, exerted adequate effort, scored expected grades, and obtained early support and encouragement from significant others were also found to be high writing strategy users. The study also revealed that the majority of the undergraduate students were instrumentally motivated when learning writing. This motive has been found to be one of the main driving forces in developing writing skills of learners in the EFL context.
The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of motivation and attitude on the writing strategy use of undergraduate EFL students at Jimma University, Ethiopia. The students are required to develop their writing skills to meet academic requirements and future demands of writing in professional settings. Data was collected from respondents about their motivation and attitude, writing ability and writing strategy use using questionnaires, proficiency test and interviews (n=680, 668 and 46 respectively). Analyses and summaries of the data were done using quantitative and qualitative techniques. Results obtained indicated that undergraduate students with strong motivation demonstrated high level of enjoyment, confidence, perceived ability, and positive attitude towards effective teaching methods of writing, and they were found to have employed writing strategies most frequently. That is, highly motivated students were found to use more writing strategies than less motivated ones. Moreover, students who frequently practised writing, exerted adequate effort, scored expected grades, and obtained early support and encouragement from significant others were also found to be high writing strategy users. The study also revealed that the majority of the undergraduate students were instrumentally motivated when learning writing. This motive has been found to be one of the main driving forces in developing writing skills of learners in the EFL context.
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See pages 72-94
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Category: Main Editions, Volume 13 Issue 2
