Correlations among Motivation, Course Achievement and Proficiency of EFL University Learners
Keywords:
EFL Motivation, Course Achievement and ProficiencyAbstract
The aim of the study is to illustrate the correlations among motivational orientation, incoming English proficiency and outgoing English achievement. The main investigation was carried out within the context of a compulsory general English course for first grade university students in South Korea. The correlation between the two variables of incoming motivational orientation and current English proficiency was computed as r = - .0237 (n = 142), indicating no correlation. The correlation between incoming motivational orientation and outgoing English achievement was computed as r = .1592 (n = 154), indicating virtually no correlation. The correlation between incoming English proficiency and outgoing English course achievement was computed as r = .3246 (n = 172), indicating a very low level of relationship. However, there was a significant difference in the scores for final course grade between the learner-group of high and low orientation, df = 152, t = 2.1705, p < .05 (= .0315). Consequently, in dealing with motivational orientation, individual differences need to be considered, such as categorizing individuals into the high and low levels of motivational orientation.
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