Student Motivation for Learning English as a Foreign Language at the University of Dubrovnik

Key words: differences, gender, learning process, study programme ABSTRACT The recent theories on second language acquisition (SLA) revolve around the importance of individual factors in language acquisition. Within those factors the importance of motivation is undeniable. Motivation provides the driving force to sustain the long and demanding learning process and all the other factors involved presuppose motivation to some extent. The aim of this paper is to give an insight into student motivation for learning English as a foreign language (EFL) at the University of Dubrovnik. The paper analyses the differences in types of student motivation for learning English as a foreign language in relation to the gender, the year of study and the programme of study. For that purpose the research was carried out among the students enrolled in 3-year undergraduate study programmes at two University Departments: Maritime Department and Mass Communications Department. As the research instrument, the Questionnaire for Measuring Type and Intensity of Motivation of Croatian Students for Learning English as a Foreign Language (Mihaljevic Djigunovic, 1998) has been applied. The results indicate some differences in motivational types according to the gender and the programme of study. This paper suggests further research based on a context-specific approach to understanding motivation in EFL learning, as well as finding practical “formulae” for motivating students depending on their gender, the year of study and the programme of study