What Motivates Students? : A Study of Students’ Attitudes and Motivation regarding English Language Learning in Swedish Upper Secondary School

This mixed method study aims to investigate motivation and attitudes towards English foreign language learning among Swedish upper secondary school students at vocational and preparatory programs. A quantitative questionnaire has been distributed and qualitative interviews have been conducted concerning students’ attitudes, integrative and instrumental motivation regarding English foreign language learning. Sociocultural theory has been applied to analyze the data. The findings reveal that what motivates the participants to learn English is their desires for future studies, employment, travels and global communication. The questionnaire shows that there is no difference between students’ integrative and instrumental motivation, while the interview findings reveal that the students are more instrumentally than integratively motivated. In conclusion, the findings from both studies show that there is no difference in integrative and instrumental motivation among students at the vocational and preparatory programs. Furthermore, the results reveal that students’ motivation and attitudes regarding English are affected by their goals, desires and their surroundings.