An Investigation of University Engineering Students’ Attitudes and Motivation in Correlation to Their Identity Formation in the Learning of EFL in a Multilingual and Multicultural Context

Abstract

The study investigated engineering students’ attitudes and motivation in relation to their identity formation during the learning of EFL in a multilingual and multicultural context. It adopted a Motivational Factors Questionnaire (MFQ) based on Dörnyei’s L2 Motivational System framework. In this study, a mixed-methods approach was applied, with an ordered logistic regression technique for the quantitative part and content analysis for the qualitative part. The study revealed that engineering students’ characteristics such as gender, age, learners’ attitudes toward the L2 community, and nationality were influential factors in constructing their identity in a multilingual and multicultural context. In addition, they were found to be motivated to learn EFL for some pragmatic benefits, leading to positive attitudes toward EFL learning in such a context. They easily construct their identity because of their linguistic and cultural exposure. It is recommended that EFL be taught to all university students irrespective of their course of study, to fit perfectly into the globally diverse labor market of society.