Relationship of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors Motivating EFL Students toward Learning English: A Case Study of the National University of Battambang

Abstract

The study aims to (1) investigate the level of motivation of intrinsic and extrinsic factors of EFL students toward learning English; (2) examine students’ perceptions of intrinsic and extrinsic factors of EFL students toward learning English; and (3) explore the statistically significant difference between intrinsic and extrinsic factors of EFL students toward learning English by gender. This study used a qualitative method to examine these motivations, with a specific focus on intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The study involved 200 participants from the EFL student population at the National University of Battambang, with 29 students from year 1, 65 from year 2, 76 from year 3, and 30 from year 4. Among the 200 participants, 41 were male and 159 were female. The participants were aged between 18–22 years (159 students), 23–25 years (35 students), and above 25 years (6 students). The questionnaire, adapted from other studies, comprises 21 items divided into two parts. The first part consisted of 6 questions related to intrinsic motivators, whereas the second part included 15 questions related to extrinsic motivators. The extrinsic motivators were further divided into three parts: extrinsic impacts affecting the learning environment (5 questions), extrinsic motivation toward the instructor (6 questions), and extrinsic motivation according to parental influences (4 questions). The findings revealed that both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations had an impact on students' motivation to learn English at the National University of Battambang (NUBB).