Role of Motivation and Attitude in Introduction and Learning of English as a Foreign Language in Libyan High Schools

Youssef, Awad Mohamed S., International Journal of Linguistics

1. Introduction

English language has grown to be among the most spoken languages in the world. According to Bernaus (2005), many countries in the world which have their own languages have adopted English as their second language. Most of the government institutions and offices in these countries have set English as their official language. This has been due to globalization which has necessitated a need to have a common language in the globe that can help in communication (Chun, 2010; Bidin, 2009). Schools and colleges and institutions of higher learning are some of the organizations where English is highly used and propagated. However, Africa is among the continents which have reported low levels of adopting English in educational programmes.

The adoption of English as a second language among African states has been a challenge due to existence of native languages which are deeply rooted in the language development of African communities. However, the advancements in globalization have required all nations to nature a universal language thus English has received major introductions in different schools across African continent. Libya is among these countries which are trying to provide English learning to students as a second language to Arabic. However, the process has encountered several challenges mainly among them being low motivation among the teachers and students as well as negative attitude to the learning of English.

The teaching of English was banned from schools and universities during the late 1980s. However, due to the negative consequences of this situation (Abdullah, 2006), a new curriculum for English language teaching was introduced in 2000.

Several researchers have shown that it is not easy to be proficient in second language learning. Wang (2006) regarded second language learning to be a complex process influenced by various internal and external factors. Motivation is one of the major factors affecting second language learning. Vaezi (2008) and Reimann (2001) stated that motivation has been widely accepted as a key factor which influences the rate and success of second/foreign language learning. Motivation is a desire to achieve a goal combined with the energy to word towards that goal. Many researches consider motivation as one of the main elements that determine success in developing a second or foreign language; it determines the extent of active, personal involvement in L2 learning; it determines the extent of active, personal involvement in L2 learning, (Purdie, 2003).

Attitudes towards a particular language might be either positive or negative. Some learners may have negative attitude towards the second language and want to learn it in order to prevail over people in the community but generally positive attitude strengthens the motivation. Some individuals might possess neutral feelings. Language attitude is an important concept because it plays a key role in language learning and teaching. According to Pan, Zang and Wu (2010), a successful learner is the one who possesses positive attitudes towards the target language.

However, As a result of the rapid changes around the world, there was a high demand on more academic institutions and foreign languages to expand and get in touch with the outside world. In order to meet and cope with such increasing demand teaching English as a foreign language in Libya has become one of the necessities of everyday life (Al-Ansari, 1993). English is taught in Libya as a foreign language in post-secondary and higher education including schools, colleges, and universities (Yihong, Yuan and Ying (2007). Learners encounter many problems in acquiring EFL. Language teachers and scholars in Libya relate these problems to many factors and causes involving learning materials, teaching methods, and other related issues.

Nowadays, The Ministry of Education in Libya is responsible for creating the goals of teaching English at lower education levels such as schools in general, whilst the Ministry of Higher Education is interested with the teaching of EFL at higher education levels such as colleges and universities. English language teaching materials …

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Publication information: Article title: Role of Motivation and Attitude in Introduction and Learning of English as a Foreign Language in Libyan High Schools. Contributors: Youssef, Awad Mohamed S. - Author. Journal title: International Journal of Linguistics. Volume: 4. Issue: 2 Publication date: June 2012. Page number: 366+. © 2009 Macrothink Institute, Inc. COPYRIGHT 2012 Gale Group.

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