Types of Motivational Forces and their Roles in Building Fluency in Speaking English as a Foreign Language
Subject Areas : Psychological Models and Methods
Gholamhossein Shahini
1
(Shiraz University)
Fatemeh Shahamirian
2
(Shiraz University)
Keywords: Motivation, EFL, Fluency, Language skills, Speaking,
Abstract :
This paper aimed at identifying the contribution of motivation and the types of motivational forces in improving English language speaking fluency. To this end, the most fluent EFL speakers (17 students and teachers) who had picked up fluency in their own country were purposefully selected to be interviewed. The results showed that without motivation, fluency in speaking was not attainable and it was motivation that resulted in enthusiasm and perseverance in gaining fluency. Moreover, the findings revealed that although the participants possessed both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, intrinsic motivation played a more significant role in enhancing speaking fluency. Besides, the participants enjoyed all types of intrinsic motivation, that is, IM- Knowledge, IMA-Accomplishment, and IM-Stimulation. In addition, the participants benefitted from all categories of extrinsic motivation, that is, external, interjected, and identified regulation. However, unlike integrative motivation, instrumental motivation fulfilled no role in promoting speaking fluency. The findings indicated as well that since all participants improved their fluency to meet their personal goals, they were individually-oriented rather than socially-oriented. Finally, it was concluded that in order for language learners to be able to achieve fluency in L2, they must be motivated first and the types of motivational forces they are provided with should be of concern.
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