Abstract

This study is aimed at analyzing the level and type of motivation needed to learn a second language. The sample consists of seventy adults taking training courses in English as a second language. An adaptation of the Educational Motivation Scale (EME-E) is used as a research tool, consisting of twenty-eight items that measure learning motivation. For the motivation dimension (α = 0.87), the factorial analysis determines that the subscales of intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and lack of motivation are consistent for their construct. Among the results, it is found that participants achieved the highest score in terms of intrinsic motivation, followed next by extrinsic motivation, and, finally, lack of motivation scored considerably low. In addition, female students enrolled in language courses have higher intrinsic motivation than their male counterparts. However, when unemployed and aged in the range between twenty and forty years, female students exhibit a higher degree of lacking motivation.