The Relationships Among Motivational Orientations, Learner Autonomy, and Academic Achievement (EFL Learners at Dessie College of Teachers Education in Focus)
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Date
2009-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This paper examines the relationships among motivational orientations, learner autonomy, and
. academic achievement of EFL learners at Dessie College of Teachers Education. Eighty four
students completed a questionnaire consisting two scales, namely, motivational orientations scale
and learner autonomy scale. The motivational orientations scale was used to get students'
responses to three orientations related to motivation: intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation,
and amotivation. A learner autonomy scale elicited students' responses on their learner
autonomy in learning English. Students' responses on both scales were correlated to determine
any possible relationships between the independent variables and the dependent variable. Data
were also obtained using interview, focus-group discussions, and open-ended items. Students'
academic achievement scores were obtainedfrom the College's Registrar's Office.
To describe the data, descriptive statistics such as percentage, mean, maximum and minimum,
. and standard deviations were computed. Pearson-Product-Moment correlations and partial
correlations were conducted to see whether or not there was a relationship among the variables.
In addition, t-tests and ANOVA were used to check whether there were significant differences ill
the mean academic achievements between different levels of the trails under discussion.
The results from the correlation analysis indicated that there was a statistically significant
relationship between the independent variables (motivational orientations and learner autonomy)
and the dependent variable (academic achievement). Similarly, significant relationships among
the independent variables themselves were found. But, amotivation was found to be negatively
correlated with both the independent variables and the dependent variable.
The partial correlations held among each independent variable and academic achievement
showed that each was positively and significantly correlated with academic achievement except
amotivation which is negatively but significantly correlated with academic achievement.
Similarly, the results from the analysis oft-test and ANOVA have revealed that there was
statistically Significant difference in the students' mean academic achievement score with
different levels of the independent variables. Overall, the students found to be more extrinsically
than intrinsically oriented as data obtainedfrom the open-ended items, interview, andfocus
group discussions show . Based on the findings, suitable interventions like training learners,
arranging self-access rooms, redesign of assessment modes and syllabus are recommended.
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Keywords
Learner Autonomy, and Academic Achievement