The Relation of Academic Self-Concept to Motivation among University EFL Students

Abstract

This study mainly examines the relation between academic self-concept and motivation in foreign language learning. Subjects comprised 434 first-year university students drawn from four different ability levels. Statistical analyses were performed to ascertain: (1) whether there is any significant relationship between academic_x000D_ self-concept and learning motivation for students of different proficiency levels, (2) whether both academic self-concept and motivation have significant relation with gender, (3) whether both academic self-concept and motivation are significantly related to students’ self-evaluation of their language performance, and (4) whether academic self-concept is a significant predictor of students’ motivation in learning a_x000D_ foreign language. Findings of the study show that all of the academic self-concept related variables and the motivation components are positively and significantly correlated. The correlations between overall academic self-concept and motivation scores are high and significant for all of the following groups: the full sample and the lower- and higher-ability level groups. Higher-level students tend to have higher correlations between these two variables than their lower-level counterparts. Students’_x000D_ self-evaluation of their proficiency level is moderately correlated with academic self-concept and learning motivation, while gender is weakly correlated with these two major variables. In addition, results of multiple regression analysis reveal that academic self-concept serves as a significant and strong predictor of learning_x000D_ motivation.