Article history

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ARTICLE HISTORY 
Received 16 April 2017 
Accepted20 August 2017 
 
KEYWORDS
language learning and 
acquisition; second and 
foreign language; motivation; 
intrinsic and extrinsic 
motivations; positive and 
negative extrinsic 
motivations; positive 
feedback; autonomous 
learning. 
 
 
 
 
Motivation in a Foreign Language
Teaching and Learning 
Lalu Thohir 
English Education Program UniversitasMataram 
[e-mail] 
ABSTRACT 
In learning English as a foreign language, where learners are separated 
logistically and psychologically from the target culture, motivation plays a 
critical role, and it is one of the main determining factors in a second/foreign 
language learning achievement. Motivation is defined as some internal drive 
which pushes someone to do things in order to achieve something and to 
achieve success; someone needs to be motivated. Motivation is distinguished 
into different kinds, such as integrative and instrumental, intrinsic and 
extrinsic, global, situational and task. However, the most widely cited 
distinction of motivation is between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. In the 
field of language learning, motivation is sometimes distinguished from 
orientation. As an ideal for self-determined behavior, the intrinsic motivation 
is considered to be more powerful than extrinsic motivation in the success of 
learning a language. However, most of the learning activities which the 
language learners do are initiated and driven by extrinsic motivation. There 
are three areas – goalsand goal setting, learning environment, and exciting 
classes – in which the language teachers could directly influence the 
language learners‟ motivation and their continuing participation in the 
classroom. Providing positive feedback and enhancing the autonomous 
learning are among important means to increase the learners' motivation. 
Also, emphasizing two forms of positive extrinsic motivation – 
identification, and integration, while minimizing two forms of negative 
extrinsic motivation – external regulation and introjection could boost the 
intrinsic motivation of the learners.