Exploring University Students Situational Interest in English

This study contributes to the understanding of interest development in second language learning. It describes the conditions which trigger students' situational interest in learning English as a second language, and how temporary situational interest contributes to the development of more stable individual interest. The data are gathered from two Indonesian students on an MA Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) programme at a UK university, through the use of introspective, semi-structured interviews. The key findings are: significant conditions triggering interest in learning English as an L2 were associated with external factors which caused a highly emotional impact; and the person-oriented situational interest provided an ideal model, which maintained the learner's interest through every phase of interest development, and supported them through challenges and difficulties.

Educational and Psychological Measurement, 2010

Three studies were conducted to develop and validate scores on a new measure appropriate for assessing adolescents’ situational interest (SI) across various academic settings. In Study 1 ( n = 858), a self-report questionnaire was administered to undergraduates in introductory psychology. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) supported a three-factor model that differentiated between interest generated by (a) the presentation of course material that grabbed students’ attention (triggered-SI), (b) the extent to which the material itself was enjoyable and engaging (maintained-SI-feeling), and (c) whether the material was viewed as important and valuable (maintained-SI-value). CFA analyses in Study 2 ( n = 284) and Study 3 ( n = 246) also supported the three-factor situational interest model for middle and high school students in mathematics. Moreover, situational interest was shown to be distinct from individual interest and was a statistically significant predictor of change in individu...

Lectura : Jurnal Pendidikan, 2022

In many universities in Indonesia, teaching large English classes is not unusual. It is common to have more than 50 students seated in a class taking an English subject. It is also prevalent that the students are studying different majors, but none of them are English department students. This study aims at obtaining information that will be taken as the base to have a well-designed language program. This study was descriptive research using a survey as the main instrument. A set of questionnaires were distributed to 100 students taking an English subject at the university, aiming at gathering information under three notions; what students believed in learning English, what they expected and how they measured their English ability. The research findings showed that 98.4% of the students believed that English was important due to its dominance in almost every aspect of their life. In addition, 95.2% of the students expected that English class would help them in their speaking since s...

Studies in Higher Education, 2019

What triggers students' interest during higher education lectures? Personal and situational variables associated with situational interest Lecturing is often touted as a means to inspire students' interest, despite evidence that most lectures fail to do so. This study examines triggers of students' situational interest during lectures. Students (N=706) in 12 different individual one hour first year lectures in a UK university were surveyed at the end of the lecture. They described the moment they were most interested; rated a series of 5 point Likert scale items on their situational and individual interest, and features of the content, presentation and teacher's behaviour during that moment; and provided demographic characteristics. Simultaneous regression analyses showed that novelty, cognitive activation, cognitive incongruity, and utility value all positively predicted situational interest. Students' level of individual interest and perceptions of their teacher's enthusiasm, approachability and knowledge were the strongest predictor of situational interest. Overchallenge was negatively associated with situational interest.

International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

Motivation is a priority for academic learning and success. However, motivation has frequently been ignored by educators although it is a crucial part of their responsibility. Several studies were conducted to investigate motivation among learners but there is very little empirical data available on specific components of motivation in learning. This study aims to explore learners' individual and situational interest in their motivation to learn using quantitative survey methods. The result will show how learners' individual interest and situational interest influence their learning motivation, also the relationship between individual and situational interest for learning motivation. A sample of 181 participants among undergraduates at one Malaysian public university responded to the survey. The instrument used is a 5 Likert-scale survey and is rooted from Schiefele (2009) and Pintirch & De Groot (1990). The survey contains 4 sections where section A has items on demographic profile while section B has 12 items on situational interest and section C has 12 items on individual interest. The data is analyzed using SPSS collected data is presented in terms of mean scores to answer the research questions. Overall results show that the motivating variable has a potentiating effect on students' learning during the teaching and learning process and is useful for educators who work with students.

Having a complexity in teaching English is a customary hitch since English contains of some skills and components driving them confused how and what to teach as the starting point. Furthermore, the first and most important thing to do by a professional teacher is knowing students' interest in learning English. It is why this research is carried out-to know what actually the students really crave to learn and acquire their English as foreign language; therefore, to find out the solution of this vague question, this descriptive qualitative research involved 32 students at the first year of English students of University of Islam Malang as the participant since they are the freshmen who start to learn the more specific entities in English. They were assigned to fill the questionnaires about learning concentration of English. The obtained result is that the students are interested more in learning vocabulary, listening, pronunciation, speaking, and being corrected by the teacher to expand their English aptitude. As a closer, this study provides method to impart the English knowledge that can be implemented by teachers.

Journal on Efficiency and Responsibility in Education and Science

English has become a key subject of educational systems worldwide. Thus, researchers have centered their attention on psychosocial processes that influence English proficiency in EFL settings. The aim of our study was to investigate the relation between affective variables, motivation and proficiency and assess which attitudinal/motivational domains can better predict English proficiency. Mini AMTB and English Proficiency test were employed to a sample of 354 university students. Our findings showed that students' achievement was significantly associated with their motivational intensity, their attitude towards learning English and their desire to learn it, as well as with their opinion of English native speakers and their perception of the quality of the English course. Secondly, instrumental orientation, motivational intensity, attitude towards learning English, and students' perception of the quality of the English course were found to be the predictors of achievement. Thus, creating a culturally enriching in-class environment based on student-centered strategies could impact on pupils' proficiency more than teachers' teaching abilities and in-class attitude.

The Journal of AsiaTEFL, 2020

Üniversitepark Bülten, 2019

This study aimed to determine the classroom engagement levels of university students studying English Preparatory Classes, and the factors affecting their engagement in the classes. In the study, survey method, which is one of the qualitative research methods, was employed. The population of the study consisted of students selected from Bilecik Seyh Edebali University's "Optional English Preparatory Classes" during 2016-2017 academic year. The sample of the study consisted of 67 students selected from the population through random sampling. Mixed method was used to obtain the data, with quantitative data obtained from 67 students, and qualitative data obtained from nine students determined by criterion sampling method. In the study, the "Classroom Engagement Scale for University Students" developed by Eryılmaz (2014), and the "Learning Climate Questionnaire" adapted to Turkish language by Kanadlı and Bağçeci (2016) were both employed. Qualitative data were collected through open-ended questions prepared by the researchers, and content analysis was performed in its analysis. As a result of the study, it was determined that the emotional and cognitive engagement levels of the students were at an appropriate level, and that behavioral engagement was at a slightly appropriate level. The students stated that personal factors, characteristics of the program, implementation of the program and factors related to teacher behavior affected their engagement in English language preparatory classes.

JALT Journal, 2017

The orientation to English among university students in Japan is a complex and shifting amalgam of attitudes and experiences that shape engagement in the classroom. Although research on learner motivation has highlighted the instrumental value of EFL in terms of imagined identity and investment, motivation is also affected by social factors such as Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) policy and teaching practice encountered prior to university entrance. In this paper, I report on a qualitative analysis of orientations among high proficiency advanced students in a 1st-year EFL class at a large university in Tokyo. Findings suggest that paths of study and admission routes varied widely, that a strong commitment to English was coupled with low levels of confidence, and that orientation seemed to shift noticeably after entering university, as students sensed the possibility of attrition and a reduced scope of English study. At the same time, students we...