Motivation among English L2 learners in Sweden : A comparison between high and low achievers in Upper Secondary School

Abstract: The aim of this study was to find out what attitudes students of English at Upper Secondary School have to the classroom teaching, in relation to the grade they are expecting in the current course. Furthermore, the question was whether the high achievers, also referred to as “top grade” students, felt more motivated than the low achievers, also referred to as “lower grade” students. In order to answer the research questions, the phenomenon motivation first had to be examined by studying findings by different scholars. The study was carried out with a questionnaire as the instrument. It was filled in by 86 students at a freeform Upper Secondary school in the middle of Sweden. The questionnaire asked questions about the difficulty of the course, the students’ motivation for the tasks given and also what impact the teacher had on the students’ progress. 19 high achievers were identified in the study, and 8 low achievers. The results showed that the high achievers show more positive results on attitudes and motivation in all areas. They expect higher grades and they express an interest in more areas than the low achievers do. On the other hand, no difference was found between the groups when it comes to the way they rate their interest in learning English. Similarly, students in both groups understand the need for English in their future life and careers. The results suggest that both groups are driven by instrumental motivation. The results of the present study correspond to those found in earlier studies by different scholars.