The effects of language learning motivation on the use of language learning strategies among EFL learners at technological universities and colleges in Taiwan

This study is designed to investigate the effects of language learning motivation on the use of language learning strategies among EFL learners at technological universities and colleges in Taiwan. A total of 1758 EFL learners at technological universities and colleges in Taiwan took part in this research study. The participants completed the three sets of self-reported questionnaires, including Background Characteristics, Motivational Questionnaire (Larders, 1985 & Schmidt et al., 1996), and Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) (Oxford, 1989). The collected data were computed and analyzed via descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson product-moment correlation. The findings of the study were generalized as follows: (1) Taiwanese technological university and college EFL learners tended to be more extrinsically than intrinsically motivated in learning English. (2) There was not a great difference among the frequency of each strategy that Taiwanese technological university and college EFL learners report using, all in medium-use level. (3) Statistically significant differences were found in motivational intensity, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation regarding background characteristics, such as gender, major, and grade at Taiwanese technological universities and colleges. (4) Statistically significant differences were found in the use of six subcategories of language learning strategies and overall strategies with regard to major and grade; however, statistically significant differences were found in the use of cognitive strategies, metacognitive strategies, social strategies and overall strategies with regard to gender. (5) Intrinsic motivation had a stronger correlation than did extrinsic motivation with motivational intensity. (6) Motivational intensity, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation significantly correlated with overall strategy use, and the use of six subgroups of language learning strategies. (7) Motivational intensity, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation all had a stronger relationship with metacognitive and cognitive strategies; additionally, social strategies had a strong relationship with extrinsic motivation as well. (8) Compensation strategies had the weakest correlation with motivational intensity, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in comparison with other strategies in this present study. However, compensation strategies were the most commonly used strategies by EFL learners in this study. Further educational implications and suggestions for future research are discussed at the end of the dissertation.