EFL Learners’ Attitudes Towards the Impact of Reading Motivation Deficiency on Vocabulary Learning

Abstract

Vocabulary is considered to be a key component in the context of second or foreign language learning. One way to learn the vocabulary of the target language is through reading. Teachers often encourage their students to read a lot to reap many benefits, including enriching their vocabulary repertoire. In this study, the researchers, postulate that motivation is imperative to carry out successful reading because it makes the learning of vocabulary much easier. The present study hence aimed at investigating Master One EFL learners’ attitudes towards the impact of reading motivation deficiency on vocabulary learning. It was hypothesized that students with low reading motivation are less likely to learn vocabulary more efficiently. To test the validity of the formulated hypothesis, this study employed both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The data were gathered using a student questionnaire and a student interview. The questionnaire was administered to 70 Master One EFL students at Mohammed Seddik Ben Yahia University in order to investigate their general perceptions about reading and whether the lack of reading motivation affects their ability to learn vocabulary. The interview, on the other hand, sought to provide further insight into their thoughts on how low reading motivation affects their learning of vocabulary. The obtained results showed that although Master One students are well aware that motivation is important for reading, they lack the motivation to read, which, in turn, affects their learning of vocabulary