Exploring The Drive to Learn A Foreign Language among Undergraduates

Abstract

Learning a foreign language is a challenging task. Martin et al (2022) proposed three strategies for successful learning: grit, motivational beliefs, and self-regulated learning. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore learners' perceptions of these three strategies and to find out whether they contribute to academic success. A purposive sample of 30 undergraduate students from a public university responded to this survey. The instrument used was a 5 Likert scale survey derived from (Martin et al., 2022). The survey was divided into 4 parts. Part one has items about demographic information. Part two has 12 items on Grit. Part three has 22 items on motivational beliefs and part four has 22 items on self-regulated learning strategies. The findings indicated that students had positive perceptions of grit in learning. Findings also suggested that students needed motivational beliefs, including self-efficacy, intrinsic value, and test anxiety to be successful in learning. Students very often used cognitive strategies in foreign language learning by self-regulating their learning of the foreign language. Future research may investigate the relationship between grit, motivational beliefs, and self-regulated learning. In addition, future research could test the effectiveness of specific interventions designed to enhance grit, motivation, and self-regulated learning in other settings.