LEARNER’S MOTIVATIONAL ORIENTATIONS AND GENDER EFFECTS ON MOTIVATION AND THE OUTCOMES OF LEARNING ENGLISH: A REVIEW OF INDIAN, PAKISTAN, AND SRI LANKAN LITERATURE

Abstract

This article reviews the findings of several empirical studies, conducted in some of the South Asian contexts to investigate learners’ motivational orientations and the gender effect on motivation on the successful English language-learning outcome where contrasting findings are observed. Some investigations have proven that the learners are instrumentally motivated to learn English while some other studies have identified integrative motivational orientations among the learners to learn English. In addition, a number of studies have recognized both instrumental and integrative types of motivational orientations among learners. Similar findings are observed with regard to intrinsic and extrinsic motivational types. Furthermore, connected to the effect of gender on English language learning motivation, a number of studies have proven that male students are better motivated than female students. In contrast, some studies have evidenced the opposite of it while a considerable number of studies have not identified any significant gender influence on the second language learning motivation. Consequently, further investigations are obligatory either to confirm or reject these conclusions in these contexts since the number of empirical studies found in these countries is not satisfactory to generalize those findings. Further, this review will assist educational policymakers, curriculum and material designers, and teachers in understanding learners’ motivational orientations and the effect of gender on motivation to design operative education policies and teaching learning materials, employ novel teaching methodologies in a way that stimulate learner motivation to achieve expected learning outcomes.

Keywords: second language, motivational orientations, gender, instrumental motivation, integrative motivation, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation