Background of The Study
The researcher assumed that every learner had different levels of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in their learning of English as a foreign language (EFL), as observed from the students in her language classroom. There are some students who seem to progress easily in grasping grammar rules and achieving excellent grammar, pronunciation and speaking skills during the elementary level. On the contrary, some students seem to encounter difficulties in their language learning when they are first learning, many struggling to construct sentences properly. In many years of teaching, the researcher has also observed that students have different reasons for attending English classes.
The researcher realized that her own motivation to learn English was a combination of being surrounded by English-speaking foreigners in her workplace and a personal enjoyment for the knowledge of a new language. From her interactions and teaching experiences with students from Public and Private schools at her language school, this researcher began to wonder if there was any difference between the level of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and how students succeed in learning English. Students in her language class come from Public and Private school. She wondered if the levels of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation differ in Public and Private school settings and if these motivations are significant in predicting successful of student learning.
In order to best characterize the motivation of Thai students from Public and Private school that are learning English as a foreign language, the researcher chose to use a major model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, the Gardner’s Motivation Theory (1985), to ascertain the motivations of students in selected public and private schools when it comes to learning English. This research attempts to investigate the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations of learning English as a foreign language for students in selected public and private elementary schools in Prawate, Bangkok.