Motivation and Self-Regulated Learning For: The Case for Students Learning German & Arabic as Foreign Language

This study aims to identify the level of motivation and self-regulated learning among students of two public universities who are taking a third language subject for two languages, namely German and Arabic. A total of 268 students from various faculties, consisting of three disciplines: Science & Technology, Social Science, and Business, were involved as respondents. These students are divided into three levels of study: Level I (64 students), Level II (134 students), and Level III (70 students). This quantitative study uses a 5 Likert-scale survey method with a questionnaire instrument based on the “Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ)” by Pintrich and De Groot. The survey comprises three sections. Section A contains items regarding the demographic profile. Section B comprises 22 items about motivating beliefs. Section C comprises 22 elements about self-regulated learning processes. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics by examining the mean values for each aspect studied. The overall findings of the study indicate that the level of motivation and self-regulated learning strategies differ according to the student’s learning levels. This study implies that it will provide educators with an overview of suitable strategies to enhance student motivation and self-directed learning in acquiring a third language in Malaysia, thereby contributing to the development of more effective pedagogy.