THE ROLE OF MOTIVATION IN LEARNING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN PAKISTAN

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of motivation in English languagelearning among university students in Pakistan. Motivation is a fundamental factor in theteaching and learning process and significantly influences the achievement of learningobjectives. This study adopted a quantitative research design and employed a three-pointLikert scale questionnaire to collect data from 200 first-year students enrolled in Pakistaniuniversities. The questionnaire included 10 items evenly distributed between instrumental andintegrative motivation. The collected data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for theSocial Sciences (SPSS). The analysis procedure included testing the questionnaire’s validityand reliability using the Pearson correlation coefficient and Cronbach’s alpha (α). Thefindings revealed a high level of both instrumental and integrative motivation amongPakistani university students learning English as a second language (ESL), with overall meanscores of 2.71 and 2.70, respectively. Students exhibited a strong desire to learn English,highlighting its importance for both practical (instrumental) and personal/cultural(integrative) purposes. The study recommends that ESL courses, teaching methodologies,teacher roles, and assessment strategies in Pakistani universities be enhanced to furthermotivate students to view English as an essential tool for achieving academic, professional,and personal goals.