In the period of globalization of the world, knowledge of foreign languages is an indispensable condition for the competitiveness of a future university graduators. It is no secret that often a foreign language is difficult for first-year students. Along with mastering higher mathematics, chemistry, physics and special disciplines, learning a foreign language requires attention, time and effort. In addition, a foreign language course at a university assumes that graduates of secondary schools have communicative foreign language competence at the A2 level on a European scale. However, this is far from the case. As practice shows, most students have poor school training in a foreign language. Therefore, the program, according to which, upon completion of training, graduates with a bachelor's degree must possess professionally-oriented intercultural communicative competence at the B1 level (threshold advanced level), presents enormous difficulties for them.
Against the background of a reduction in classroom activities and an increase in the number of hours for independent work, one of the conditions for successful learning is the students' interest in the language, the desire to devote time to it and make additional efforts to master this language. Motives underlying interest are sources of activity.
Psychologists identify external and internal motivation. The external motivation for learning a foreign language is determined by the importance and international recognition of the English language, the possibility of receiving a higher-paying and prestigious job, listening to music, watching movies, etc.
Intrinsic motivation E. P. Ilyin and I. A. Winter is associated with the effectiveness of educational activities, with the satisfaction of the need to improve performance.
E. Disy, R. Ryan, R. Frankin define intrinsic motivation as a tendency to search for novelty and choice for the development and application of one’s own abilities, for research and teaching. Research behavior implies a subjective assessment by a person of his skills regarding the solution of his tasks or current situations.
Motivation is the most important basis for achieving success in learning languages. This is the main driving force that ensures the student’s involvement in the lesson. Motivation is characterized, first of all, by students' interest in the subject taught and their desire and willingness to study it. Interest helps to focus attention, enhances the impressions gained during the lesson, stimulates the repetition of the studied material, and enriches the extra-linguistic knowledge of students, thereby contributing to the formation of their general competence.
Understood as a source of activity and at the same time as a system of motivators of any activity, motivation is studied in a variety of aspects, which is why the authors interpret it differently. Researchers define it both as one specific motive, and as a single system of motives, and as a special area, including needs, motives, goals, interests in their complex interweaving and interaction. The complexity and multidimensionality of the problem of motivation determines the multiplicity of approaches to understanding its essence, nature, structure, as well as to methods of studying it.
According to the theory of self-determination of Disy and Ryan (2000), a person has three inborn needs: competence, communication with other people, and autonomy. They argue that a sense of competence is a necessary condition for motivation aimed at exploring the world and responding to difficulties. But, according to scientists, before achieving competence, one should learn autonomy. Autonomy is associated with behavior that manifests itself in the absence of external control. A number of studies confirm the assumption that with the encouragement of autonomy, students have increased intrinsic motivation and curiosity, and an increasing desire to overcome difficulties. With tight control, on the contrary, initiative decreases and the effectiveness of training decreases. Autonomy favorably affects internally motivated behavior that is; it contributes to the search for novelty and obstacles, the development and application of one’s abilities, research and cognitive activity.
The purpose of this study was to elucidate the motives underlying the interest in a foreign language among students of a technical university. The motivation of students to study English at a university can be caused only by receiving an assessment in a diploma or oriented to personal and professional growth. The study was conducted at the end of the English language course and was a questionnaire of direct questions:
- Your interest in the English language at the university: a) remained (from school); b) increased; c) decreased.
- What is the reason for the interest in the English language?
Firstly, respondents noted an increase in interest in learning English:
1) Maintaining interest from school — 42 %;
2) An increase in interest in the university –50 %;
3) A decrease in interest in the university –8 %.
Secondly, students explain the motives underlying the interest in the English language by many factors, which can be conditionally divided into two groups:
A) «perspective»:
– desire to travel;
– getting a prestigious job, including abroad;
– continuing education;
– moving abroad;
– writing scientific articles.
B) «current state of affairs”:
– the novelty of the information;
– the importance of a foreign language («now without foreign languages anywhere»);
– the ability to communicate with foreigners;
– development, including personality, intelligence, imagination, non-standard thinking;
– learning process;
– the need, the need for a foreign language;
– personal interest;
– ease of training;
– familiarization with another culture;
– understanding of songs in English;
– passion for computer games;
– the desire to be fluent in English.
However, some students note a decrease in interest in the English language due to lack of time, lack of abilities, laziness and memory features («words are difficult to remember for a long time”). In addition, some students find it difficult to answer. External motivation was observed in half of the students, internal motivation — in half of the students.
Thus, among modern students, there is a preservation and increase in interest in English in a technical university, internal motivation prevails over external. Students are more focused on using English here and now than in the future. Despite the abundance of information and lack of time, they realize the importance of a foreign language not only as a factor in obtaining a prestigious profession, but also as a means of developing intelligence, cognitive processes and communication.
Summing up, it should be noted that mastering a foreign language is a difficult, daily work. Without the manifestation of personal volitional qualities, a creative approach and competent control by the teacher, it cannot be mastered.
The task of a foreign language teacher is seen in expanding the zone of external motivation by creating a multilingual learning environment, setting long-term goals close to the student, such as graduate studies at his university or abroad, research activities, participation in grants and international internships, online scientific- conferences and seminars.
On the other hand, the teacher should focus on the student’s intrinsic motivation, his current tasks and needs; to develop interest in a foreign language as a way of multicultural communication, to help broaden the horizons of students, to foster tolerance for other peoples and cultures.
