Popluar reasons for majoring in English and their motivational implications : case study No. L.

الملخص EN

This paper reports on a study that was conducted to determine the most popular reasons for choosing English as an academic major by first-year students at Mu'tah University in the academic year 1995-1996.

In light of these reasons, the study also aimed at identifying the types of motivation for studying English that prevailed among these students.

The study revealed that reasons related to socio-economic benefits were the leading reasons among the subjects.

Other types of reasons, especially those related to intellectual, ideological, and religious interests and affilliations were also found to have a significant value for the subjects of the study.

In more specific terms, these reasons were found to have a significant role in motivating students to choose English as their academic major.

Reasons related to integrative motivation, such as studying the language because of love for the native speakers on the part of the learner, did not prove to be of any significant value for the subjects of the study.

Therefore, instrumental motivation was determined to be the principal type of motivation among the subjects of the study.

Based on these findings, the study concluded that, first: there was a strong faith among the subjects, and by implication the population of the study, in the potentiality of gaining socio- economic benefits by obtaining a university degree in English.

Secondly, the study concluded that despite their realization of the fact that the unemployment problem in Jordan affected all fields and professions, they expected that holders of university degrees in English would still be among the least affected by this problem.

Finally, the study concluded that due to various factors, English seems to have acquired such a high degree of appeal as an academic major that the negative effects of unemployment and other economic problems on students' choice of this major will remain minimal, at least in the foreseeable future.