The correlation of Iraqi EFL University students' learning motivation, risk taking and speaking fluency

Abstract AR

The present study is an attempt to investigate Iraqi EFL students' level of learning motivation, risk taking and speaking fluency.

It is also designed to find out the correlation between students' learning motivation and risk taking on one side and their speaking fluency on the other and which of the two variables, the learning motivation and risk taking as more contribution in Iraqi EFL students' level of speaking fluency.

The instruments used in this study are three questionnaires .Two academic departments are involved in this study.

A total of 140 participants in the 3rd , and 4th study years of the two academic Departments (Departments of English of College of Education / University of Wasit and Departments of English of College of Education / University of Babylon) are involved in this study and took the three instruments of it.

The participants show a positive motivation, a high level of risk taking, and a high level of speaking fluency.

The study reveals also statistically significant correlations as it indicates that participants' learning motivation correlates positively with their risk taking and speaking fluency, while their risk taking correlates positively with their speaking fluency.

Moreover, participants' risk taking is found to have more contribution in their level of speaking fluency than their learning motivation.

Based on the study findings, several recommendations are put forward.