The Relationship Between Vocabulary Learning Motivation and Vocabulary Knowledge Among University EFL Students

Abstract

This study aims to find out the relationship between vocabulary learning motivation and vocabulary knowledge of undergraduate EFL students majoring in the English Education Department. The design of this study is a quantitative correlational study. The data were collected through an online survey with two instruments, a Vocabulary Learning Motivation Questionnaire adapted from Tanaka (2016) and the Vocabulary Size Test (VST) by Nation and Beglar (2007) to measure students' vocabulary knowledge. 207 students participated in this study. The data were analyzed using Pearson Product-Moment Correlation in SPSS. The results of this study show that amotivation has a significant negative relationship with vocabulary knowledge (r = -0.560, p < .01), while other motivation dimensions (intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, introjected regulation, and external regulation) show positive but not significant correlations. These results indicate that students with lower amotivation tend to have better vocabulary knowledge, while other types of motivation do not show strong predictive power. Therefore, it is revealed that amotivation plays a crucial role in vocabulary acquisition. Teachers or lecturers also have a role in reducing students' amotivation by implementing engaging and effective vocabulary learning strategies to enhance students’ vocabulary knowledge.