The effects of aptitude and motivation on the acquisition of EFL in young learners

Abstract

Aptitude and Motivation are two individual differences widely explored in the literature, but they have rarely been explored at the primary school stage of learning. The present study aimed at covering this gap. The purpose of the study was to check to what extent the two variables were good indicators of success in EFL and what the relationship between them is. The participants were forty-eight 5th grade students in a middle class school with an ordinary EFL program in the area of Barcelona. The instruments used were the MLAT-ES (to measure Aptitude) and the attitudes section of the FLAGS questionnaire (to measure Motivation). To consider proficiency, tests of listening, reading and writing were designed. The correlations carried out showed that both factors were strong predictors of EFL achievement, although Aptitude was a much stronger predictor than Motivation. The results of multiple regression analysis showed that, together, Aptitude and Motivation explained 61.8% of the variance in performance. This finding was in consonance with previous studies. However, no significant relationship was found between Motivation and Aptitude, contrary to some prior studies.