Motivational potential of bilingual and non-bilingual programmes in secondary and tertiary education

Abstract

The aim of this research is to examine the overall degree of motivation among secondary school students and university students earning a bachelor’s degree in primary education in bilingual and non-bilingual programmes, and the motivational potential of ten dimensions, broken down into 60 variables, which interact in these programmes. To this end, a sample of 485 secondary school students (310 in bilingual programmes and 175 in non-bilingual programmes) and 332 bachelor’s degree students in primary education (160 in the bilingual degree programme and 172 in the non-bilingual programme) participated in the study. The findings indicate that secondary school students in non-bilingual programmes are overall more highly motivated than those in bilingual programmes, assigning a higher score than bilinguals to 21 out the 60 variables examined. While there are no significant differences in terms of overall motivation between the two groups compared in teaching degree programmes, EMI (English as a Medium of Instruction) students assigned a higher motivational value than non-EMI students to 32 variables. Finally, the study presents the resulting motivational potential of the 60 variables included in the ten dimensions analysed.