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Since the late 1960s and the early 1970s, there has been a significant shift within the field of language learning and teaching with greater emphasis on learners and learning rather than on teachers and teaching. It seems a reasonable goal for language teachers to make their students be dependent at a given percentage from them in order to reach a level of autonomy. It is obvious that language learning is regarded as the cornerstone of human existence. Acquiring a language, either the mother tongue or a foreign language, enables us to express our opinions, hopes, and even our dreams. In foreign language learning context, there are various factors that influence the learning process such as motivation, attitudes, anxiety, learning achievements, aptitudes, intelligence, age, personalities, etc.
Keywords: English language learning, Attitudes, Motivations, Learner, Teacher.
Introduction
The importance of the English language has spread around the world, and most of the non- English speakers are interested in learning it for its value and role as an international language for the sake of acquiring the modern science and technology. People who are interested in learning English as a foreign language have different levels of motivation toward that language; similarly they wish to build positive attitudes in order to achieve higher responses in English. These two concepts, attitudes and motivation, seem to be necessary elements for the acquisition of the English language, and their relationship has been considered as a major issue in the field of English learning language.
In the process of English language learning, students are supposed to come to the classroom either with high motivations or low motivations. These students have different perceptions of their class, teacher and curriculum; such perceptions are responsible for their attitudes. Of the most important factors that affect the learners' when learning the English language are: attitudes and motivations. That is both of these aspects have positive and negative impact on the learners. Therefore, this paperinvestigates the attitudes and motivations that the students adopt when learning English as a foreign language. So, what is meant by attitudes and motivations? What determine the learners' attitudes and motivations so that to reach effective English learning? What are the strategies and the goals of attitudes toward the English language? What are the key...