EXPLORING STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION GAP AND LEARNING READINESS IN SPEAKING SKILLS: A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY

Abstract

This research explored the motivation gap and multidimensional learning readiness in speaking tasks among tenth-grade students at MA Nurul Iman and identified the instructional and environmental factors underlying these phenomena. Using a qualitative case study design, data were collected through triangulation, including non-participant classroom observations, semi-structured interviews with fifteen students and the English teacher, and document analysis. The findings revealed a profound motivation gap, as students’ abstract future goals (Ideal L2 Self) remained disconnected from classroom engagement. Students also demonstrated behavioral avoidance and cognitive text dependency, preventing spontaneous language production. This communicative paralysis was reinforced by three interconnected factors: a high affective filter (speaking anxiety and fear of mistakes), pedagogical mismatch (the omission of motivational opening routines and warm-up activities), and structural planning failures (the absence of written lesson plans and continuous grade archives). The study concludes that abstract motivation requires systematic pedagogical scaffolding through structured lesson plans and routine warm-up activities.