PROFILING THE AFFECTIVE–MOTIVATIONAL LEARNING NEEDS OF VOCATIONAL ENGINEERING STUDENTS: A NEEDS ANALYSIS FOR ESP CURRICULUM DESIGN

Murdanianto Dani; Muhammad Arsyad

doi:10.30998/inference.v9i2.4479

Authors

Murdanianto Dani Politeknik Batulicin Author
Muhammad Arsyad Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30998/inference.v9i2.4479

Keywords:

English for Specific Purposes, needs analysis, willingness to communicate, foreign language anxiety, vocational education

Abstract

Effective English for Specific Purposes (ESP) provision in vocational polytechnics requires accurate profiles of learners' proficiency, exposure, and affective–motivational dispositions, scarce for Indonesian engineering-track students. This descriptive survey profiled 120 students across five engineering programs on foreign language anxiety, willingness to communicate (WTC), and learning motivation. The sample was predominantly low-proficiency (82.5%) with minimal out-of-class exposure (66.7% never/rarely). All three constructs were significantly above the scale midpoint, with motivation strongest (M = 3.58, d = 1.05), driven by intrinsic mastery goals. WTC (M = 3.42) collapsed on public-performance tasks but remained robust for private clarification; anxiety (M = 3.29) centred on comprehension breakdown, not general apprehension. These task-specific patterns show curiosity-driven appeals outperform competitive ones. By quantifying these dispositions for under-researched population, the study extends ESP needs-analysis literature beyond target-situation skills into the affective–motivational domain, offering a baseline for curricula prioritizing comprehensible input, scaffolded speaking, and discovery-framed instruction.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Ahmed, A. A. L., Purnama, S., & Suseno, I. (2025). The influence of perception on Computer-Assisted Language Learning and self-efficacy on vocabulary acquisition: A survey in Indonesian vocational high schools. INFERENCE: Journal of English Language Teaching, 8(1), 26–33.

Astrid, A., Khodijah, N., Zuhdiyah, & Yuliyanti, A. Y. (2024). Indonesian EFL students’ anxiety factors and solutions for listening comprehension: Multiple case study. Studies in English Language and Education, 11(1), 41–58.

Basturkmen, H. (2010). Developing courses in English for Specific Purposes. Palgrave Macmillan.

Brilianti, D. F., & Rokhim, A. (2024). The importance of English for Specific Purposes based on the engineering students’ perceptions. Academic Journal Perspective: Education, Language, and Literature, 11(1), 70–78. https://doi.org/10.33603/wc0gnm38

Brown, J. D. (2016). Introducing needs analysis and English for Specific Purposes. Routledge.

Cao, Y., & Philp, J. (2006). Interactional context and willingness to communicate: A comparison of behavior in whole class, group and dyadic interaction. System, 34(4), 480–493.

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum.

Dörnyei, Z., & Ushioda, E. (2021). Teaching and researching motivation (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Elliot, A. J., & McGregor, H. A. (2001). A 2 × 2 achievement goal framework. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80(3), 501–519.

Faradiba, A., & Saragih, G. (2025). Reading text appropriateness and reading comprehension questions in the textbook “Siap Merdeka Belajar Bahasa Inggris” by Budiyono et al. and “English” by Dendy Desmal et al. INFERENCE: Journal of English Language Teaching, 8(2), 77–84. https://doi.org/10.30998/d8244c42

Farah, R. R. (2021). Exploring the English needs of ESP learners in an Indonesian university context. Al-Ta’lim Journal, 28(1), 1–12.

Fauzi, I., & Asi, N. (2023). Examining speaking anxiety of Indonesian learners of English: A case of university students. Indonesian Journal of English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, 7(2), 263–276.

Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125–132.

Hutchinson, T., & Waters, A. (1987). English for Specific Purposes: A learning-centred approach. Cambridge University Press.

Komaida, D., Sumaryoto, & Wulansari, L. (2024). The influence of technology-based learning media and vocabulary mastery toward English speaking skill (Experiment at vocational schools in Majalengka). INFERENCE: Journal of English Language Teaching, 7(2), 127–133. https://doi.org/10.30998/inference.v7i2.25574

Liu, M., Lin, C.-H., & Zhang, Y. (2023). Editorial: Dynamic roles of anxiety and motivation in second/foreign language acquisition. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, Article 1145368. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1145368

MacIntyre, P. D., Clément, R., Dörnyei, Z., & Noels, K. A. (1998). Conceptualizing willingness to communicate in a L2: A situational model of L2 confidence and affiliation. The Modern Language Journal, 82(4), 545–562.

Mahardika, N. P., & Widyantoro, A. (2024). Unraveling the veil of speaking anxiety: A comprehensive study of Indonesian EFL learners at the undergraduate level. English Review: Journal of English Education, 12(2), 553–564.

Manipuspika, Y. S. (2018). Correlation between anxiety and willingness to communicate in the Indonesian EFL context. Arab World English Journal, 9(2), 200–217. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol9no2.14

Martina, W., Astuti, P., & Bharati, D. A. L. (2021). Target situation in vocational high school civil engineering students’ needs analysis. English Education Journal, 11(2), 208–218.

Nasution, S. S., Sukmawati, N. N., & Sesriyani, L. (2020). English for informatics engineering: Needs analysis. Jurnal Pajar (Pendidikan dan Pengajaran), 4(3), 478–487.

Peng, J.-E., & Woodrow, L. (2010). Willingness to communicate in English: A model in the Chinese EFL classroom context. Language Learning, 60(4), 834–876.

Puspitaloka, N., Ambarwati, E. K., Nurjanah, K. D., & Fauziah, D. N. (2024). English for Specific Purpose needs analysis at a vocational high school. In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Language, Literature, Culture, and Education (ICOLLITE 2023) (pp. 1–9). Atlantis Press.

Rahmawati, L., Yassi, A. H., & Pammu, A. (2020). A needs analysis of computer and network engineering program. ELS Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, 3(1), 1–10.

Rihardini, A. A., Yaniafari, R. P., & Mukminatien, N. (2021). Students’ willingness to communicate using English: A survey study. Paramasastra, 8(1), 75–94. https://doi.org/10.26740/paramasastra.v8n1.p75-94

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2020). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from a self-determination theory perspective: Definitions, theory, practices, and future directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61, Article 101860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101860

Sinaga, Y. S., & Subekti, A. S. (2024). Interaction between self-efficacy and instrumental motivation among Indonesian L2 learners of English. Langkawi: Journal of the Association for Arabic and English, 10(1), 83–95.

Xiao, Y., & Qiu, X. (2022). A study of the relationship between students’ global perspective and willingness to communicate in English at an English-medium instruction university in China. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 873766. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.873766

Yilmaz Soylu, M., Zeleny, M. G., Zhao, R., Bruning, R. H., Dempsey, M. S., & Kauffman, D. F. (2017). Secondary students’ writing achievement goals: Assessing the mediating effects of mastery and performance goals on writing self-efficacy, affect, and writing achievement. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, Article 1406. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01406