According to Deci and Ryan (1995) self-determination theory is divided into two general types of motivation, one is intrinsic motivation which refers to motivation to engage in an activity, because it is enjoyable and satisfying to do, the other type of motivation is extrinsic motivation which is based on external rewards to the activity itself. It refers to the performance of an activity in order to attain some separable outcome, or to achieve some instrumental ends. Noels (2001) refers to intrinsic motivation into different categories, it can be IM-Knowledge (the pleasure of knowing new things), IM-Accomplishment (the pleasure of accomplishing goals), and IM-Stimulation (the pleasure sensed when doing …show more content…
420). Norton's theory of social identity is concerned with the relationship between power, identity, and language learning. As Ellis (2008) maintains, it draws on a number of sources like West (1992). West saw identity as related to desire (for example, the desire for recognition, affiliation, security, and safety). So, 'who am I' has to be understood in terms of 'what can I do'. Bourdieu (1991) focused on the relationship between identity and symbolic power. A person's identity has to be understood in terms of the wider, often unequal relationships, in which they …show more content…
They found that “advanced learners enjoy English class the most; basic level students enjoy learning English the least and are the most anxious” (p. 51). Ababneh (2013) studied 102 English majored female students at Yarmouk University, Jordan. The findings showed that the subjects’ are internally motivated for learning English language. And there was a positive relationship between students’ internal motivation and their proficiency in English as a foreign language. Tüysüz, Yıldıran and Demirci (2010) in their study about motivation of students in high school and universities investigated how the students’ motivation is changing when they choose a science area for studying in the universities. It was found that compared to high school, students, university students are more motivated to science. In Iran, a little similar research has been done with different groups. Sadighi and Maghsudi (2000) investigated the effect of the two types of motivation (integrative & instrumental) on the English proficiency of the EFL senior students. The results of their study showed a significant difference between the means of the English proficiency scores of the integratively motivated students and the instrumentally motivated ones. Aliakbari and Toni (2008) studied the degree of correlation between motivation and speaking proficiency in EFL situation. The result of the investigation