This research project investigates how curiosity – the desire to know some information in the absence of an extrinsic reward – can be harnessed to enhance intrinsic motivation among Sri Lankan undergraduates towards learning English as a Second Language (ESL). Although Sri Lankan undergraduates are identified as the cream of the intelligentsia across the country, this cohort’s poor English language proficiency is a recurring matter of national concern, contributing to a range of academic and socio-economic challenges. There is some debate over the issue in the research community as to why these learners cannot maintain an adequate proficiency level in the target language. Specifically, these learners lack adequate levels of intrinsic motivation to learn English, even though its importance for successful completion of their degrees as well as for employment is well understood. Since curiosity is defined as the intrinsic desire to acquire information and closely linked to motivation, integrating curiosity into English language learning is proposed as a powerful catalyst to enhance both language acquisition and motivation among Sri Lankan undergraduates.
Instrumental values placed upon English learning at university seem to have largely contributed to this issue, making learning more extrinsically motivated rather than intrinsically motivated. Learning English has become limited to fulfilling a requirement as part of graduation; however, when extrinsic motivation holds primacy in a context, the influence of intrinsic motivation is likely to be less salient. The English language learning pressures placed on undergraduates are also conflicting. On the one hand they are expected to reach high levels of second language proficiency, a process known to be most effectively driven by intrinsic motivation. On the other hand, students must engage in the challenge of second language acquisition within an education system where extrinsic values predominate. This emphasis may undermine learner autonomy and diminish intrinsic motivation, which is crucial for sustained language learning. Accordingly, the present study is inspired by the premise that curiosity – a direct manifestation of intrinsic motivation that makes learning intrinsically rewarding and highly pleasurable – can be strategically harnessed to promote the efficacy of language learning.
This study employed a mixed-method research design using one faculty of a national university in Sri Lanka as the sample site for data collection. The instruments included questionnaire survey, pre-test and post-test, and focus group interviews with learners. The findings were analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively. This research brings about insights into the applicability of curiosity-based reading in the Sri Lankan university context, its impact on writing skills and the learners’ perception of the reading to writing process. Recommendations are made towards improving learners’ intrinsic motivation to enhance English language learning skills that can directly address the noted contemporary challenges of English language learning in the Sri Lankan context while also bringing about implications for ESL pedagogy in a global context.