MOTIVATION AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS LEARNING ENGLISH: A STUDY OF VOCATIONAL ACCOUNTING STUDENTS AT NAKHON PATHOM VOCATIONAL COLLEGE

Abstract

English instruction in vocational colleges should address learners’ needs for practical workplace communication. This descriptive study explored the attitudes of 54 first-year Higher Vocational Certificate students majoring in Accounting at Nakhon Pathom Vocational College toward learning English grammar. The participants were divided into three classes: 1/1 (12 females), 1/2 (3 males and 23 females), and 1/3 (1 male and 15 females). All were enrolled in English for Occupations (Course Code: 30000-1201) during the first semester of the 2024 academic year. Data were collected using a 13-item questionnaire adapted from Mirazna and Hikmah (2019), assessing students’ perceptions of grammar importance, its relevance to education and career, and their attitudes toward grammar learning. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were used for data analysis. Results indicated that students generally held positive attitudes toward grammar learning, with mean scores above 3.00 for 9 out of 13 items. The highest-rated statement was “It is necessary to improve my grammatical skills” ("X" ̅ = 4.28), followed by “Learning grammar is important for studying English” ("X" ̅ = 4.18). Across intended career paths, all groups agreed that grammar contributes significantly to professional advancement, particularly among those interested in translation careers. In conclusion, grammar remains a vital element of second language learning and is closely related to academic and career success. English instructors should design activities that integrate grammar with communicative and career-oriented tasks to enhance learners’ motivation and long-term language proficiency.