The Relationship between L2 Learners’ Motivation/Attitude and Success in L2 Writing

This study was an attempt to investigate the relationship between motivation/attitude and L2 writing. Participants were randomly selected from a total population of 30 M.A. students of TEFL. Data were collected through using Gardner's Attitude/Motivation Test Battery Questionnaire and a Writing Proficiency Test (Arnold, 1991; Tompkins, 2004) to assess the participants’ English writing proficiency level, respectively. Although running Pearson-product correlation indicated no relationship between the participants with instrumental type of motivation and success in L2 academic writing, there was a relationship between the participants with integrative type of motivation and the writing skill. Moreover, there was no relationship between negative attitude and success in L2 writing, but there was a relationship between positive attitude and the writing skill. Pedagogical implications are presented throughout the paper.