EFL reading motivational orientation of grades 9 and 10 students at Tana Haik General Secondary School in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

This study investigates EFL students’ reading motivational orientation among grades 9 and 10 in Tana Haik General Secondary School in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. To carry out this research, a causal comparative design was employed, with a total of 292 participating students. For data collection, the researcher used Motivations for Reading Questionnaire and interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed through mean, standard deviation, and independent sample t-test, while the qualitative data were analyzed using qualitative descriptions thematically. The findings of the study show that there were statistically significant differences between grades 9 and 10 students regarding intrinsic motivation in two dimensions: curiosity and importance, while they possessed similar intrinsic motivation in the involvement dimension. The study also demonstrates that both grade levels showed similar motivation in the grade and recognition dimensions, but they had different extrinsic motivation when it comes to the recognition dimension. The data reveal that there were not differences in reading motivation gender-wise. Thus, it can be concluded that grade 9 students are inclined towards intrinsic motivation, while grade 10 students possessed different extrinsic and social motivations in reading. Also, there were no gender differences between male and female students in intrinsic, extrinsic, and social reading motivational orientation in the two grade levels. Therefore, it is recommended that English language teachers in public schools should create a supportive classroom environment and take practical action to increase students’ motivational levels in learning English language. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.