The Relationship between Iranian EFL Advanced Learners' Personality Types, Motivation and Language Learning Success

Abstract

Affective factors are the most important factors in SLA and EFL studies. These factors include motivation, self-confidence, anxiety, etc. Researches on learners' characteristics have been investigated for over a century. In the same vein, the present research, strived at exploring Iranian's EFL learners personality types and motivation. In the article, the personality types and motivation of students were examined using Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and motivation questionnaire of Laine. For this purpose, 60 EFL students from one of the language institutions Mashhad (located in Iran) were chosen as the participants of this study. Through two instruments and considering the participants' previous semester scores, the data were gathered and analyzed by means of SPSS software. The correctional analyses revealed a significant relationship among motivation, personality and students' success. Multiple regression analysis was also conducted to examine the strength of the relationship among the variables. Among the affective factors, personality type was found to be the best predictor of students' success. The study provides some pedagogical implications and suggestions for future research.