Abstract

The current research aims to investigate the effect of incidental learning strategy on EFL university students’ motivation to learn English based on the incidental learning strategy. In the light of this aim, the researcher has set one null hypothesis to be tested.
The researcher adopted the one-group experimental design. Accordingly, a sample of 40 students has been intentionally chosen from among the second year students at the Dept. of English/ College of Basic Education/ University of Mosul for the academic year 2019/ 2020 after applying an achievement test on the population of the research where the sample were chosen from among the students at the lowest level in the achievement test.
The instrument has been prepared by the researcher herself to collect the data based on the dependent variable namely motivation. A questionnaire on students’ motivation was constructed. The validity and reliability of the instrument was verified and tested. It was implemented before the experiment and after applying it to test where a difference in the level of motivation to learn English is. The collected data were statistically analyzed by using different statistical means.
The findings of this research show that the incidental learning is an effective strategy in motivating students to learn English as a foreign language.