International Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Studies Volume 2, Issue 5, May 2015, PP 52-58 ISSN 2394-6288 (Print) & ISSN 2394-6296 (Online) *Address for correspondence muriungip@yahoo.com International Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Studies V2 ● I5 ● May 2015 52 The Influence of Motivation on Acquisition of English Language Skills among Day Secondary School Students in Imenti South District, Kenya 1 Peter Kinyua Muriungi, 2 Mercy Kimathi Mbui 1 Chuka University 2 Nkubu High School ABSTRACT English is the official language of communication in Kenya as well as the medium of instruction in schools, colleges and universities. This aspect dates back to colonial times. It is also the language of international communication. Consequently, those who master English language reap many academic, social and professional benefits. In the school setting, proficiency in English will make the learning of other subjects much easier for English language cuts across the curriculum. Therefore, right approaches to teaching and learning of English language should be put in place in order to incorporate the learners‟ needs and interests. The learner therefore needs to broaden their linguistic competence as well as communication skills to fit well in the society as far as education is concerned. In Imenti South District Day Secondary Schools, little is done to ensure that students are motivated to excel in English language. The study established that motivation influenced the acquisition of English language skills in day secondary schools. Since motivation is critical to the excelling in English among day secondary schools students, the study recommends that teachers of English should devise proper ways and methods of motivating students to excel in English. Other programs like debates and discussions should be rolled out to build confidence in students. Teaching methods that are learner based should also be used as they encourage learner participation and consequently enhance motivation levels. Keywords: motivation, acquisition of English language skills, day secondary school students INTRODUCTION English language is widely spoken in the world to a point of being referred to as a world language and while it is not an official language in most countries, it is currently the language most often taught as a foreign language. It is, by international treaty, the official language for aeronautical and maritime communications (Crystal, 1985).English a second language for most of the people of the world, has increasingly become the international language for business and commerce, science and technology and international relations and diplomacy. In fact, it is estimated that although there are only 325 million people who speak English as a native language in the world‟s 4.7 billion population, there is an additional 1.4 billion people who use English as their official language (Crystal, 1985). This revelation has prompted researchers to ask how much assistance is being provided to learners of English as a second language in order for proper acquisition to take place. Wesche and Ready (1985) point out that second language acquisition is subject to individual variation. This was detected in linguistic modification made by two English native speaker teachers teaching English to non-native speaker students. Hawkins (1985) however warns that a learner‟s response might not be reliable because non-native speakers can give signals that they understand the items they are receiving when in fact they do not understand. These are some of the unique problems that are associated with acquisition of a second language. In Kenya, English is the official language of communication together with Kiswahili. It is taught in schools as a compulsory subject. It also functions as a language of instruction in education as well as an international language for various tasks of economic development. It is also largely used for communication in the judiciary, parliamentary debates and in public administration. English language is taught in secondary schools in order to enhance communication during and also life after school.