Issues in Language Studies (Vol 11 No 2, 2022) 1 A STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELLING (SEM) INVESTIGATION OF THE L2 LEARNING MODEL OF MOTIVATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AMONG TAHFIZ STUDENTS Hazlina ABDULLAH* Mikail IBRAHIM Haliza HARUN Hazleena BAHARUN Maziahtusima ISHAK Suraini MOHD ALI Faculty of Major Language Studies, Universiti Sains Islam, Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia 1 hazlina@usim.edu.my* 2 mikail@usim.edu.my 3 haliza@usim.edu.my 4 hazleena@usim.edu.my 5 mshima@usim.edu.my 6 suraini@usim.edu.my Manuscript received 23 December 2021 Manuscript accepted 19 November 2022 *Corresponding author https://doi.org/10.33736/ils.4359.2022 ABSTRACT This study explores the motivation of learning English among students in selected Tahfiz government and state schools in Malaysia. Questionnaires adapted from Dornyei (2004), with an additional construct, were administered to 1,017 students aged 13 to 17. Exploratory Factor Analyses (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with Robust Maximum Likelihood estimation technique (MLR) were used. From the SEM analysis, a new model of motivation in learning English among Tahfiz students is proposed. The study discovered that attitudes towards community, promotion, prevention, parental encouragement, interest, Islamic values, ideal L2 self,