EMPOWERING ESL STUDENT TUTORS' LEARNING MOTIVATION AND SPEAKING PERFORMANCE THROUGH COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT

Many ESL students even at tertiary level are reluctant to communicate in English. One of the reasons is they lack the skill and confidence to do so and become apprehensive when asked to speak English in public. Such an attitude could be due to the lack of opportunities to participate in English- based activities that provide them a chance to practice speaking in the language, especially in authentic situations. In order to empower ESL students' learning motivation and speaking performance they are encouraged to be involved in community service projects. The aim is to upgrade the students' social and academic development. The study looks at how a group of 30 ESL students', from Universiti Teknologi MARA Johor Branch, involvement in the university's community service project as ESL student tutors for younger students has helped them to be more motivated to improve their own English speaking performance as well as their attitude towards community service volunteerism.