English language is a lingua franca and the dominant language for international communication, research, business, and education, English stands out among the many other global languages. Therefore, this study addressed the interplay between assessment approaches, student motivation, and proficiency among undergraduate language students in a private university in Nigeria.

A survey research design was adopted for this study while total enumeration sampling method was used to select the participants of this study. A self-designed questionnaire was used for data collection. Four research questions were raised to guide the study. Analysis of data was done using descriptive statistics and simple regression analysis fixed at the .05 significant levels.

A total of 70 respondents participated in the study. Their age ranged from 20-53 years with a mean age of 36.8 years. The results show that the most common assessment approaches employed in teaching English Language are summative assessment (3.431), formative assessment (3.209), peer assessment (2.987) and self-assessment (2.339). Additionally, the overall motivation level for English proficiency was moderately high; undergraduates are proficient in English language while 34% of the total variance in the undergraduates' English proficiency is accounted for by assessment approaches employed in teaching English language and students' motivation towards English proficiency.

The study concluded that assessment modes and motivation play a significant role in English proficiency among students. Additionally, motivated students are more likely to develop effective learning habits, pursue goals with persistence, and experience a greater sense of well-being.  

Assessment approaches, motivation, proficiency, language students

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