Demotivation in learning English of the students of Ly Thai To High School in Bac Ninh = Sự mất hứng thú học tiếng Anh của học sinh trường THPT Lý Thái Tổ, Bắc 20150227

iii ABSTRACTS This study was aimed at investigating de-motivating factors in learning English of the students at Ly Thai To High School in Bac Ninh, the degree of influence of different de-motives on them and their experiences in overcoming de-motivation in learning English The sample of study consisted of 100 students at Ly Thai To High School in Bac Ninh and the instrument of the study was a questionnaire on finding their foreign language learning experiences These findings indicated that their demotivation in learning English was a significant issue for EFL learning, and a framework for discussing the different sources of de-motives was developed While some categories of de-motives occurred more frequent than others, no category appeared to be more or less difficult to overcome Rather these, students’ awareness of the role of English language and their determination to succeed were critical factors in overcoming their de-motivation in learning English iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Certification of originality of project report i Acknowledgements ii Abstract iii Table of contents iv List of abbreviations vi List of tables vii Part A: Introduction 1 Rationale Aims of the study Research questions Scope of the study Methodology Part B: Development Chapter 1: Literature review 1.1 Second language acquisition 1.1.1 What is “second language acquisition?” 1.1.2 What are the goals of SLA? 1.2 Theoretical background of motivation 1.2.1 Conceptions of motivation 1.2.2 Motivation in foreign language learning 1.3 Theoretical background of de-motivation 12 1.3.1 Conceptions of de-motivation 12 v 1.3.2 De-motivating factors affecting students’ motivation in learning foreign languages 13 13 1.3.2.1 Factors related to students 15 1.3.2.2 Factors related to environment 16 1.3.2.3 Factors related to teachers 18 1.3.2.4 Teaching and learning conditions 19 1.4 Study of de-motivation 24 1.5 Summary 24 Chapter 2: Research methodology 24 2.1 Research questions 24 2.2 Subjects 25 2.3 Method for data collection 26 Chapter 3: Results and discussion 26 3.1 Results 26 3.1.1 Results of research question 27 3.1.2 Results of research question 29 3.1.3 Results of research question 30 3.2 Discussion 33 Part C: Conclusion and implications for teaching 37 Conclusion 37 Implications for teaching 37 Limitations and further study 39 References 40 Appendix I vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS SLA: Second Language Acquisition EFL: English as a Foreign Language FL: Foreign Language L1: First Language L2: Second Language NNS: Non-Native Speaking vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Dornyei’s (1994) framework of L2 motivation (Adapted from Dornyei, 2001) Table 2: William and Burden’s (1997) framework of L2 motivation Table 3: External de-motivating factors Table 4: Internal de-motivating factors Table 5: Internal reasons for overcoming de-motivation Table 6: External reasons for overcoming de-motivation PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale There is a long history of the study of motivation in language learning Research results indicate that motivation is one of the main factors determining an individual’s success in learning a second (L2) or foreign language (FL) (Dornyei, 1990, 2001a, 2001b) Research has also shown that motivation is crucial for L2 learning (Dornyei, 1994) because it directly influences how many efforts students make, how often students use L2 learning strategies, how much students interact with native speakers, how much input they receive in the language being learned, how well they curriculum-related achievement tests, how high their general proficiency level becomes, and how long they preserve and maintain L2 skills after language study is over (Ely, 1986a, 1986b) However, as important as motivation is, it is clearly not the only factor related to L2 and FL learning This has become particularly apparent in a world where intercultural communication and foreign language learning have become an increasingly necessity for many people As English has become more and more important as an international language in most countries around the world, large numbers of students are being required to learn it through compulsory programs at schools and universities Yet, despite its apparent utility as a lingua franca or a world language (Brutt-Grifler, 2002), and the fact that students must pass final examinations, many students have failed to learn it successfully This situation also applies to the students in the countries where learning foreign languages is compulsory, but where the drop out rates in courses, once compulsion ends, are very large, in some cases being so significant that the viability of teaching some of these languages is undermined In the countries like the United States and Australia (Hornberger, 2005), students literally drop out of foreign language study, while in the countries like China, Japan and Vietnam students either mentally withdraw or look for strategies to pass the required exams with a minimum of effort Are these examples of resistance to language learning (Canagarajah, 1999), a lack of motivation, or might some other factors be involved, particularly as a part of language teaching and learning process? Based on our own experience, we supposed that de-motivation is the factor that accounts for some of these problems, but it has not been adequately investigated Thus, this study is the first step in defining and testing the impact of this construct in a specific context As a starting point for investigating this question, and as a way of trying to define what this concept might consist of, we have chosen to an intensive grounded theory study in a controlled situation in Vietnam Despite the current extrinsic pressures to learn English as a foreign language in Vietnam, many students don’t seem to have interest in learning English, or in other words, they are quite de-motivated In both cases, their achievement in English as a foreign language has been negatively affected While those without any interest in English might possibly be motivated to improve by applying conventional and available language teaching solutions, including motivational techniques (see, e.g., Ho,1998), the problem faced by the latter group is more complicated as it requires that a critical look be taken at the underlying causes of de-motivation to ensure they are properly understood so that effective solutions to the problem can be devised I have been a teacher of English at Ly Thai To High School in Bac Ninh for fifteen years Ly Thai To is not a gifted school, however the quality of teaching and learning is quite high in comparison with other schools in this area English is a compulsory subject and there are three English periods per week, I am very sad to realize that most of the students in grade 10 are interested in learning English, but their interest is gradually reduced in grade 11, and they are almost not motivated in learning English any more when they are in grade 12 Why this happens? What factors make them de-motivated? This is the reason why I decided to choose this title of the study: ”De-motivation in learning English of the students of Ly Thai To High School in Bac Ninh” Aims of the study The study aims at: * Investigating the factors that cause a negative impact on learning English of the students at Ly Thai To High School in Bac Ninh based on the study of 100 students of grade 12 * Giving suggestions and recommendations to teachers at Ly Thai To school Research questions Question 1: What are the external factors that cause a negative impact on students’ motivation to learn English? Question 2: What are the internal factors that cause a negative impact on students’ motivation to learn English? Question 3: What solutions can help students to overcome their de-motivation? Scope of the study In terms of scope of the study, I investigated 100 students in grade 12 about the factors which de-motivated them to learn English and solutions that can help them to overcome their de-motivation (by asking them to answer the questionnaire) Methodology The method applied in this study is both quantitative and qualitative The data which this study drew on come from questionnaire (closed-items and open-items) of 100 students who are in grade 12 at Ly Thai To High School in Bac Ninh PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter is concerned with the definitions of second language acquisition, theoretical background of motivation, de-motivation, de-motivating factors affecting motivation in learning foreign language and some previous studies of de-motivation 1.1 Second language acquisition: 1.1.1 What is “second language acquisition”? “Language acquisition is one of the most impressive and fascinating aspects of human development” (Lightbrown, P.M & Spada, N 1999) Up to now, there have been many definitions of language acquisition This term is most often used interchangeable with language learning In their study, they show that according to Krashen, S (1982), acquisition represents “unconscious” learning, which takes place when attention is focused on meaning rather than language form In website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_language_acquisition on February 28th, 2008, second language acquisition is the process by which people learn a second language in addition to their native language The term “second language” is used to describe the acquisition of any language after the acquisition of the mother tongue There is also research into the similarities and differences of third language acquisition The term “language acquisition” becomes more commonly used after Krashen, S (1982) contrasted it with formal and non-constructive “learning” However, second language acquisition has become established as the preferred term for this academic discipline Through second language acquisition is often viewed as part of applied linguistics, it is typically concerned with the language system and learning process themselves, whereas applied linguistic may focus more on the experiences of the learners, particularly those in the classroom Additionally, second language acquisition has mostly examined naturalistic acquisition, where learners acquire a language with little formal training or teaching 1.1.2 What are the goals of SLA? According to Rod Ellis (1997, p.4), there are two goals of SLA: description of L2 acquisition and explanation; identifying the external and internal factors that account for why learners acquire an L2 in the way they One of the external factors is the social milieu in which learning takes place Social conditions influence the opportunities that learners have to hear and speak the language and the attitudes that they develop towards it For example, it is one thing to learn a language when you respect and are respected by native speakers of that language It is entirely different when you experience hostility from native speakers or when you wish to distance yourself from them Another external factor is the input that learners receive, that is, the samples of language to which a learner is exposed Language learning cannot occur without some input A question of considerable interest is what type of input facilitates learning For example, learners benefit more from input that has been simplified for them or from the authentic language of native-speaker communication? L2 acquisition can be explained in part of these external factors but we also need to consider internal factors Learners possess cognitive mechanisms which enable them to extract information about the L2 from the input to notice, for example, that plurality in English is conveyed by adding an –s to a noun or that the relative pronouns “who” and “which” substitute respectively for human and non-human nouns L2 learners bring an enormous amount of knowledge to the task of learning an L2 For a start, they have already learned a language (their mother tongue) and we can expect them to draw on this when they learn an L2 They also possess general ... Aims of the study The study aims at: * Investigating the factors that cause a negative impact on learning English of the students at Ly Thai To High School in Bac Ninh based on the study of 100 students. .. What factors make them de-motivated? This is the reason why I decided to choose this title of the study: ”De-motivation in learning English of the students of Ly Thai To High School in Bac Ninh? ??... to the problem can be devised I have been a teacher of English at Ly Thai To High School in Bac Ninh for fifteen years Ly Thai To is not a gifted school, however the quality of teaching and learning