Motivational changes in students of English at International school, Vietnam National University, Hanoi during preparatory programs = Những thay đổi trong động 20150227.PDF

iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT i ABSTRACT ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv APPENDICES vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vii PART I: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale of the study Objectives of the study Scope of the study Methods of the study Design of the study PART II DEVELOPMENT Chapter Theoretical background of motivation Definition and the nature of motivation Roles of motivation in language learning Types of motivation 3.1 Integrative motivation 3.2 Instrumental motivation 3.3 Integrative vs Instrumental motivation Factors affecting student motivation in L2 learning 10 4.1 Learner’s factors 10 4.2 Course Material Factors 11 4.3 Teacher Factors 12 Chapter Literature review 13 Chapter Methodology 16 v Subjects of the study 16 Data collection instruments 17 2.1 Questionnaire for students 17 2.2 Interviews for teachers 18 Data analysis 18 Data analysis and Findings 18 4.1 Questionnaire data 18 4.1.1 Multiple choice questions 18 4.1.2 Open-ended questions 24 4.2 Interviews with teachers 26 Discussion of the findings 32 Pedagogical implications 33 6.1 Maintain their instrumental motivation and enhance their integrative motivation 35 6.2 Care for students’ needs and interests 34 6.3 Have students participate 34 6.4 Give compliments and rewards 35 6.5 Be enthusiastic, helpful, friendly and tolerant 35 PART III CONCLUSION 36 Recapitulation of the main ideas 36 1.1 Summary of the theories 36 1.2 Summary of the research procedure 36 1.3 Summary of the findings 37 1.3.1 Students’ motivational changes 37 1.3.2 Techniques and activities used by teachers 37 Limitations and suggestions for further studies 38 vi APPENDICES APPENDIX A III APPENDIX B VII vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS IS: International School VNU: Vietnam National University, Hanoi EFL: English as a foreign language L2: Second Language The L2 in this study refers to English which is taught at IS PART I: INTRODUCTION Rationale of the study Students‟ orientations and motivation to learn English sharply diverge Harmer (2001) contends that some have a clear goal inspired by a strong extrinsic motivation Others have an internal motivation that has fired them up Others still may have a weak goal or motivation Students with no clear goals fail to know what they really want from learning English As a result, some become de-motivated Thus, they lack a framework for assigning significance to what they learn and it is a case for a lot of students at IS, VNU From a centre-sized school, International School, VNU has developed both in size and quality with more and more students each intake every year However, it does not necessarily mean students have found their motivation in here They come to IS for a variety of reasons, but above all, IS does not take students through University Entrance Exam so it is a second chance for the majority of those failing other Universities Therefore, it is a fact that when students first come to IS, many of them lose selfconfidence, either because of embarrassment of failing the university entrance exam or low level of English or unfamiliarity with foreign teachers and so on, which makes class environment and teacher-student relationship stressful Authority and lecturers at IS have gone different length to encourage students to learn, with a hope that their students can find their confidence, and develop both instrumental and integrative motivation With a number of foreign lecturers, dedicated teachers, modern facilities and student-centered methodology, students at IS have seen in themselves certain changes in their purposes and study methods and consequently, levels of English competence A lot of students, from knowing nothing about English and hating the language, have become interested in English lessons, talking to foreigners and even reading books in English Therefore, an analysis of their motivation and motivational changes during their study at IS will be conducted to determine whether instrumental or integrative motivation is the preference of IS students, thus eventually give some suggestions to make IS students more confident and eager in their study Objectives of the study This study is carried out to meet the following objectives: 1) Analyze the reasons why many students not have motivation when they first come to IS 2) Analyze changes in the levels of motivation after students have studied there for a certain time 3) Offer options to raise students‟ levels of motivation Scope of the study The study only focuses on an overview of current situation of English learning among students of Preparatory programs at IS Students‟ motivation will be analyzed with a hope to identify reasons making those students reluctant to learn, different ways teachers use to motivate them to eventually give some suggestions that can be useful for teachers and authority at IS to increase students‟ interest in learning English Methods of the study To achieve the aims of the study, the researcher uses survey research and both quantitative and qualitative methods are used in completing the following tasks: - Collecting data for the analysis through a questionnaire from 50 students of Preparatory Programs - Collecting data for the analysis through interviews from teachers teaching at Preparatory Programs All comments, remarks, recommendations and conclusion are based on the data analysis Design of the study The result will be presented in three parts The first part, INTRODUCTION, presents the rationale, the aims, scope, methods, design of the study and definition of key terms The second part, DEVELOPMENT, includes three chapter: Theoretical Background presents concepts relevant to the topic such as definition of motivation, roles of motivation in language learning, types of motivation, factors affecting motivation; Literature Review looks at previous studies into motivation; and Methodology provides the methodology underlying the research site which includes the general information about the study subjects and the situation of motivation at IS This chapter also focuses on the method of data collection The last part, CONCLUSION offers a recapitulation of the main ideas, limitations of the study, and suggestions for further studies PART II DEVELOPMENT Chapter Theoretical background of motivation Motivation is a key factor to influence the success of language learning and therefore, many researchers have done research on it This chapter is concerned with some of the most important issues in the theories of motivation Definition and the nature of motivation Motivation is not easy to understand or explain; whenever we feel a desire of need for doing something, we are motivated Different people are motivated by different things and motivation is some kind of internal drive that encourages somebody to pursue a course of action (Harmer 1991: 3) In the literature on motivation, very rarely is one single, integrated definition of motivation included Instead, the focus is what specific factors work together to create motivation Ellis (1994), in an overview of research on motivation, simply asserted that motivation affects the extent to which language learners persevere in learning, what kinds of behavior they exert, and their actual achievement Wlodwoski explained motivation as “the processes that can (a) arouse and instigate behavior, (b) give direction or purpose to behavior, (c) continue to allow behavior to persist, and (d) lead to choosing or preferring a particular behavior” (1985, p 2) Gardner was one of the pioneering researchers in second language acquisition to focus on motivation He chose to define motivation by specifying four aspects of motivation: a goal, effortful behavior to reach the goal, a desire to attain the goal, positive attitudes toward the goal (Gardner, 1985, p 50) Gardner and Lambert (1972) introduced the notions of instrumental and integrative motivation In the context of language learning, instrumental motivation refers to the learner‟s desire to learn a language or travel for utilitarian purposes (such as employment), whereas integrative motivation refers to the desire to learn a language to integrate successfully into the target language community In later research studies, Crookes and Schmidt (1991), and Gardner and Tremblay (1994) explored four other motivational orientations: reasons for learning, desire to attain the learning goal, positive attitude toward the learning situation, and effortful behavior Many theorists and researchers have found that it is important to recognize the construct of motivation not as a single entity but as a multi-factorial one Oxford and Shearin (1994) analyzed a total of 12 motivational theories or models, including those from socio-psychology, cognitive development, and socio-cultural psychology, and identified six factors that impact motivation in language learning:  attitudes (i.e., sentiments toward the language community and the target language.)  beliefs about self (i.e., expectancies about one‟s attitudes to succeed, self-efficacy, and anxiety.)  goals (perceived clarity and relevance of learning goals as reasons for learning.)  involvement (i.e., extent to which the learner actively and consciously participates in the language learning process.)  environmental support (i.e., extent of teacher and peer support, and the integration of cultural and outside-of-class support into learning experience.)  personal attributes (i.e., aptitude, age, sex, and previous language learning experience) Concerning the learner attitudes toward the target language, it was indicated by Gardner that language learners with positive attitudes towards the speakers and culture of the language were more successful in learning the language than those who have negative attitudes He also argued that the learning of a second language is dependent upon the learners‟ willingness to identify with the culture of the target language and to incorporate aspects of the target language culture into his or her own behavior In short, although there are numerous different definitions of motivation, it is commonly thought of as “the process of arousing, directing, and maintaining behavior” (Burden 1994:261) Roles of motivation in language learning Motivation and learning is the study of how to harness learners‟ intrinsic interest – their inherent curiosity and sense of wonder about the world – to help them learn (Lepper 1998: 2) It is widely accepted that motivation has played an important part in language acquisition Several experts on motivation and language learning have emphasized the significance of this topic According to Gardner and Lambert (1972), motivation to learn a language is grounded in positive attitudes towards the language community and in a desire to communicate with valued members of that community and become similar to them Gardner (1985: P.45) ilustrated that motivation refers to the combination of effort plus desire to achieve the goal of learning the language plus favorable attitudes toward learning the language He believed that motivation to learn a foreign language is determined by basic predispositions and personity characteristics such as the learner‟s attitudes toward foreign people in general, and the target group and language in particular, motives for learning and generalized attitudes Moreover, Littlewood (1995: P53) noted that in language learning as in every other filed of human learning, motivation is the crucial force which determines whether a learner embarks on task at all, how much energy he devotes to it and how long he perserves It is a complex phenomenon which includes many components: the individual‟s drive, need for achievement and success, curiosity, desire for stimulation and new experience, and so on Gardner (1985: P10) defined motivation for language learning as “the extent to which an 30 teachers have noticed a higher level of motivation, as long as students found interest in the topics or activities Moreover, they would be more eager if their effort was recorded and appreciated by teachers, which could be seen via teachers‟ compliments and praises Ms Huong said it was difficult to have a general comment for all students as they differ from each other Most students, whether much or less, were aware of the importance of learning English in Preparatory programs but an important thing is how they made this awareness into real actions Some were trying their best to complete this program and they started to love English, and they learned it as a hobby Some also tried to learn but with the only reason for passing exams Ms Huyen shared the same ideas with Ms Huong in these cases She mentioned that her students had both integrative and instrumental motivation, although not many students had integrative motivation (some wished to join English activities, some expected to go abroad, some hoped to meet and speak to foreigners, some dreamt of being able to read original novels in English) Most students hoped to pass exams and get good degree after finishing Preparatory Programs, that was instrumental reasons Ms Van said motivation is a problem at IS, from the beginning of the course, many students were already demotivated, so it took time to change their attitudes and perceptions of learning English there Some students were seen becoming motivated the others still could not find their goals and interest It was a difficult task for teachers to motivate students and maintain the motivating support through the course Discussion of the findings From the data, it seems that the students tend to learn English at International school for instrumental reasons (86% believed a good command of English was inevitable for their higher study at University Programs and they could get good jobs after graduation Almost the same percentage (84%) was studying English as a compulsory subject at school and they had no choice Only a certain number of students learn English 31 as an internal interest It is quite understandable as every student‟s objective is to pass exams and have good jobs It is also noticed that after studying at IS for a time, both teachers and students themselves realize changes in their motivation Many students who failed University entrance exams or knew almost nothing about English now have found their motivation here (at least they hope to get good results in exams) However, some students remained unchanged and they said they could never learn English or be interested in English Also from the interviews with teachers and questionnaire for students, a number of factors that can motivate students to learn English have been found One of the top important things is teacher‟s roles From students‟ view, most IS teachers are friendly, enthusiastic and help them a lot in their study Other factors are students themselves, the learning environment, the variety of topics and activities Class activities should be various and suit students‟ interest and levels and the topics (both inside and outside textbooks should be interesting enough.) Students, at the same time, express their hope for the school to change some things in order to make them motivated One controversial idea is about native speakers While a majority of students would like to have more foreign teachers, the others would not It may be because they cannot catch up with what the native teachers say in class Students also call for more extra activities so that they can meet and talk to each other and to foreigners to improve their spoken English At present, except for some activities held by IS English Club with limited number of students joining, there is hardly any activities for students of the whole school to take part in Therefore, in the future, it is necessary to have occasion for a large-scale activity Pedagogical implications From what has been found in the study of the recent situation in Preparatory Programs at IS, it is recommended that the teachers at IS the folowing: 32 6.1 Maintain their instrumental motivation and enhance their integrative motivation As seen from the data analysis, most students possess the motivation to pass exams and get to University Programs, which is needed for every language students and teachers should always support this by providing students with a wide range of vocabulary, grammar points, techniques for each language skill so that students can realize their dreams Besides, it is necessary for teachers to build up students‟ love for the language by using games, songs and introducing some cultural features of English people and countries 6.2 Satisfy students’ needs and interests Students are motivated when they find the lessons interesting, so what teachers should is to suit their teaching methods with students‟ needs and levels For low-level students, it‟s better to speak slowly and explain everything in detailed For high-level students, free discussions, presentations can be appealing However, it is not the rule, from lessons to lessons; teachers should discover which method is students‟ preference Also, textbook can be adapted by cutting unsuitable parts and adding needed ones to avoid giving students the feeling that learning at school is no difference from buying a book home and self-study Also, from the questionnaire for students, they express their hope to have extra activities, so it will be best if teachers and the school can organize a large-scale activity so that all students interested in English can take part in For example, instead of monthly meeting of IS English club in a hall, the meeting with native speakers can be held on the school playground inviting everyone to come Or, writing contests on interesting topics can be spread to every class and every student 6.3 Get the students involved in class activities One of the major keys to motivation is the active involvement of students in their own learning Standing in front of them and lecturing to them is not a good idea at all It is 33 better to get students involved in activities, group problem solving exercises, helping to decide what to and the best way to it, helping the teacher, working with each other, or in some other way getting physically involved in the lesson A lesson about nature, for example, would be more effective walking outdoors than looking at pictures 6.4 Be willing to give compliments and rewards Everyone likes praises when they something right so teacher, instead of finding fault with students‟ answers or criticizing their mistakes, should be ready to give compliments when their students get right responses By such simple words as “Very good!”, “Great!” teachers will give students belief in themselves and the hope to get more praises Also, sometimes teachers can use small rewards as positive reinforcement for learning advancements and good behavior Give out little treats to students who earn high scores on their homework and tests, or provide a modest prize for the winners of group games These small gifts can wonders in motivating students to try hard from that time on 6.5 Show more enthusiastism, helpfulness, friendliness and tolerance Teachers‟ attitudes and characteristics play an important role in deciding students‟ motivation to learn Once teachers can give their students the feelings that they are dedicated to the teaching and students and they are ready to listen to students‟ problems, students will highly appreciate and try to learn well in return During lessons, teachers should work round the class to check students‟ work and give support when needed Try to give students the feelings of ease and comfort with a smiling face rather than anger Also, teachers should be tolerant of students‟ mistakes After mistakes, teacher should spend time explain and give example again instead of criticizing 34 PART III CONCLUSION Recapitulation of the main ideas 1.1 Summary of the theories The study presented concepts relevant to the topic such as definition of motivation, roles of motivation in language learning, types of motivation, factors affecting motivation It also looked at previous studies into two types of motivation: integrative motivation and instrumental motivation 1.2 Summary of the research procedures The study permitted an investigation of Motivational changes among students of English at International School, Vietnam National University, Hanoi during Preparatory Programs with a view to analyzing the situation of students‟ demotivation when they first come to IS, finding reasons for this situation, noticing any changes after students have studied there for a certain time to finally offer suggestions to raise their levels of motivation The study gave an overview of what motivation is, its roles in language learning, types of motivation, and factors affecting motivation Also, the study looked at previous studies by famous researchers which investigated carefully two types of motivation: integrative and instrumental In the study, the participants were 50 students and teachers of English Preparatory Programs at IS Special care was taken to select a mixture of students from all levels, from beginner to upper-intermediate The three teachers were chosen in interviews to see students in the eyes of the instructors In order to fulfill the objectives of the study, questionnaire for students, interviews for teachers were used The questionnaire included multiple choice questions Open- 35 ended questions were also added Then, the data was analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods In the light of the analyses made, the following implications and suggestions were made 1.3 Summary of the findings The findings of the study will be summarized on the following aspects: 1.3.1 Students’ motivational changes It was concluded from students‟ responses in the questionnaire and teachers‟ evaluation in the interviews that students themselves and teachers noticed certain changes in students‟ motivation to learn English From being demotivated as a result of failing University entrance exam, many students have found their interest in IS, VNU, with foreign teachers, devoted teachers, good friends, modern facilities, etc However, it is observed that there still remain quite a number of students who cannot find the joy of learning, no matter what teachers and the school have done Anyway, the major kind of motivation for IS students to learn English is instrumental motivation Most of them are learning to pass exams, complete the Preparatory Programs and move forward to University Programs, some good students are trying hard to get scholarships from the school A necessity for communicating with English speaking people was not regarded as their main reason, though some students said that they are keen on meeting and speaking to foreigners 1.3.2 Techniques and activities that should be used by teachers In order to stimulate students to learn English, teachers at IS should try different ways Firstly, it is important to encourage students to develop both integrative and instrumental motivation Also, the teachers should maintain the students‟ interests by integrating games between lessons to relieve students from stress and tiredness, and creating interesting topics to suit students‟ needs Materials are also adapted to match their levels of English 36 At the same time, a variety of activities like team work, group discussions, and role plays should be carried out frequently Moreover, teachers are ready to give students compliments and praises if they volunteer answers or something right and try to avoid complain or criticism if they give wrong answers Above all, the teachers need to give their students the impression that they are tolerant, friendly and enthusiastic Limitations of the study Since the study has been confined to the scope of an M.A thesis, much remains to be done First, the study only carries out an investigation into the motivation changes in students of Preparatory Programs, not in a larger scale Thus, to some extent, the findings may not be generalized to all students at IS Second, there are many types of factors affecting student motivation, and thus, many ways for teachers to motivate their students to learn but the number of factors and techniques in this study are still limited Third, all the findings are based on the responses of students and teachers in the questionnaire and interview, so they may not be as vivid and reliable as the researcher‟s observations of real classes Suggestions for further studies The mentioned limitations call for further research The first suggestion for those interested in motivation of IS students is to carry out a larger-scale research in the whole school, including Preparatory Programs and University Programs to have more general findings and conclusion 37 It is also recommended that the further study take a deeper investigation into techniques used by teachers to motivate students to learn, especially tips in organizing and conducting activities in a language class Besides, in order to have a more objective and vivid look, researchers can observe some classes to eyewitness how motivated the students are and what the teachers then counter check what they response in the questionnaire and interviews REFERENCES Benson, M.J (1991) Attitudes and motivation towards English : A survey of Japanese freshmen RELC Journal, 22(1), 34-48 Brown, H.D (2000) Principles of language learning and teaching (4th ed.) Englewood Cliffs NJ: Prentice-Hall 38 Clement, R., Dornyei, Z., & Noel, K A (1994) Motivation, self-confidence, and group cohesion in the foreign language classroom Language learning, 44(3), 417-448 Cook, V 2001.Second Language Learning and Language Teaching (3rd ed.) London: ARNOLD Cottrell, S 2001 Teaching Study Skills and Supporting Learning Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Crooks, G and Schmidt, R 1991 Motivation: Reopening the Research Agendas Language Learning, 41 Dilts, R (1990) Changing Belief Systems with NLP, Meta Publications Ellis, R 1994 The study of Second Language Acquisition United Kingdom: Open University Press, 509-517 Falk, J (1978) Linguistics and language : A survey of basic concepts and implications (2nd ed.) John Wiley and Sons Gardner, 1985 Social Psychology and Second Language Learning: The Role of Attitudes and Motivation London: ARNOLD Gardner, R.C and Lambert, W.E 1972 Attitudes and Motivation in Second Language Learning Rowley: Newbury House Publishers Gardner, R.C Day, and Tremblay, P.F 1994 „ On Motivation, Research Agendas, and Theoretical Framework.‟ Modern Language Journal 78 Gibbs, G (1992) Improving the Quality of Student Learning Bristol: Technical and Educational Services Harmer, J 2001 The Practice of English Language Teaching (3rd ed) London: Longman 39 Hyland, K (1997) Language attitudes at the handover: communication and identity in 1997 Hong Kong English World-Wide, 18(2), 191-210 Lambert, W.E (1974) Culture and language as factors in learning and education In F E Aboud & R.D Meade (Eds.) Cultural Factors in Learning and Education Bellingham, Washington: Fifth Western Washington Symposium on Learning Lepper, M.R (1998) A whole much less than the sum of its parts American Psychologist, 53, 675-676 Littlewood, W (1995) Foreign and Second Language Learning Cambridge:CUP Lukmani, Y.M (1972) Motivation to learn and language proficiency Language Learning, 22, 261-273 Oxford, R.L & Shearin, J (1994) Language learning motivation: expanding the theoretical framework Modern Language Journal, 78, 12-28 Wlodwoski, R J (1985) Enhancing adult motivation to learn San Fransisco: Jossey Bass I APPENDIX A QUESTIONNAIRE This questionnaire is designed to gather relevant data for a postgraduate study on “Motivational changes among students of English at International School, Vietnam National University, Hanoi during Preparatory Programs” The findings of the study are hoped to contribute to the motivation of learning English for various purposes The truthfulness of your responses will make contribution to the validity of the study You are, therefore, kindly requested to provide accurate information and to be honest in your responses Any information you provide in this questionnaire will be kept strictly confidential and it will be used only for this study Thank you for sparing your time and effort to fill in the questionnaire I What is your English learning at IS like? Please tick the responses that best suit you (You can tick more than one response.) How important is English to you? A Very important B Quite important C Not very important D Not important at all Why are you learning English at Preparatory Programs – IS? A It’s a compulsory subject at my school B Learning English is enjoyable experience C I will need it for my education at University Programs and get a good job later D It will make me a more knowledgeable person E I like meeting and speaking to a variety of people II F Others What you like about studying at IS? A Native teachers B Useful knowledge C Interesting lessons D Devoted teachers E Good facilities F Others What you dislike about studying at IS? A Boring textbooks B Difficult tasks C Too much homework D Lack of facilities E Teachers’ attitudes F Others In English classes, when you learn best? A Never B When I work individually C When I work in pairs or groups D When we play games or listen to songs E When I practice what my teachers has taught F Others What you think of homework and assignment? A It is a waste of time B I not think it helps me much III C It’s a good chance to revise what I have learned in class D It’s great to complete it and have it checked and explained by teachers E I think there shouldn’t be too much Beside homework, what you to improve your English? A Practice speaking with foreigners as much as possible B Learn English online C Read English books, newspapers and materials D Watch videos or films in English E I nothing else F Others What you expect IS to change to motivate you to learn English? A It’s no use changing B Have more native teachers C Have fewer native speakers D Have more interesting topics E Have extra activities F Others II Please answer the following questions about the level of motivation you are in and changes during the time you are at IS How long have you been at IS? How did you feel when you first come to IS? After a certain time at IS, have your feelings changed? If yes, how? IV Which factor(s) at IS you think is the most important to motivate you to study? (Teachers, facilities, ) Why? Which factor(s) can kill your motivation to learn? Explain your opinion APPENDIX B INTERVIEW FOR LECTURERS V What are your students’ goals in learning English? Which part of the course you think your students are most/ least interested in? How you try to stimulate your students’ motivation to learn English? When your students have difficulty understanding something in the class, what they try to do? Are your students afraid or reluctant to volunteer answers in class? What you to encourage them to be confident? When it comes to English homework, how they it? If you want someone to extra assignment or present some topics, what are your students’ responses? What can you honestly say about the motivation of your students in learning English? ... an investigation of Motivational changes among students of English at International School, Vietnam National University, Hanoi during Preparatory Programs with a view to analyzing the situation... students of English at International School, Vietnam National University, Hanoi during Preparatory Programs? ?? The findings of the study are hoped to contribute to the motivation of learning English. .. either of the two motivational orientations 3.3 Integrative vs Instrumental motivation While both integrative and instrumental motivations are of great importance in students? ?? success, integrative