HE IMPACT OF LEARNERS’ MOTIVATION IN ENGLISH ACQUISITION: A CASE OF NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT TRAN DAI NGHIA UNIVERSITY

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ********************* NGUYEN THANH NGA THE IMPACT OF LEARNERS’

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

*********************

NGUYEN THANH NGA

THE IMPACT OF LEARNERS’ MOTIVATION IN ENGLISH

ACQUISITION: A CASE OF NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS

AT TRAN DAI NGHIA UNIVERSITY

Nghiên cứu về ảnh hưởng của động cơ học tập đối với việc học Tiếng Anh của

học viên không chuyên tại trường Đại học Trần Đại Nghĩa

M.A MINOR THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY

CODE: 60140111

Hanoi, 2014

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL

STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

AT TRAN DAI NGHIA UNIVERSITY

Nghiên cứu về ảnh hưởng của động cơ học tập đối với việc học Tiếng Anh của học viên không chuyên tại trường Đại học Trần Đại Nghĩa

M.A MINOR THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY

CODE: 60140111

SUPERVISOR: PHAN THE HUNG, Ph.D

Hanoi, 2014

DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP

Student’s Declaration:

I, Nguyen Thanh Nga, hereby declare that the work entitled ‘The Impact of Learners’ Motivation in English Acquisition: A Case of Non-English Major Students at Tran Đai Nghia University’ is my own work I did not copy from any

other people’s works except where dues reference or acknowledgement is made explicitly in the text

Signed: _ Date: _

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am deeply indebted the Faculty of Post-graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi as an active learning environment where I have chance to receive knowledge and experience life as a post-university student Thanks to the school, I have been approached professional training and educating that is required by modern society

I would like to sincerely thank the teachers at the Post-graduate Studies for providing me with foundation as well as advanced knowledge of English language

in learning process

I am greatly indebted to PhD Phan The Hung, as my supervisor for providing me with useful techniques to carry out the study I also have accumulated helpful experience from his suggestions and valuable comments on the writing of this thesis

My appreciation is also extended to a number of members of classes DH03601 of the Faculty of Infantry Weapon and DH03801 at the Faculty of Ammunition, with their truthful answers, I can complete my research Their support is greatly appreciated

Very special thanks are due to my close friends who are Pham Le Nu Tuyet Ngan, Do Thi Tuyet Suong, Nguyen Quynh Nga With their suggestions and contributions, I had many good ideas for my research, they are my fellow-travellers who shared happiness and difficulties with me throughout this research period

And last, but by no means least, my heartfelt thanks go to the members of

my family They gave me the biggest encouragement to help me not feel pressure

to focus on this task Without whose unfailing love, understanding, encouragement, and support over time and distance, I could not have got this far

ABSTRACT

Motivation-a psychological aspect, which is considered as one of the most crucial factors in English acquisition, is very important in fostering learner’ positive attitude toward the L2 learning process However, how special the influences of motivation on non-English major students in army environment is, compared to other civilian training types Thus, this study is conducted to investigate some elements that motivate and de-motivate students in EFL courses for basic purpose at Tran Dai Nghia University, an example of military schools The data was collected through the survey questionnaires and interview of 78 students in two classes of two different faculties in order to find out what should

be considered to improve teaching and learning quality of the L2 in this school

Key words: Motivation, acquisition, motivate, de-motivate

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP i

ACKNOWLEGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

DEFINITION OF TERMS vii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS viii

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES ix

PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale 1

2 Aims of the study 2

3 Scope of the study 2

4 Methods 3

5 Design of the study 3

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 5

1.1 Motivation 5

1.1.1 Definition of motivation 5

1.1.2 Motivation in English acquisition 6

1.1.3 Classification of motivation 10

1.1.3.1 Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation 11

1.1.3.1.1 Intrinsic motivation 11

1.1.3.1.2 Extrinsic motivation 12

1.1.3.2 Integrative and instrumental motivation 12

1.1.3.2.1 Integrative motivation 12

1.1.3.2.2 Instrumental motivation 13

1.1.4 De-motivation in language acquisition 13

1.1.5 Factors that influence students’ motivation in English acquisition 14

1.1.5.1 Teacher-related factors 14

1.1.5.1.1 Professional competence 14

1.1.5.1.2 Teaching style 15

1.1.5.1.3 Commitment to teaching 15

1.1.5.2 Learner-related factors 15

1.1.5.2.1 Intelligence 15

1.1.5.2.2 Aptitude 16

1.1.5.2.3 Personality 16

1.1.5.2.4 Learning strategies 17

1.1.5.2.5 Learners’ belief 17

1.1.5.2.6 Age of acquisition 18

1.1.5.2.7 Anxiety 18

1.1.5.3 Learning condition-related factors 18

1.1.5.3.1 Physical conditions 18

1.1.5.3.2 Atmosphere in the classroom 19

1.2 Theoretical backgrounds of second language acquisition 19

1.2.1 Definition of second language acquisition 19

1.2.2 Principles of second language acquisition 21

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 23

2.1 Participants and setting of the study 23

2.1.1 Participants 23

2.1.2 Setting of the study 23

2.2 Data collection 24

2.2.1 Data collection instrument 24

2.2.2 Data collection procedure 25

2.2.3 Data analysis procedure 26

CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 27

3.1.1 Students’ attitude and reasons toward English and English acquisition 27

3.1.1.1 Students’ attitude of English 27

3.1.1.2 Types of students’ motivation in SLA 27

3.1.1.3 Students’ comments upon frequency of activities 29

3.1.2 Factors that influence students’ motivation in SLA at TDN University 30

3.1.2.1 Teacher-related factors 30

3.1.2.2 Student-related factors 32

3.1.2.3 Learning condition-related factors 34

3.2 Discussion 36

3.2.1 Techniques in teaching English at TDN University 36

3.2.2 Factors that de-motivate students’ motivation in English acquisition 37

3.3 Pedagogical implication 37

PART C: CONCLUSION 1 Conclusions of the study 39

2 Limitations of the study 40

3 Suggestions for further study 40

REFERENCES 41 APPENDICES I

APPENDIX 1 .I APPENDIX 2 IV

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Motivation: the psychological feature that orientate an action toward a desired

goal

Acquisition: cognitive process of acquire skill or knowledge

Intrinsic motivation: situated within or belonging solely to nature of something Extrinsic motivation: one kind of motivation coming from outside factors Integrative motivation: one kind of motivation related to be assimilated to target

language -spoken countries

Instrumental motivation: one kind of motivation related to use the language as

an instrument to get something

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language

TOEIC: Test of English for International Communication IELTS: International English Language Testing System ESL: English as a Second Language

SLA: Second Language Acquisition

TDN: Tran Dai Nghia

L2: Second language

IM: Intrinsic motivation

FL: Foreign language

ESP: English For Specific Purpose

EFL: English as Foreign Language

ESL: English as Second Language

LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Table 1: Gardner’s Social-Educational Model of Motivation

Table 2: William and Burden’s (1997) framework of L2 motivation

Table 3: Students' measurement of preference toward English

Table 4: Students’ reasons for English acquisition

Table 5: The applied activities suggested by the students

Table 6: Effect of teacher-related factors on students’ motivation

Table 7: The measurement of learner-related factors to learning motivation Table 8: The effect of learning-related factors toward learning motivation Table 9: Students’ feeling about learning-related factors

PART I: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale

As one of the compulsory subjects in most schools, universities, as well as institutes, English shows its importance in which the most popular language all over the world in general and in Vietnam in particular In addition, the development of the language has been admitted through the requirement of having such certificates as TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC, etc… for application in a certain company or institute; learning English is not only an opportunity but also a necessary and sufficient condition for many people

However, whether the positive attitude of learning English is shown by students for their own purposes during the process or just being considered as a normal required subject to complete a studying curriculum This is really a big reason that motivates or even though de-motivates students in the language acquisition

College of Military Technology Officer is also called Tran Dai Nghia University, Ho Chi Minh city As a teacher at Department of Basic Science,; from

my personal observation and my own teaching experience in two years, I see that during all the English lessons with a variety of activities, only some students get involved in the tasks whereas the others keep silent or do unrelated things Therefore, it is hard to find effectiveness and enthusiasm for English as foreign language learning in students’ learning

In order to find the suggestible solutions to the problem, it is essential to carry out an investigation on students’ motivation in English learning for general purpose In the field of second language acquisition (SLA), many researchers and linguists have believed that motivation plays the initial role in the percentage of success in English acquisition Whether linguistic processes can be effective despite a certain individual is really the subject-talented receptor without any motivation

For the mentioned reasons, I would like to conduct a study on ‘The Impact

of Learners’ Motivation in English Acquisition: A Case of Non-English Major Students at Tran Đai Nghia University.’ The study is to have an investigation in

how subjective and objective factors can motivate and de-motivate students’ attitude in English learning From that point, I also recommend some suggestions

to encourage non-English major students who are first year students at Tran Dai Nghia University in the language learning

2 Aims of the Study

In order to carry out the study, it begins with the aims of investigating the motivation in English acquisition for general purposes among the first year non-English students at Infantry Weapon Faculty as the representatives of military participants along with some from Information Technology Faculty, the examples

of civilian students, at Tran Dai Nghia University The research aims at the following points:

- To analyze students’ perception of the English learning for general purposes

- To evaluate the influence of students’ motivation in the language learning process in which divided into two opposite dimensions: motivating and de-motivating

- To suggest some useful tips to foster students’ motivation in English learning

The thesis aims to solve the following questions:

- What kinds of factors that motivate as well as de-motivate students’ positive attitude in English acquisition?

- What approaches should be applied inside English for general purpose classes in a military school?

3 Scope of the Study

It is said that the factors influence students in the success or failure of learning a foreign language are numerous, among them motivation can be seen as the priority aspect which is taken into account The study mainly focuses on the elements effect the students’ positive attitude during interacting with other members inside the class in Basic English courses The results of the study will be carefully considered to foster the activeness of students in the military environment at Tran Dai Nghia University, not for all of the students at universities in Vietnam

4 Method of the Study

Because the result of the study will serve the process of English teaching at the school later, a case study, which is ‘an investigation using multiple sources of evidence to study a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context’ (Bonoma et al) cited in Kaplan et al (1988, 576), is taken into account By using a variety of data sources, the study employs the qualitative and quantitative case study approach to explore the students’ perception and attitude toward English learning through activities inside the class With the following characteristics, the qualitative research is suitable for further adaption, including seeking answers to a question, systematically using a predefined set of procedures to answer the questions, collecting evidence, producing findings that were not determined in advanced, producing findings that are applicable beyond the intermediate boundaries of the study In this thesis, qualitative methods include open-ended interviewing to the students dealing with students’ attitude toward language tasks

in periods, and analysis of responses to open-ended items on a survey questionnaire According to Mackey & Gass (2005,2), ‘quantitative research generally starts with an experimental design in which a hypothesis is followed

by the quantification of data and some sort of numerical analysis is carried out’ Quantitative methods are employed to collect and analyze data from survey questionnaires After that the insights and implications of the study is gained by

5 Design of the Study

The study consists of three parts organized as follows:

Part I entitles ‘INTRODUCTION’ outlining the background of the study

in which a brief account of relevant information such as the rationale, aims, scope, methods and design of the study are provided

Part II, the ‘DEVELOPMENT’, is subdivided into three chapters

 Chapter 1 discusses the ‘LITERATURE REVIEW’, which provides

necessary and relevant theoretical concepts for the main contents of the study; they are main approaches to motivation and de-motivation

in foreign language learning

 Chapter 2: ‘METHODOLOGY’ presents the methodology

performed in the study The chapter also deals with the participants’ feature and research instruments

 Chapter 3: ‘FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION’, the analysis and

discussion on the data are based on the survey questionnaire, student interviewing, they all belong to this chapter Besides, it synthesizes the data through the collected result from the above instruments as the evidence for the process of the investigation

Part III, the ‘CONCLUSION’ provides some recommendations to foster

students’ positive attitude in language learning for general purposes and suggestions for further research

PART II: DEVELOPMENT

1.1 Motivation

1.1.1 Definition of motivation

As one of the possible needs, queries to investigate mentioned problems of

a specific activity (including what, who, why, how, ), the term ‘motivation’-

originated from the Latin root ‘movere’-which is represented by ‘why’ plays an

important role throughout the progression of these activities Belonging to the category of psychology, contemporary psychologists who have studied motivation have paid much attention to this as determined aspect in a variety of fields

For everyday usage, it is definitely hard to determine the definition of motivation Being considered as a very complicated phenomenon with variety of aspects, according to Gardner (2006), it is impossible to determinate exactly what definition of motivation is In some cases, it is defined as answers of questions why a person does something; why an individual pursues his or her aims and objectives in way of initiating his/her behavior, continuing effort toward a goal even though undesirable obstacles may exit

In his former research, he chose to define motivation through specifying four aspects of motivation:

- a goal

- effortful behaviour to reach the goal

- a desire to attain the goal

- positive attitudes toward the goal (Gardner, 1985)

In addition, the term ‘motivation’ has been treated differently by various thoughts, Brown (2000), stated that motivation in behavior perspective is defined

as someone’s feeling of expectation of the last recompense, for examples

Besides that, in their own field, cognitivists analyze the role of motivation which is related to the learner’s decisions, that can be seen by Gardner (2007, 11)

in his saying, ‘the choices people make as to what experiences or goals, they will approach or avoid, and the degree or effort they exert in that respect’

Dörnyei (1998,117) pointed out that ‘Motivation is no longer seen as a reflection of certain inner forces such as instincts, volition, will, and psychical energy; neither is tie viewed in strictly behavioral term as a function of stimuli and reinforcement.’

Wlodwoski (1985) explained motivation as the processes that can arouse and instigate behaviour, give direction or purpose to behaviour, continue to allow behaviour to persist, and lead to choosing or preferring a particular behaviour

In case of a cognitive perspective, Burden (1197) assumed that motivation relates to such issues as reasons why people manage to behave in certain ways, what factors influence the option they choose, and it involves what students decide

as the reasons for attempting to achieve something

Motivation, from the above perceptions, can be understood as a psychological condition among the variety of aspects, which leads people to achieve a goal in a particular situation It is defined from making decision, forceful aspects in conducting their mission, and wondering for the last reward

1.1.2 Motivation in English acquisition

It can be sure that long-term goals for proficient learning achievement are hard to accomplish, even individuals with the most remarkable abilities without any sufficient motivation

In learning a second language, a number of linguists discussed motivation They stated very different points of view about interest in foreign languages, orientation, and attitudes toward the learning situation

One of the noticeable perceptions should be mentioned is Gardner’s, he has

a distinction between language learning motivation and classroom learning motivation when discussing about the term The first one is ‘considered in the socio-educational model of second language acquisition, the social context model,

the self-determination model, the willingness to communicate model, and the extended motivational framework to name a few’

The following table describes what he gives more explanation the first among the above list that serves for the second language acquisition:

Table 1: Gardner’s Social-Educational Model of Motivation (Adapted from Dörnyei, (1994)

(can include an evaluation of a language teacher or course)

A great contribution to keep in mind belongs to Dörnyei (1994) (about of his conceptualization of a general framework of L2 motivation:

 The Language level is described in two broad motivational subsystems:

integrative motivational subsystem and instrumental motivational subsystem

 The learner level includes two components: need for achievement;

self-confidence which is about language use anxiety, perceived L2 competence, casual attributions and self-efficacy

 Learning situation level is constructed from

 Course specific motivational components consists of four elements: interest (in the course), relevant (of the course to one’s needs), expectancy (of success), satisfaction (one has in the outcome)

 Teacher specific motivational components relates to afflictive motive; authority type; direct socialization of student motivation which are modeling, task presentation and feedback

 Group specific motivational components is concerned with orientedness, norm and reward system, group cohesion, classroom goal structure

goal-Crookes and Schmidt (1991) classify L2 learning motivation into four areas:

 The micro level: involves the cognitive processing of L2 input At the

micro level learner motivation is evidenced by the amount of attention given to the input

 The classroom level: tenets of expectancy-value and self-deterministic

theories are applied to the level stating that the expectancy of success and amount of control over activities contributes to learner motivation

 The syllabus level: refers to the choice of content presented and can

influence motivation by the level of curiosity and interest aroused in the students

 Outside the classroom level: involve informal interaction in the L2 and

long term factors

In addition to this, Williams and Burden (1997) also contribute into the system of perceptions about motivation in language learning

Table 2: William and Burden’s (1997) framework of L2 motivation

(Adapted from Dörnyei, 2001)

Intrinsic interest of activity

Perceived value of activity

- Personal relevance

- anticipated value of outcome

- intrinsic value attributed to the

activity

The nature of interaction with significant others

- mediated learning experiences

- the nature and amount of feedback

- rewards

- the nature and amount of appropriate praise

- punishments, sanctions Sense of agency

- locus of causality

- locus of control RE process and

outcomes

- ability to set appropriate goals

The learning environment

- comfort

- resources

- time of the day, week, year

- size of class, school

- class and school ethos Mastery

- feelings of competence

- awareness of developing skills and

mastery in a chosen area

- self efficacy

The broader context

- wider family networks

- the local education system

- conflicting interests

- cultural norms

- societal expectations and attitudes Self-concept

- realistic awareness of personal

strengths and weaknesses in skills

required

- personal definitions and judgments

of success and failure

- self-worth concern

-learned helplessness

Attitudes

- to language learning in general

- to the target language

- to the target community and culture

Other affective states

- confidence

- anxiety, fear

Developmental age and stage

Gender

Accordingly, Park (2002) believes that motivation shapes as the total sum

of those elements of credence related to language learning environment such as the target languages, their culture, the teachers, the learning task, and the supporting materials, etc…

Gardner and Lambert’s theory argues that to have motivation in order to learn an L2, it is required to have a positive attitude towards the L2 community and even though it is essential for learners to have a desire to become a member of that community (Clement et al., 1994)

Ebata (2008) declares in Naghmeh (2012) that motivation creates space in which the communicators show off their successful L2 capacity through giving them the self-confidence

To sum up, despite the diversity in the arguments of psychologists and linguists, motivation is an important element that represents for learners’ desires, needs and it is ruled over by internal and external aspects

1.1.3 Classification of motivation

Each linguist and psychologist suggests his/her own points when discussing the different concepts of motivation, , The Social Psychological period was marked by the early work of Robert Gardner and Wallace Lambert (1959) in

into two main categories, integrative motivation and instrumental motivation In the late 1980s and early 1990s two new concepts were introduced and explored, Deci and Ryan’s Self- Determination Approach (1985, in Ryan & Deci, 2000), which is based on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation The following parts will be taken into accounts by investigating them through their perceptions

1.1.3.1 Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

1.1.3.1.1 Intrinsic motivation

Some linguists have defined the origin of intrinsic motivation; it comes from the satisfaction about the enjoyment of the process of increasing one’s competency about particular academic tasks individually (Deci & Ryan 2000; Walker, Greene, & Mansell, 2006)

Wu describes ‘the characteristics as an individual being motivated to act on

an activity for the pure joy that accompanies such activity without any external factors or motives’ (2003,502) For example, a student takes part in a language course and is enthusiastic in completing given tasks because of his or her own enjoyment without pressure even though positive and negative force from outside agents could be considered to have intrinsic motivation Learners learning a language with intrinsic motivation are motivated for the reason of their enjoyment

of gaining competence and the pleasure that the activities can have producing new language

Furthermore, the intrinsic motivation is also subdivided into three types according to Junko (2005:45):

 Intrinsic motivation to know which is abbreviated by IM-knowledge

referring to the reason of taking part in an activity for the pleasure of developing knowledge or new idea

 Intrinsic motivation toward accomplishment, the accomplishment which is ‘the feeling associated with attempting to realize

IM-a goIM-al or mIM-aster IM-a tIM-ask’

 IM-stimulation that stands for intrinsic motivation for experience stimulation ‘relating to motivation based on the sensations stimulated by

doing a task, i.e., fun and excitement’

Coming from the internal reasons or goals that give rise to an action in general and in language acquisition in particular, intrinsic motivation refers to doing something- willingly participating in each language task, enthusiastically interacting with peers inside the classroom, etc… because it is inherently interesting or enjoyable

1.1.3.1.2 Extrinsic motivation

In contrast to intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation is motivation induced by rewards or punishment dependent upon success or failure in the task (Deci & Ryan 2000; Walker, Greene, & Mansell, 2006)

From Junko’s point of view (2005, 45), ‘extrinsic motivation includes three different kinds which are external regulation, introjected regulation and identified regulation.’

Schmidt et al (1996) gives the definition of this kind of motivation as motivation to obtain external rewards from the activity itself

Forgetting the incident enjoyment of learning the language, extrinsic motivation emphasizes the awareness of getting desired outcome as a goal

1.1.3.2 Integrative motivation and Instrumental motivation

Although two different perceptions of the field were analyzed, the students here trend to follow the below types in which English is studied to provide them with more instrument for further study in the future

1.1.3.2.1 Integrative motivation

The Gardnerian theory of L2 learning motivation cited in Liuolienė et al (2006, 94) proposes that ‘integrative orientation refers to a learner’s desire to learn more about the cultural community of the target language or to assimilate to some degree in the target community’

In other words, it reflects the learner’s willingness or desire to be like a representative member of the other language community (Gardner & Lambert, 1972) To get familiar with the target language in the culture and to fall in line with native-citizen are their reasons to understand the language They are all considered as integrative motivation

According to the process of teaching military students at the school, soldiers show their integrative motivation in the language learning through trying their best to get high score in every test

1.1.3.2.2 Instrumental motivation

Contrary to Gardner’s focus on integrativeness, Dörnyei (1994) asserted that in a FL setting instrumental orientation would have a greater influence on language learners

Along with Dörnyei , Oxford calls for research regarding FL settings:

‘perhaps instrumental motivation or orientation should have a greater prominence

in theory and research, at least in certain settings, most notably FL environments’ (1996b, 4)

Gardner (1985, 94) mentions in his research, instrumental orientation, is a more utilitarian orientation; it refers to learners ‘desires to learn the language in order to accomplish some non-interpersonal purpose such as to pass an exam or to advance a career

In fact, students at the school show their concern in the language in order to improve their language skills, to feel the world themselves

1.1.4 De-motivation in language acquisition

Because of one kind of psychological feature, students’ motivation is not always a sustainable state With supporting factors, it can be a positive reason that foster students’ language acquisition; however, it may be changed into an opposite one that is called ‘de-motivation’ The term is defined as ‘‘specific external forces that reduce or diminish the motivational basis of a behavioral intention or an

From Baldauf’s et al observation, de-motivation negatively impact on learners by hindering the determination to achieve the expected outcomes in learning process (2007)

Similar to this, Deci and Ryan (1985) posits another kind of motivational construct which is termed ‘a-motivation’ happening when ‘students do not perceive contingencies between outcomes and their own actions, when individuals experience feeling of incompetence and expectancies of uncontrollability’ cited in Robert J (1992,1007)

Dörnyei (1998) makes the term clearer by adding a list of factors motivating students’ learning: they are teachers' personalities, competence, teaching methods, inadequate school facilities, reduced self-confidence, negative attitude toward the foreign language studied, compulsory nature of the foreign language study, interference of another foreign language, and attitudes of group members

de-1.1.5 Factors that influence students’ motivation in language acquisition

Motivation, a psychological element that exists in the individual consciousness, can manifest in outward manner, behaviors in way of students respond to the particular situation inside the class It is influenced by the student’s experiences in the classroom, characteristics of the teacher, the curriculum, pedagogical procedures, etc.; this is also the scope of interest of theorists who concern the correlation between subjective and objective factors affecting learners’ motivation in language acquisition The following parts will show more detail about it

1.1.5.1 Teacher-related factors

Being rated as one of the factors that directly affect the learning motivation

of students, the teacher with their professional competence, teaching style, commitment to teaching

1.1.5.1.1 Professional competence

Teachers’ professional competence in language teaching is understood as dimensions of knowledgeable factor and be expert at teaching method A student will have confidence in a skillful instructor because he or she will clear the student’ query about lessons, tasks up; bring him authentic knowledge about the real world related to language

Besides, a teacher who is proficient in teaching EFL can set up a safe learning environment in which ‘students are encouraged to express their opinions and perspectives on different issues because they feel safe and protected from embarrassment and sarcasm.’ Kaboody (2013, 49) A competent language educator not only satisfies students’ need of acquiring vivid consciousness about English but also adapt different student’s properties, learning styles and abilities, that leads to their positive attitude toward acquisition process

1.1.5.1.2 Teaching style

Teachers’ teaching style is concretized through their rapport with students, whether they belongs to introspective kind of characteristic or sociable one Teachers who have good rapport with their students are skilled in ‘ways that encourage involvement, commitment, and interest’ Swenson (2010, 2) Having a good relationship with teachers makes students experience satisfactory learning environment when teachers remember their name, care their interest…

1.1.5.1.3 Commitment to teaching

Teachers’ commitment is properly expressed through their enthusiasm in transmitting the essence of language to students In such an interactional environment like language learning, enthusiasm of any individuals is spreadable inside the classroom, therefore, if teachers’ enthusiasm to every task is realized, students’ eagerness will be emerged

Moreover, teachers’ commitment is also recognized in their creativeness in discovering a variety of effective approaches as well as methodologies for each period even though for a certain lesson and task That will create students’ interest

1.1.5.2 Learner-related factors

1.1.5.2.1 Intelligence

Students’ intelligence is expressed in different ways to handle various task and many researches show that ‘intelligence correlates with some skills associated with SLA, particularly those used in the formal study of the language, such as reading, writing, language analysis and vocabulary study’ cited

in Femandez-Corugedo, (1999, 29) An intelligent student can judge a certain requirement and a task in accordance with his or her learning objective and aim in order to bring learning outcomes up

1.1.5.2.2 Aptitude

Individuals with innate aptitude will suit a particular field-foreign language acquisition, which plays a major role in determining success in those skills, is taught in the classroom setting such as vocabulary, grammar, reading fluency, and aural comprehension, Gardner (1960), is not the exception

Carroll and Sapon define aptitude as sum of the basic capability of learners when processing complex knowledge about language into their own cognitive cited in Dörnyei (2005)

From Carroll’s point of view, a student who has a good aptitude in the foreign language acquisition shows their ability in three different components:

phonetic coding ability which relates to students’ competence in memorizing and distinguishing separate sound in the target language; grammatical sensitivity

shows up when students recognize and aware what syntactical patterns are used in

utterance and written language; and inductive ability involves that the learners are

capable of assessing the quality of material and recognizing the relationship and correspondences between the meaning and grammatical element in a certain utterance, from Kocić (2010)

Learners with language aptitude will promote them in the selection and application of appropriate forms of language to receive it in the most effective

1.1.5.2.3 Personality

As one of emotional factors, the learner's personality type forms the affective side of a learner's total learning style Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) identifies eight preferences in four areas: extroversion vs introversion, sensing (concrete-sequential) vs intuition, thinking vs feeling, and judging (closure-oriented) vs perceiving (closure-oriented) With different kinds of personalities, each student finds a suitable manner to learn the language more effectively, whether they belong to group interaction, independent situations that are more involved with ideas and concepts methodology or they are interested in sense-based input, imagination; or students do a favor with impersonal circumstances and logical consequences, personalized circumstances and social values; even there are numerous learners who effectively acquire the language through reflection, analysis, and processes that involve closure, negotiation, feeling, and inductive processes that postpone closure Each student personality characteristic fixes his or her suitable learning manner to be proficient in the language

1.1.5.2.4 Learning strategies

Being defined as ‘specific action taken by the learner to make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more self-directed, more effective and more transferable to new situation’, according to Oxford (1989,8); learning strategies play important role in the language learning because they promote and facilitate the process in way of students apply them as problem-solving mechanisms and techniques Understanding certain own strategies for learning a skill helps students

is prone to choosing a suitable technique to deal with complex task in learning This brings positive outcomes for learners in learning process In contrast, wrongly determining strategies for solving a particular task causes obstructs to learners, that partly leads to de-motivation to them

1.1.5.2.5 Learners’ belief

Learners’ epistemological beliefs are considered as central role in learners’ performance in order to get achievements and have a profound influence on learning behavior to other components and learning outcomes It is said that

‘supportive and positive beliefs help to overcome problems and thus sustain motivation, while negative or unrealistic beliefs can lead to decreased motivation, frustration, and even anxiety’ Hosseini and Poumadnia (2013,65) Learners with higher self-efficacy beliefs about EFL will determine their own position in cognitive activities because they understand their strengths on a certain learning strategy

1.1.5.2.6 Age of acquisition

Age is generally believed as one of very important subjective factors

influences students’ ultimate attainment in language knowledge and ability

Lenneberg in Kumaravadivelu (2006, 32) ‘proposed a critical period hypothesis arguing that languages are best learned before puberty, after which everyone faces certain constraints in language development’ Age shows the inverse proportion between the ability to learn a language and the desire about the capacity of language using On the other hand, the more students’ age is, the more proficiency

in language acquisition they want to attain; however, it is hard to find the correlation between the awareness of learning the language by taking part in a variety of tasks and their time spending for learning It partly negatively influences their positive attitude in language learning

1.1.5.2.7 Anxiety

In learning a language context, students without any stress and study in a relaxed condition will get more benefit than those who are anxious students ‘For instance, more anxious students in reading tend to recall less passage content, and experience more off-task, interfering thoughts than their less anxious counterparts’ Sellers’ example in Trang et al (2012, 2) Anxiety makes learners not believe in themselves, then lose confidence in the learning process With high anxiety,

students will feel confused, disoriented in the achievement of outlined learning objectives

1.1.5.3 Learning condition-related factors

1.1.5.3.1 Physical conditions

Being considered as one of important external factors influence students’ motivation in language acquisition, physical conditions relate to class size, such equipment as seating, supporting materials which have influenced on students' engagement, attainment, attendance and wellbeing

A classroom provided with materials in a range of media like foreign language newspapers, magazines and television, pictures, etc … creates more chance for students to foster their autonomy by self-discovering realistic application of language in supporting space

1.1.5.3.2 Atmosphere in the classroom

Joining an EFL class is one kind of taking part in a small social environment

in which educational factors are prioritized Therefore, in order to facilitate students’ learning, it is necessary to establish a relaxing and supportive atmosphere where students avoid much worry and anxiety In this situation, the teacher plays an essential role to maintain pleasure in the classroom by combining all his/ her means of contact, coming to the class with intimate greeting, chatting with students with amiable face and gentle voice, and so on For this reason, students can get rid of anxiety, hesitation, and nervousness; so comfortable psychology will be enhanced, student can use their target language without any inhibition

Furthermore, sense of humor is not less important element contributing to creating positive atmosphere in a language class It is reported that ‘humor communicates issues related to classroom management without either lessening teacher’s authority or embarrassing the class’, quoted in Aboudan (2009, 1) Thus, feeling free from pressure encourage students not to be afraid from anxiety and