Demotivating Factors in Learning English: A Case of First Year Non major Students at University of Labor and Social Affairs

LÊ THỊ THU THUỶ VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES Lê Thị Thu Thuỷ ENGLISH LANGUAGE COVER PAGE DEMOTIVATING FACTORS IN LEARNING ENGLISH: A CASE OF FIRST YEAR NONMAJOR STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITY OF LABOR AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS MA THESIS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE COURSE: 2016 – 2018 HANOI, 2018 VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES Lê Thị Thu Thuỷ DEMOTIVATING FACTORS IN LEARNING ENGLISH: A CASE OF FIRST YEAR NONMAJOR STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITY OF LABOR AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS Field: English Language Code: 8220201 Supervisor: Đặng Nguyên Giang, Ph D HANOI, 2018 DECLARATION BY AUTHOR Except where reference has been made in the text, this thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person I hereby state that this thesis is the result of my own research and the substance of the thesis has not, wholly or in part, been submitted for any degrees to any other universities or institutions Author’s Signature Lê Thị Thu Thuỷ Approved by SUPERVISOR Đặng Nguyên Giang, Ph D Date:…………………… i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude and deep appreciation to Đặng Nguyên Giang, Ph D, my supervisor, for his helpful and warm encouragement as well as his insightful comments on my work from the beginning to the end of my study In addition, many thanks go to the teachers at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, GASS, for their interesting lessons from which I have benefited a lot for the accomplishment of the thesis The completion of this thesis would not have been possible without the cooperation from the respondents (200 first-year non-major students at University of Labor and Social Affairs) who have been willing to take part in the study I am very grateful to all of them for providing detailed information for the analysis of this study I also offer my special thanks to my colleagues and friends whose support and encouragement help me to have this thesis accomplished Last but not least, I am greatly indebted to my family for their patience, endless love, and devotion Whatever choices I have made, they have always stood by me and believed in me I am immensely thankful for all the assistance they have given me ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DECLARATION BY AUTHOR…………………………………….… I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………….… Ii ABSTRACT………………………………………………… …… V LIST OF TABLES……………………………….………… ……… Vi LIST OF FIGURES ……………………………………… …….…… Vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE THESIS ……………… Viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION…………………………………… 1.1 Rationale…………………………… ………………………… 1.2 Aim(s) of the Study…………… …………………… ………… 1.3 Research Questions…………… ………………………………… 1.4 Scope of the Study…………….………………………………… 1.5 Significance of the Study…………………………………… …… 1.6 Research Methods…………………………………………… … 1.7 Structure of the Study………………………………… …… … CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW…………………… …… 2.1 Motivation……………………………………………….……… 2.1.1 Definitions of Motivation………………………………… … 2.1.2 Types of Motivation in Foreign Language Learning… … 2.1.3 Motivation in Foreign or Second Language Learning… … 2.2 Demotivation………………………………………………… … 11 2.2.1 Definitions of Demotivation……………………………… … 11 2.2.2 13 Factors Demotivating Students in Learning Foreign Language…………………………………………………….…… …… 2.2.2.1 Teacher-Related Factors……………………………….… 15 2.2.2.2 Learner-Related Factors……………………………… … 20 2.2.2.3 Teaching and Learning Conditions……………………… 24 2.3 Previous Research on Language Motivation…………………….… 27 iii 2.4 Previous Research on Language Demotivation…………………… 30 2.5 Chapter Summary……………………………………………… 33 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY…………………………… …… 34 3.1 Setting of the Study……………………………………….….…… 34 3.2 Participants………………………………………….…………… 35 3.3 Data Collection……………………………………….………… 36 3.4 Data Analysis………………………………………….…………… 40 3.5 Chapter Summary……………………………………………… 40 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS…………………… 41 4.1 Findings…………………………………………………… ……… 41 4.2 Discussions……………………………………………… ….…… 54 4.3 Chapter Summary……………………………………….………… 59 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION………………………………….…… 60 5.1 Recapitulation…………………………………………………….… 60 5.2 Concluding Remarks……………………………………….……… 61 5.3 Implications………………………………………………….…… 61 5.4 Limitations and Suggestions for Further Studies………………… 63 REFERENCES………………………………………………… ……… 65 APPENDIX 1: Phiếu điều tra………………………………… ……… I APPENDIX 2: Câu hỏi vấn…………………………… ……… VIII APPENDIX 3: Answers for the Interview……………………………… X APPENDIX 4: Results of Demotivating Factors Questionaire…… …… XV iv ABSTRACT This study is carried out to investigate the main factors that demotivate the first-year non-major students in learning English at University of Labor and Social Affairs There are 200 students who are from different faculties at the university take part in this study A questionnaire and an interview are chosen as the data collection instruments According to the results of the research, the students’ demotivation in learning English arises from three main factors relating to the students, the teachers and the learning conditions In particular, the students’ lack of English vocabulary and their personalities were the most demotivating factors in learning English, next the big size class with mixed abilities of students, and then followed by the teachers’ teaching methods as well as their commitment After analyzing and synthesizing the statistics, the researcher discussed and recommended some implications along with suggestions for further research Last but not least, it is much hoped that the results of the study could be useful for the development of teaching and learning English at University of Labor and Social Affairs v LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1: Student-Related Factors 41 Table 2: Teacher-Related Factors 45 Table 3: Factors Relating to Learning Conditions 48 Table 4: The Different Effects of Demotivating Factors 52 vi LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1: Student-Related Factors 42 Figure 2: Teacher-Related Factors 46 Figure 3: Factors Relating to Learning Conditions 49 Figure 4: The Different Effects of Demotivating Factors 52 Figure 5: The Different Effects of Demotivating Factors 53 vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE THESIS EFL: English as a Foreign Language ESL: English as a Second Language ETL: English Teaching and Learning L1: The First Language L2: The Second Language L3: The Third Language FLF: Foreign Language Faculty ULSA: University of Labor and Social Affairs viii A QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS Dear students! This survey questionnaire is designed with the hope of identifying the factors that demotivate the first year non-major students in learning English at University of Labor and Social Affairs Your assistance in completing the following items is highly appreciated Data collected will remain confidential and be used for the study purpose only Thank you very much for your cooperation! Part Personal Background Information - Your gender: Male Female - Your age: ……… - Where are you from? The countryside The mountainous area Town City - How long have you been learning English? year(s) - Which group did you choose to have the entrance examination to the university? A A1 C D Part 2: Demotivating factors How you agree with these statements? (Please put a tick () in the appropriate column) (1) Strongly Disagree (2) Disagree (3) Agree (4) Strongly Agree IV A Student-related factors Items (1) English is not as important as other subjects I am not interested in learning English It is difficult to learn English I am unable to learn English I feel unconfident when speaking English I am not active in classroom activities I am afraid of making mistakes when speaking English I often feel shy or nervous when speaking or answering the teacher’s questions in class I am unable to memorize basic knowledge of English during my high school time, especially the vocabulary 10 High school English teachers haven’t taught four basic skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing carefully, which makes me forget a lot of new words V (2) (3) (4) B Teacher-related factors Items (1) Teachers are not enthusiastic and interactive with students Teachers treat students unfairly Teachers’ explanations and instructions seem not to be clear The English class is boring, teachers talk too much in the classroom Teachers don’t use advanced equipment during the process of teaching Teachers don’t hold interesting language activities and games in class Teachers’ English pronunciation sometimes is not good Teachers speak English too fast, which is hard for students to understand Teachers usually not care whether we understand the lessons or not 10 Teachers don’t correct exercises and pronunciation mistakes VI students’ (2) (3) (4) C Learning conditions Items (1) (2) The class size is too large for learning English The English level of students in the class is inadequate Many classrooms are not equipped with projector and Internet There are few reference books in English in the library The atmosphere in English class is boring My partners don’t care what the teachers are lecturing My classmates learn other subjects in English class The textbook NEW ENGLISH FILE PRE-INTER is uninteresting The textbook is difficult for first-year students THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION! VII (3) (4) APPENDIX CÂU HỎI PHỎNG VẤN Theo bạn tiếng Anh có phải mơn học quan trọng khơng? Vì sao? Mục đích học tiếng Anh bạn gì? Bạn thấy học tiếng Anh dễ hay khó? Vì sao? Phương pháp giảng dạy giảng viên có ảnh hưởng tới việc học tiếng Anh bạn? Sự tận tụy giảng viên có ảnh hưởng tới việc học tiếng Anh bạn? Tính cách lực giảng viên có ảnh hưởng tới việc học tiếng Anh bạn? Có sinh viên lớp tiếng Anh? Theo bạn số lượng sinh viên có ảnh hưởng tới việc học tiếng Anh? Bạn cảm nhận khơng khí lớp học học tiếng Anh? Bạn có thích sách giáo trình bạn học lớp không? Tại sao? VIII QUESTIONS FOR THE INTERVIEWS Do you think learning English is important? Why? What are your purposes of learning English? In your opinion, is it easy or difficult to learn English? Why? How does the teachers’ teaching methods have influences on your English learning? How does the teachers’ commitment have impacts on your English learning? How does the teachers’ personality and competence have effects on your English learning? How many students are there in your class? How does the number of students affect your English learning? How you feel about the class atmosphere when you learn English? Do you like the textbook you are learning? Why? IX APPENDIX ANSWERS FOR THE INTERVIEWS Do you think learning English is important? Why? Number Answers % of sts - Yes, I “English nowadays is the international language 35 87.5 Number % all over the world We have to learn English because it can support us in many aspects in our daily life It makes our work be easier and more effective.” - Yes, I “Today English has become vividly important in the world Many countries use English as the means in carrying out the administration work Being able to speak in English is not a strange anymore Students who are not able to communicate English with people will be eliminated from the global trend.” - Yes, I “As we all know, the world nowadays becomes very competitive and undergoing rapid changes Students must be able to improve themselves from time to time Mastering English Language is unavoidable anymore.” What are your purposes of learning English? Answers of sts - I want to pass the English exams 23 57.5 - I learn English because it could help me get good jobs in the 17 42.5 future X In your opinion, is it easy or difficult to learn English? Why? Number Answers % of sts - I listen to the tape everyday but I cannot understand what 33 82.5 30 75 32 80 31 77.5 they are saying I know it is due to my lack of vocabulary but I not know how to improve it Sometimes I chat with some foreigners but they ask me to repeat many times because they cannot understand what I am saying - I have to learn many subjects at the same time at high school My English teachers spend much time practicing us grammar by doing a lot of exercises We not have enough time to learn other skills like listening and speaking We need more conversations in English to know how to use new words in real situations - The English program at university is quite different from that at high school I feel very nervous because I not know where to start I cannot understand the lesson due to lack of vocabulary Sometimes I know that word but I cannot spell it - English pronunciation is more difficult than that of other languages There are so many new words My teacher suggests that we should listen to and watch English or American news to be familiar with their sound but it is hard work requiring a lot of patience Moreover, I not have many chances to meet and speak with native speakers How does the teachers’ teaching methods have influences on your English learning? Number Answers of sts XI % - We have to learn a lot of knowledge in one lesson with many 16 40 21 52.5 19 47.5 21 52.5 requirements but sometimes we not know what to because we cannot understand the teacher’s explanation - We not have many chances to speak English in our class Our teacher often spends most of the time lecturing the lesson We learn more about the lesson but we cannot improve our English skills only by listening What we really need is to practice speaking more - We only listen English by cassette, which does not have images We want to listen and see the image at the same time It will help us to learn faster and remember the knowledge longer - Our teacher only focuses on the content of the lesson We rarely have time for playing games or taking part in interesting activities How does the teachers’ commitment have impacts on your English learning? Number Answers % of sts - My teacher rarely asks me what I have learned from the 25 62.5 18 45 previous lesson - The teacher covers so many things in one lesson When lecturing, she explains the meaning of words and grammatical phenomena in English, which is really difficult for me to understand everything It seems that she does not care whether I understand or not How does the teachers’ personality and competence have effects on your English learning? XII Number Answers % of sts - My teacher does not care the students who are not good at 12.5 17.5 28 70 33 82.5 English Sometimes, she feels angry because she cannot understand what they are saying in English - The teacher should care about the students’ perception Speaking English in the class so much and so quickly will not be useful if the students cannot catch anything My teacher speaks as fast as a reporter - I love my English teacher She can speak English so well I wish I could speak English like her - My English teacher always asks us not to speak Vietnamese in the class It encourages me to practice English more How many students are there in your class? How does the number of students affect your English learning? Number Answers % of sts - My class has fifty students The number of students is too big 39 97.5 38 95 26 65 for a language class If some of them talk in the class, I will not listen to the teacher’s lecture - Fifty-five students in an English class is really not suitable for a language class I have a few chances to talk to my teacher I can concentrate when the teacher teaches listening skill - I am not as good at English as other students in my class They can the exercises and speak English well I feel disappointed with myself when I can understand the lesson XIII How you feel about the class atmosphere when you learn English? Number Answers % of sts - We not have many interesting activities in the English 21 52.5 27 67.5 26 65 Number % class We only read and the exercises in the book It is very boring - My classmates are not enthusiastic and interactive Although the teacher divides the class into different groups and asks them to take part in group’s activities but they not care They are so lazy - Students in my class usually use smartphones or laptops in the English class They surf the Internet or a lot of private work When the teacher asks them something relating to the lesson they cannot answer or only smile Do you like the textbook you are learning? Why? Answers of sts - No, I don’t like this textbook because there are a lot of new 12.5 13 32.5 words in each lesson and I also have to many exercises - No, I don’t This textbook is difficult and uninteresting, it provides so many words in one unit I cannot remember all the words XIV APPENDIX Results of demotivating factors questionnaire (The number and the percentage of students) (1) Strongly Disagree (2) Disaree (3) Agree (4) Strongly Agree A Student-related factors Items (1) (2) (3) (4) No (%) No (%) No (%) No (%) 75 (37.5) 98 (49) 22 (11) (2.5) 24 (12) 66 (33) 93 (46.5) 17 (8.5) 47 (23.5) 29 (14.5) 79 (39.5) 45 (22.5) 77 (38.5) 48 (24) 46 (23) 29 (14.5) (2) 18 (9) 102 (51) 76 (38) 29 (14.5) 60 (30) 62 (31) 49 (24.5) 15 (7.5) 31 (15.5) 87 (43.5) 67 (33.5) (3.5) 11 (5.5) 77 (38.5) 105 (52.5) (2.5) (3) 113 (56.5) 76 (38) English is not as important as other subjects I am not interested in learning English It is difficult to learn English I am unable to learn English I feel unconfident when speaking English I am not active in classroom activities I am afraid of making mistakes when speaking English I often feel shy or nervous when speaking or answering the teacher’s questions in class I am unable to memorize basic knowledge of English during my high school time, especially the vocabulary XV 10 High school English teachers haven’t taught four basic skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing carefully, which makes me forget a lot of new words 12 (6) 25 (12.5) 98 (49) 65 (32.5) (1) (2) (3) (4) No (%) No (%) No (%) No (%) (4.5) 11 (5.5) B Teacher-related factors Items 11.Teachers are not enthusiastic and 47 (23.5) 133 (66.5) interactive with students 12.Teachers treat students unfairly 13.Teachers’ explanations and 89 (44.5) 80 (40) 14 (7) 17 (8.5) 56 (28) 65 (32.5) 48 (24) 31 (15.5) 42 (21) 66 (33) 53 (26.5) 39 (19.5) 50 (25) 36 (18) 47 (23.5) 58 (29) 34 (17) 61 (30.5) 120 (60) (4) (3.5) 63 (31.5) 17 (8.5) 21 (10.5) instructions seem not to be clear 14.The English class is boring, teachers talk too much in the classroom 15.Teachers don’t use advanced 67 (33.5) equipment during the process of teaching 16.Teachers don’t hold interesting 47 (23.5) language activities and games in class 17.Teachers’ English pronunciation 65 (32.5) sometimes is not good 18 Teachers speak English too fast, 99 (49.5) which is hard for students to understand XVI 19 Teachers usually not care 34 (17) 69 (34.5) 62 (31) 35 (17.5) 54 (27) 75 (37.5) 43 (21.5) 28 (14) (1) (2) (3) (4) No (%) No (%) No (%) No (%) (0) (1) 86 (43) 112 (56) 29 (14.5) 38 (19) 58 (29) 75 (37.5) and 47 (23.5) 94 (47) 33 (16.5) 26 (13) 43 (21.5) 65 (32.5) 60 (30) 32 (16) 40 (20) 56 (28) 77 (38.5) 27 (13.5) 42 (21) 35 (17.5) 41 (20.5) 82 (41) 35 (17.5) 50 (25) 59 (29.5) 56 (28) 84 (42) (3) (4.5) 70 (35) 16 (8) 17 (8.5) whether we understand the lessons or not 20 Teachers don’t correct exercises and students’ pronunciation mistakes C Learning conditions Items 21.The class size is too large for learning English 22 The English level of students in the class is inadequate 23 Many classrooms equipped with are projector not Internet 24 There are few reference books in English in the library 25 The atmosphere in English class is boring 26 My partners don’t care what the teachers are lecturing 27 My classmates learn other subjects in English class 28 The textbook NEW ENGLISH 101 FILE PRE-INTER is uninteresting (50.5) 29 The textbook is difficult for first-year students 97 (48.5) XVII XVIII