An investigation into non english major students’ motivation in english language learning at phuong dong university, hanoi

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES BÙI THỊ PHƢƠNG AN INVESTIGATION INTO NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING AT PHUONG DONG UNIVERSITY, HANOI (Nghiên cứu đô ̣ng lƣ ̣c học tiếng Anh sinh viên không chuyên tiếng Anh Trƣờng Đại Học Dân Lập Phƣơng Đông, Hà Nội) M.A MINOR THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 6014.0111 HANOI, 2013 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES BÙI THỊ PHƢƠNG AN INVESTIGATION INTO NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING AT PHUONG DONG UNIVERSITY, HANOI (Nghiên cứu đô ̣ng lƣ ̣c học tiếng Anh sinh viên không chuyên tiếng Anh Trƣờng Đại Học Dân Lập Phƣơng Đông, Hà Nội) M.A MINOR THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 6014.0111 Supervisor : Dr Mai Thị Loan HANOI, 2013 DECLARATION I certify that this thesis is entirely my own work Documented references have been fully provided I have not been submitted this thesis for assessment in any other formal course of study i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to express my deep gratitude to my supervisor, D.r Mai Thi loan for her support, encouragement and valuable guidance through out the process of conducting this study My special thank is for D.r Le Van Canh and all my other lecturers for their useful and valuable lectures that I got at the MA course at the University of Languages and international studies, VNU I am indebted to them for basic knowledge on teaching methodology and research methodology This study would not have been completed without the participation of non-majored students and teachers of English at Phuong Dong University I am grateful for their sharing time on English learning with me Finally, I would like to thank all authors and linguists who have provided me with a treasure of knowledge about motivation, so that I can have basic theoretical background for the study Without all their help, this thesis would not be completed as expected Hanoi, 2013 Bui Thi Phuong ii ABSTRACT Motivation has been a concern of so many linguists and scholars for its essential role in language learning Discovering learners‟ motivation will help teachers and educationalists have best methods to help their learners succeed The study was conducted with the participation of 300 non-majored students at the same psychological age group (18-22) from different faculties and 10 teachers at Phuong Dong University It is an investigation of non-majored students‟ motivation at Phuong Dong University with the aim of finding best methods to improve their motivation in English learning In order to gain this aim, the study has found out students‟ desire for learning English, the reasons they are learning English, their difficulties and their favourite activities and teaching methods in the classroom as well as teachers‟ suggestions for useful methods The result showed that non majors at PDU possess different kinds of motivations with a majority of students learning English for their future career Not many of them are satisfied with teaching facilities and teaching methods at school They prefer motivational activities such as games, songs, pictures and some of communicative activities such as listening and speaking They also want to practice exercises in the final exams for high marks and a good degree after graduation Useful methods applied by teachers are also investigated for the basis of the most appropriate implications on teaching and learning English at PDU iii LIST OF CHARTS AND TABLES Chart 1: Students‟ attitude on English learning at PDU Chart 2: Students‟ attitude on English Table 1: Students‟ desire to learn English Table 2: Students‟ reasons for learning English Table 3: Factors of learning environment and facilities Table 4: Factors of teachers and teaching methods Table 5: Factors of learners‟ problems Table 6: Students‟ favourite activities and tasks Chart 3: Teachers‟ roles Chart 4: English skills focused Chart 5: Motivational teaching methods iv ABBREVIATIONS L2: Second language PDU: Phuong Dong University v TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF TABLES iv ABBREVIATIONS v TABLE OF CONTENTS vi PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Aims of the study Research questions Scope of the study Method of the study Organization of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Motivation in language learning 1.2 Classification of motivation 1.3 Factors affecting students’ motivation 1.4 Strategies to motivate students in the classroom 11 1.5 Summary of the chapter 13 CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY 14 2.1 The context of the study 14 2.2 Subjects 15 2.3 Instruments 16 2.4 Data collection and analysis procedure 17 2.5 Summary of the chapter 17 vi CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 18 3.1 Data analysis of questionnaire for students 18 3.1.1 Students’ motivation 18 3.1.2 Factors affecting students’ motivation 22 3.1.2.1 Learning environment and facilities 22 3.1.2.2 Teachers and teaching methods 24 3.1.2.3 Learner’s problems 26 3.1.3 Students’ favourite activities and tasks 27 3.2 Data analysis of questionnaire for teachers 30 3.3 Summary of the chapter 33 CHAPTER 4: IMPLICATIONS 34 4.1 Teachers’ roles, responsibility and awareness 34 4.1.1 Teachers’ roles 34 4.1.2 Teachers’ enthusiasm and responsibility 35 4.1.3 Teachers’ awareness of students’ interest and expectations in the class 35 4.2 Motivational teaching methods 35 4.2.1 Warm-up activities and visual aids 35 4.2.2 Variety of activities 36 4.2.3 The revision book 37 4.2.4 Focus on listening and speaking skills 37 4.2.5 Further activities and worksheets 38 4.2.6 Clear instruction and explanation about the goals of each activity and lesson 38 4.2.7 Winning cards 39 4.3 Some other proposals to improve students’ motivation in English learning at PDU 39 vii 4.3.1 Teaching facilities 39 4.3.2 Teacher education programs 40 4.3.3 English contests, outdoor activities and English club 40 4.4 Summary of the chapter 40 PART C: CONCLUSION 41 Summary of the study 41 Recommendations for further researches 42 REFERENCES 44 APPENDICES I viii to measure the effects of teaching methodologies in the study on student‟s motivation to learn English on the basis of their performance in progress and achievement Besides, studies on strategies for improving students‟ motivation to learn different skills of English should be also taken into account 43 REFERENCES Bernaus, M (1995), The role of motivation in the learning of English as a foreign language BELLS, p6, 11-22 Brown H D (2000), Principles of language learning and teaching (4th ed.), New York: Addison Wesley Longman, p 106-166 Brown, H Douglas (2001) Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc Chen (2005) Using Games to Promote Communicative Skills in Language Learning, The Internet TESL Journal, Vol XI, No 2, February 2005, http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Chen-Games.html Cheng, H.F & Dornyei, Z (2007), the use of motivational strategies in language instruction: The case of EFL teaching in Taiwan Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 1(1), p153–174 doi:10.2167/illt048.0, http://dx.doi.org/ 10.2167/illt048.0 Dörnyei, Z (1994) Motivation and motivating in the foreign language classroom Modern Language Journal, p78, 273-284 (http://www.zoltandornyei.co.uk/) Dörnyei Z (1998), Conceptualizing motivation in foreign language learning, Language Learning, p40, 46-78 Dörnyei Z (1998b), Motivation in second language learning Language teaching/ volume 31/issue 03/ July 1998, p117-135 Dornyei, Z (2001), Motivational strategies in the language classroom, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England 10 Dornyei.Z and H-F Cheng (2007) The Use of Motivational Strategies in Language Instruction: The Case of EFL Teaching in Taiwan, Vol 1, No 11 Gardner.R and Bernaus M (2008), Teacher motivation strategies, student perceptions, student motivation, and English achievement, the modern language journal, p92 44 12 Gardner R C and Lambert W (1959), Motivational variables in second language acquisition, Canadian Journal of Psychology 13 Gardner R.C (1985), Social Psychology in Second Language Learning, Edward Arnold Ltd, London,Great Britain 14 Ghadirzadeh.R, Hashtroudi F.P and Shokri.O (2012), Demotivating factors for English Language Learning Among University Students, journal of Social Sciences 8(2): 189-195, 2012, Science Publication 15 Gilakjani A.P , Lai-Mei Leong, Sabouri N.B (2012), A Study on the Role of Motivation in Foreign language Learning and Teaching, Modern Education and Computer Science, Published Online July 2012 in MECS (http://www.mecspress.org/) 16 Harmer J (1983), The practice of English language teaching, Longman handbook for language teachers, Longmaninc., New York 17 Journal of Social Sciences (2012): p189-195 18 Littlewood, W.T (1998), Motivation for learning English Foreign and Second Language Learning Cambridge: CUP 19 Maehr, M L., & Meyer, H A (1997) Understanding motivation and schooling: Where we’ve been, where we are, and where we need to go, Educational Psychology Review 20 Nunan D (1992) Research Methods in Language Learning, Cambridge: CUP# 21 Oxford, R.L (1994), Where are we regarding language learning motivation? Modern Language Journal, p78,512-515 22 Oxford, RL& Shearin, J (1996), Language learning motivation in a new key In Oxford, RL (Ed.) Language Learning Motivation: Pathways to the New Century Honolulu: University of Hawai Press p121-44 23 Ramage K (1990) Motivational factors and Persistence in Foreign Language Study Language Learning, 40 (2), p189-219 24 Winke Paula M (2005), Promoting motivation in the classroom, volume 9, issue 2, 2005 Summer Workshops, Michigan University 45 APPENDICES APPENDIX A SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE (For students) We are coducting the research on non majored student’s motivation to learn English at PDU Your answers for following questions would be very valuable and useful for this paper, so we would be very grategul if you could comptete this survey questionairs All the informationn provided is for the purpose of the study only I PERSONAL INFORMATION Age:………………………………………… Gender:……………………………………… Years teaching English:……………………… Years teaching English at PDU:……………… -II MOTIVATION IN ENGLISH LEARNING Choose the answers that you most agree Do you like English lessons in the class at PDU? a Yes, very much b Not very much c Not at all Do you like English? a Yes, very much b Not very much c Not at all How often you attend the English club? a Always b Sometimes I c Never If English weren’t a compulsory subject taught at PDU, you would… a Do other English courses somewhere b Learn English on your own everyday c Make no attempt to learn it After the English course at PDU, you will… a Study English in other places and try to use English as much as possible b Continue to improve English at home c No attempt to learn and use English any more Why you want to learn English? Because…? a) It is a school requirement b) I want to get high grades at all subjects and a good degree after graduation c) It is necessary for my future job d) It makes me become a more confident, knowledgeable and skillful person e) It is an interesting subject f) I want to listen to international music, watch films and read English book g) I want to understand English speaking countries and their culture and values h) I want to communicate and make friends with foreign people III FACTORS NEGATIVELY AFFECTING STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION AT PDU How much following factors affect your motivation in learning English at PDU? Choose the level that you most agree Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree Factors affecting motivation in the classroom The textbook is too difficult The textbook is too easy and topics in the book are boring and out of date II Curriculum is overload, there is too much homework There are not enough teaching facilities such as cassettes, projectors… There are too few reference books and English materials in the library The classroom is always noisy The classroom is too quiet and boring Students in the class are not friendly and helpful Language levels in the class are too varied 10 The teacher is not helpful and enthusiastic She doesn‟t care whether students understand the lesson 11 Teachers always require too much from us 12 Teacher does not treat us fair 13 Teacher rarely appreciate and encourage us 14 Teaching methods are boring and repeated every lesson 15 There are no warm up activities before the lesson 16 I cannot keep up what the teaching is speaking and teaching 17 English is used too much 18 Vietnamese is used too much 19 Teacher does not correct our mistakes in pronunciation and writing assignments 20 Teachers rarely design and organize new activities and English games in the class III 21 English is a difficult subject and I prefer other languages such as Korean, Japan… 23 I don‟t have much vocabularies and basic grammar knowledge 24 I find I not have the ability to study English although I have tried my best IV STUDENTS’ INTEREST AND EXPECTATION IN THE ENGLISH CLASS Followings are popular activities in the English classes at PDU Label the level you most agree Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree Classroom activities 1 Work individually Work in pairs Work in groups Make the presentation on a topic required Practice types of exercises in the final test Learn and competed all the tasks in the textbook Study main parts of the textbook and further materials delivered Using pictures, objects and projectors in the class IV Practice vocabulary and grammar 10 Practice writing and reading skill 11 Practice listening and speaking skill 12 Play language games/ Listen to English songs The end Thank you for your cooperation! V APPENDIX B PHIẾU ĐIỀU TRA (Dành cho sinh viên) Phiếu khảo sát nhằm phục vụ đề tài nghiên cứu hứng thú học tiếng Anh học sinh không chuyên tiếng Anh trường Đại Học Phương Đơng, Hà Nội nhằm tìm giải pháp để nâng cao động lực hứng thú học tiếng Anh cho sinh viên Các thông tin câu trả lời bạn bảo mật hồn tồn sử dụng mục đích nghiên cứu I THƠNG TIN CÁ NHÂN: Gới tính:………………………………………………………………………………… Tuổi:………………………………………………………………………………… …… Khoa, lớp: …………………………………………………………………………… Tỉnh (Thành phố):…………………………………………………………………… Số năm học tiếng Anh……………………………………………………………… -II ĐỘNG LỰC HỌC TIẾNG ANH Hãy chọn câu trả lời với bạn Bạn có thích học tiếng Anh trường khơng? a Thích b Bình thường c Khơng thích Bạn có thích mơn tiếng Anh khơng? d Thích e Bình thường f Khơng thích Bạn có tham gia câu lạc Tiếng Anh trường không? d Luôn tham gia tất buổi VI e Có tham gia khơng thường xun f Chưa tham gia 4． Nếu Tiếng Anh môn học bắt buộc trường, bạn có muốn tự học thêm Tiếng Anh nơi khác khơng? a Chắc chắn có b Có thể c Khơng Sau học xong chương trình tiếng Anh trường, bạn d Đi học thêm nơi khác e Tự học thêm nhà f Thôi khơng học tiếng Anh Vì bạn muốn học Tiếng Anh?_ Bởi vì: a Nó mơn học bắt buộc trường b Tôi muốn đạt điểm cao tất mơn học có tốt nghiệp loại trường c Tiếng Anh cần thiết cho công việc sau d Tiếng Anh giúp tơi trở thành người tự tin, có nhiều kiến thức kĩ Tôi muốn nghe nhạc, đọc sách va xem chương trình nước ngồi e Tiếng Anh môn học thú vị f Tôi muốn nghe nhạc quốc tế, xem phim đọc sách tiếng Anh g Tơi muốn tìm hiểu nước nói Tiếng Anh văn hóa họ h Tơi muốn giao tiếp kết bạn với người nước III CÁC YẾU TỐ ẢNH HƢỞNG TIÊU CỰC ĐẾN HỨNG THÚ HỌC TIẾNG ANH Các yếu tố sau ảnh hƣởng tiêu cực đến động lực mức độ hứng thú học tiếng Anh bạn trƣờng Đại Học Phƣơng Đông nhƣ nào? Hãy chọn mức độ với bạn Hoàn toàn phản đối VII Phản đối Bình thường Đồng ý Hoàn toàn đồng ý Các yếu tố ảnh hƣởng tiêu cực đến hứng thú học tiếng Anh Giáo trình qua khó, khơng phù hợp với trình độ tơi Giáo trình dễ chủ đề sách cũ nhàm chán Chương trình học nặng, có nhiều tập nhà Trường có q thiết bị học tập máy chiếu, phòng lab… Thư viện sơ sài, sách tham khảo tiếng Anh Lớp học trật tự, bạn nói chuyện tự do, lớp, có người làm việc riêng Khơng khí lớp học trầm nhàm chán Các bạn lớp khơng thân thiện giúp đỡ tơi Trình độ bạn lớp chênh lệch 10 Giáo viên khơng dạy nhiệt tình, khơng quan tâm học sinh có hiểu hay khơng 11 Giáo viên ln địi hỏi q cao chúng tơi 12 Giáo viên không công lớp 13 Giáo viên khen khích lệ VIII 14 Phương pháp giảng dạy nhàm chán lặp lặp lại 15 Giáo viên hoạt động khởi động nhằm gây hứng thú cho sinh viên trước học 16 Giáo viên giảng nhanh khiến không theo kịp 17 Giáo viên nói tiếng Anh q nhiều khiến tơi khơng hiểu 18 Giáo viên nói tiếng Việt lớp nhiều 19 Giáo viên không sửa lỗi phát âm chúng tơi 20 Giáo viên tổ chức hoạt động trò chơi tiếng Anh lớp 21 Tiếng Anh mơn học khó 22 Tơi thích ngoại ngữ khác 23 Tơi khơng có tảng tiếng Anh, vốn từ vựng tơi q tơi bị gốc ngữ pháp 24 Tơi tự thấy khơng có khả tiếng Anh Mặc dù cố gắng không tiến IV CÁC HOẠT ĐỘNG ƢA THÍCH TRONG LỚP HỌC TIẾNG ANH Sau số hoạt động phổ biến lớp học tiếng Anh Hãy đánh giá mức độ ƣa thích bạn hoạt động theo mức độ dƣới đây: Hoàn tồn khơng thích Khơng thích Bình thường Thích Rất thích IX Hoạt động lớp 1 Học làm tập cá nhân Học theo đơi Học theo nhóm 3-5 người Thuyết trình theo chủ đề Luyện dạng tập có kì thi Học kĩ làm đầy đủ tập giáo trình Học theo giáo trình tài liệu phát thêm thày cô Sử dụng máy chiếu, tranh, ảnh, video lớp Học từ vựng, ngữ pháp 10 Học kĩ đọc, viết 11 Học kĩ nghe, nói 12 Chơi trị chơi tiếng Anh/ Nghe hát tiếng Anh Hết Chân thành cảm ơn hợp tác bạn! X APPENDIX C QUESTIONNAIRE (For teachers) I am conducting the research on non- majored student‟s motivation to learn English at PDU Your answers for following questions would be very valuable and useful for this paper, so I would be very grategul if you could answer these question honestly All the information provided is for the purpose of the study only PERSONAL INFORMATION Age:………………………………………… Gender:…………… ………………………… Years teaching English:………………… Years teaching English at PDU:……………… QUESTIONS Please choose and give the approciate answers for the following questions: What are the main roles of the teacher in the class? A Instructor and Evaluator B Leader and controllor C Supporter and counselor D Encourager E Students‟ idol and respeactable person What skill(s) of English you focus on in your class? A Listening and speaking B Reading and writing C Grammar and vocabulary What of the following activities and methods have you applied to motivate students in the class? XI A Warm-up activities B Pair work and group work C Language game D Visual aids E Jokes and funny stories F Further exercises and worksheets What other methods are you applying effectively to motivate students in English learning in the classroom? _ _ _ _ What other proposals you suppose to change to improve students’ motivation in the classroom? _ _ _ _ Thank you for your coporation! XII ... NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES BÙI THỊ PHƢƠNG AN INVESTIGATION INTO NON- ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN ENGLISH. .. study aims at investigating non- English major students‟ motivation in English learning at PDU and proposing professional implications on how to support teachers in motivating non- English learners... that are relevant to the study such as different views on motivation in language learning, the importance of motivation in language learning, kinds of motivation, factors affecting learners‟ motivation