A survey of factors that demotivate EFL teachers at vinh phuc technical economic college

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** TẠ THỊ THƯƠNG A SURVEY OF FACTORS THAT DEMOTIVATE EFL TEACHERS AT VINH PHUC TECHNICAL - ECONOMIC COLLEGE Khảo sát yếu tố gây hứng thú giáo viên dạy tiếng Anh trường Cao đẳng Kinh tế - Kỹ thuật Vĩnh Phúc M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Hanoi – 2014 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES -*** - TẠ THỊ THƯƠNG A SURVEY OF FACTORS THAT DEMOTIVATE EFL TEACHERS AT VINH PHUC TECHNICAL - ECONOMIC COLLEGE Khảo sát yếu tố gây hứng thú giáo viên dạy tiếng Anh trường Cao đẳng Kinh tế - Kỹ thuật Vĩnh Phúc M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Dr Nguyễn Đức Hoạt Hanoi – 2014 CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT I certify that the minor thesis entitled: “A Survey of Factors that Demotivate EFL Teachers at Vinh Phuc Technical Economic College” is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts is the result of my own work, except where otherwise acknowledge and that this minor thesis or any part of the same had not been submitted for a higher degree to any other universities or institutions Hanoi, 2014 Tạ Thị Thương i ACKNOWLEGDEMENTS The completion of this thesis would never have reached an end without the help and love of many people I wish to express my most heartfelt gratitude to my supervisors, Doctor Nguyen Duc Hoat from Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam I have been so lucky to be guided by my supervisor in this difficult but interesting topic He has spent lots of time reading my work, and giving comments and advising on how to make my thesis much better than it would be I would like to convey my thanks to all my teachers of the Post graduate course 21 whose fundamental knowledge about language teaching and learning is of great importance to the achievement of my academic study I would like to express my indebtedness to Mr Nguyen Viet Hung from Center of Language Education and Quality Assurance Research, ULIS - VUN for his great help and the favorable conditions he gave me during my time of using SPSS to analyze data My sincere thanks go to my dear husband and my babies, for sharing my life and being a great source of support in my difficult time I am thankful to my parents for their continuous encouragement, and trust in my ability over the years since I started school I also want to thank all my sisters for their help, encouragement and care I thank the English staff at Vinh Phuc Technical Economic College for completing the survey questionnaires, for their constructive suggestions to this research, and for their willingness to share their relevant problems with me during the interviews Without them, my research would never have become a reality ii ABSTRACT Although demotivation constitutes an important factor, only a limited number of studies were conducted on teacher demotivation The purpose of this paper is to determine the sources of demotivation and the most salient demotivation factors among seven EFL teachers at Vinh Phuc Technical - Economic College (VTEC) In addition, it attempts to explore the possible differences on demotivating factors in term of gender The study used a survey design involving a five - point Likert questionnaire and semi structured interview techniques to obtain information The findings of the study revealed that, firstly, in term of three main themes, students were found the main source of demotivation in which "students forget doing homework" demotivated the respondents most However, when analyzing them in aspect of sub-categories, items related to professional life, administrative pressures and workload tend to demotivate the participants most Moreover, there were some differences in respondents' demotivating factors in relation to gender Some pedagogical recommendations for both teachers and administrators were also discussed based on the findings Key words: EFL teachers, demotivation, demotivational factors, teacher demotivation iii TABLE O Candidate‟s statement Acknowledgements Abstract Table of content List of abbreviations List of tables and figures PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale for the study Aims of the study Research questions Research method Scope and significance of the Structure of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Motivation 1.1.1 Definition of motivation 1.1.2 Some motivation theorie 1.1.2.1 Gardner‟s theory of 1.1.2.2 Cognitive – situate 1.1.2.3 Process – oriented 1.1.2.4 Current L2 motivat 1.2 Demotivation in L2 learning 1.2.1 Definition of demotivati 1.2.2 The impact of demotiva 1.2.3 Factors that demotivate 1.2.3.1 Student - related fa 1.2.3.2 Working environm iv 1.2.3.3 Personal aspect 1.3 Previous research on teacher's de 1.3.1 In foreign countries 1.3.1.1 Teacher‟s demotivatio 1.3.1.2 Teacher‟s demotivatio 1.3.2 In Viet Nam 1.4 Need of the study CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 2.1 Research questions restated 2.2 Justification for the use of Survey 2.3 Research setting and participant 2.4 Data collection instruments 2.4.1 Questionnaire 2.4.2 Interviews 2.5 Data collection procedures 2.6 Data analysis CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 3.1 Findings 3.1.1 Demotivating factors of EFL 3.1.1.1 Student – related facto 3.1.1.2 Working environment a Facilities and materials b Workload c Salary d Colleague relationship e Administrative pressur 3.1.1.3 Personal aspects a Professional life b Family life v 3.1.1.4 Other factors for t 3.1.2 The most salient demot 3.1.3 Comparison of de – mo 3.2 Discussion 3.2.1 Demotivating factors a 3.2.2 The most significant dem 3.2.3 Differences in relation PART C: CONCLUSION Conclusions 2.Some suggested measures to reduce teachers‟ demotivation 2.1 For teachers 2.2 For college administrator 3.Limitations of the study and suggestions for further research REFERENCES Appendix 1: Questionnaire for teachers Appendix 2: Interview questions for teachers Appendix 3: Interview questions for former teachers Appendix 4: One - way ANOVA analysis of demotivating factors between genders vi LIST OF ABREVIATIONS EFL : English as a Foreign Language ESL : English as a Second Language L2 : Second language N : Number OECD : Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development SPSS : Statistical Package for Social Sciences VTEC : Vinh Phuc Technical - Economic College VSO : Voluntary Service Overseas vii language classrooms Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 38 Sakai, H & Kikuchi, K (2009), An analysis of demotivators in the EFL classroom System 37(1), 57-69 39 Sari, S.R (2013), Demotivating factors of English language teaching among high school teachers: A case study, University of Jambi English Study Program – Teacher Training and Education Faculty, 2013 40 Soureshjani, K H & Riahipour, P (2012), Demotivating factors on English speaking skill: A study of EFL language learners and teachers’ attitudes World Applied Sciences Journal 17 (3): 327-339, 2012, ISSN 1818-4952 41 Spear, M., Gould, K & Lee, B (2000), Who would be a teacher? A review of factors motivating and demotivating prospective and practicing teachers, London: National Foundation for Educational Research 42 Sugino, T (2010), Teacher demotivational factors in the Japanese language teaching context ScienceDirect, 216 -226.doi.10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.07.036 43 Tiziava, K (2003), Factors that motivate and demotivate Greek EFL teachers (Unpublished master‟s thesis) University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh (1842-495) 44 Tran, L (2007), Learners’ motivation and identity in the Vietnamese EFL writing classroom, English Teaching: Practice and Critique May, 2007, Volume 6, Number 1, pp 151-163 http://education.waikato.ac.nz/research/files/etpc/2007v6n1art8.pdf 45 Trang, T T (2007), Demotivation: Understanding Resistance to English Language Learning - The Case of Vietnamese Students The Journal of Asia TEFL, 4(1), pp 79-105, Spring 2007, Hue College of Economics, Vietnam 46 Ushioda, E (1998), Effective motivational thinking: A cognitive theoretical approach to the study of language learning motivation In E A Soler 47 VSO (2005), What makes teacher tick? A policy research report on teacher's motivation in developing countries, London: VSO 48 World Bank (2004), Education in Sub - Saharan Africa: Policies for adjustment, Revitalisation, and Expansion Washington, D.C.: the World Bank 49 Yan, H (2009), Student and Teacher De-Motivation in SLA Asian Social Science (CCSE), Vol 5, No 45 APPENDIX 1: TEACHER DEMOTIVATION QUESTIONNAIRE Dear colleagues, I am a post - graduate student at Ha Noi University of Languages and International Studies I am conducting a study dealing with the factors that demotivate EFL teachers at Vinh Phuc Technical – Economic College It would be a great help if you would complete this questionnaire Please, answer the questions honestly by ticking the number that best describe your feelings The explanation of the rating is provided as follow All information shall be kept strictly confidential and the data collected will NOT be seen by anyone else and be used for the study purpose only Thank you for your valuable help! PART I: PERSONAL INFORMATION 1.Female: □ 2.Age: 20 – 25 years 26- 35 years 36 – 45 years 46 and above Marital status: ……………………… Number of children: ………………………… Teaching qualifications: …………………………………………………………….…… Teaching experience (Years of service): ……………………………………… ………… PART II: DEMOTIVATING FACTORS The following statements refer to factors that may influence the way a teacher feels about his or her job When answering them, please circle the numeral which represents the degree indicated below Strongly demotivate I Student – related factors My students have negative perspectives toward English My students are lack of enthusiasm for study My students have low basic English knowledge My students are reluctant to participate and not verbally respond to classroom activities My students are often inattentive in class I My students often forget doing their homework My students are often rebellious in class My students‟ achievement is low II Working environment a Facilities and materials The classroom in my college lacks sufficient learning facilities and equipment 10 My college has limited adequate teaching materials 11 We often have to teach large class size with students of mixed levels 12 Teaching syllabus and timetable is not fixed 13 There is no consistency in curriculum with clear goals 14 The textbook content is not equal with my students‟ level of proficiency b Workload 15 I have to teach different lesson plans at the same time 16 I have to work long hour at college every day 17 I have to fulfill many tasks besides teaching at the same time 18 I have to spend too much time handwriting the lesson plans c Salary 19 I have inadequate or poor salary 20 I think I receive less money as compared to the work I have to 21 The total income isn‟t sufficient to meet our basic financial requirements d Colleague relationship 22 I receive little appreciation from the administrators 23 I often get negative comments from my colleagues II about my teaching method after observing my class 24 Some of my colleagues are sometimes jealous of me e Administrative pressure 25 I am always forced to fulfill all tasks in time 26 I have to be responsible for my students‟ low results 27 I have to upgrade my professional qualification without any financial aids 28 The supervisor or my Dean sometimes observes my class without any plans or in advance inform 29 There is lack of autonomy in the teaching and evaluation process III Personal aspects a Professional life 30 I don‟t have enough experience to control all bad students in a class 31 My qualification is not good enough to teach students of this level 32 I don‟t like teaching career, my parents persuaded my job selection 33 I have no chance to improve my professional skills b Family life 34 I have to deal with all housework at home 35 My husband/wife doesn‟t sympathize to my workload at school 36 I have to other jobs to earn a living 37 I don‟t spend enough time for my family 38 Other factors: ……………………………………………………………………………………… ………… …………………………………………………………………………… …………………… …………………………………………………………… III APPENDIX 2: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR TEACHERS How you feel about teaching career (funny, enjoyable, stressful, happy, disappointed, ?) What is your favorite English teaching method? Have you ever considered of changing your job? Why? How you spend time after work? How you think about your students? (Obedient, naughty, hardworking…) How many lesson plans you have to make per week? What other extra - duties besides teaching you have to fulfill? Among of the demotivating factors, which is the determinant of your demotivation in teaching English? What you think about the classroom facilities for English teaching in your college? 10 Are you stressful before your students‟ English exams? IV APPENDIX 3: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR FORMER COLLEAGUES Why did you move to a new school? How would you describe your overall job satisfaction in VTEC? How is your work in new school? In your opinion, what factor demotivated you most in this college? V APPENDIX 4: ONE - WAY ANOVA ANALYSIS OF DEMOTIVATING FACTORS BETWEEN GENDERS My students have negative perspective toward English My students have low basic English knowledge My students are lack of enthusiasm for study My students are reluctant to participate and don't verbally respond to class activities My students are often inattentive in class My students forget doing homework My students are often rebellious in class My students' achievement is low The classroom lacks sufficient learning facilities and equipment My college has limited adequate teaching materials Note: * P < 05 VI We often have to teach large class size with students of mixed levels Teaching syllabus and timetable is not fixed There is no consistency in curriculum with clear goals The textbook content is not equal with my students' level of proficiency I have to teach different lesson plans at the same time Female I have to work long hour at college every day I have to fulfill many tasks besides teaching at the same time I have to spend too much time Male handwriting the lesson plans I have inadequate or poor salary I receive less money as compared to the work I have to Note: * P < 05 VII The total income isn't sufficient to meet our basic Female financial requirements I receive little appreciation from the administrators I often get negative comments from my colleagues about my teaching method Some of my colleagues are Male sometimes jealous of me I am always forced to fulfill all tasks in time I have to be responsible for Male my students' low results I have to upgrade my professional qualification without any financial aids The supervisor or my Dean sometimes observe my class without any plane Total or in advance inform There is a lack of autonomy in teaching and evaluation process Note: * P < 05 VIII I don't have enough experience to control all bad students in a class My qualification is not good enough to teach students of this level I don't like teaching career, Male my parents persuaded my job selection I have no chances to improve my professional skills I have to deal with all housework at home My husband/ wife doesn't sympathize to my workload at school I have to other jobs to earn a living I don't spend enough time for my family Note: * P < 05 IX ... conduct ? ?A Survey of Factors that Demotivate EFL Teachers at Vinh Phuc Technical Economic College? ?? Aims of the study The first aim of the study is to investigate demotivating factors among EFL teachers. .. men are at position of manager, all female teachers are all supervising teachers of a vocational class that means they are in charge of managing, organizing a class As a result, they have to deal... the factors that demotivate EFL teachers and examining differences in demotivating factors between male and female teachers at VTEC The results of the study cannot be generalized to all EFL teachers