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VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN THỊ HOA PRIMARY STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN LEARNING ENGLISH: A CASE STUDY AT NHAN PHUC PRIMARY SCHOOL ĐỘNG LỰC HỌC TIẾNG ANH CỦA HỌC SINH TIỂU HỌC: NGHIÊN CỨU CỤ THỂ TẠI TRƯỜNG TIỂU HỌC NHÂN PHÚC M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 601410 Hanoi - 2013 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN THỊ HOA PRIMARY STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN LEARNING ENGLISH: A CASE STUDY AT NHAN PHUC PRIMARY SCHOOL ĐỘNG LỰC HỌC TIẾNG ANH CỦA HỌC SINH TIỂU HỌC: NGHIÊN CỨU CỤ THỂ TẠI TRƯỜNG TIỂU HỌC NHÂN PHÚC M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 601410 Supervisor : Assoc Prof Dr Vo Dai Quang Hanoi- 2013 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project report entitled “Primary students’ motivation in learning English: A case study at Nhan Phuc Primary School” submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MA in English Linguistics Except where the reference is indicated, no other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the text of the thesis Hanoi, 2013 Nguyen Thi Hoa i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis could not have been completed without the help and support from a number of people First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Assoc Prof Dr Vo Dai Quang, my supervisor, who has patiently and constantly supported me through the stages of the study, and whose stimulating ideas, expertise, and suggestions have inspired me greatly through my growth as an academic researcher A special word of thanks goes to my lecturers, my friends, my classmates, my colleagues, my students and many others, without whose support and encouragement it would never have been possible for me to have this thesis accomplished Last but not least, I am greatly indebted to my family for the sacrifice they have devoted to the fulfillment of this academic work ii ABSTRACT The research in this minor thesis is carried out to investigate students’ motivation at Nhan Phuc Primary School By employing questionnaires and semi-structured interviews as research data collection, the study found out that the young learners at Nhan Phuc Primary School have tendency towards intrinsic motivation in learning English Also, the researcher explored three main factors affecting the students’ motivation, namely students’ self interest, caregivers’ encouragement and anxiety In this study, motivational strategies also were discussed In short, it is hoped that this thesis will help to improve the teaching and studying of English at Nhan Phuc Primary School as well as pave the way for future studies in the field of young students’ motivation in English learning iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Certificate of originality of study project report i Acknowledgements ii Abstract iii Table of contents iv List of abbreviations vii Tables and figures viii PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale for the study Aims and objectives of the research Scope of the research Significance of the research Structural organization of the thesis PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Review of previous studies related to the research area of the thesis 1.2 Theoritical background 1.2.1 Motivation in language learning 1.2.2 How children learn foreign languages? .10 1.2.3 Teaching English to children .13 1.3 Summary CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 15 2.1 Research - governing orientations 15 2.1.1 Research questions .15 2.1.2 Research setting 16 2.1.3 Research approach .17 2.2 Research methods 18 iv 2.2.1 Major methods 15 2.2.2 Data collection techniques 16 2.2.3 Data analysis techniques 17 2.3 Summary 19 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 24 3.1 Primary students’ motivation in learning English in the context of Nhan Phuc Primary School 24 3.2 Factors affecting student’s motivation in learning English in the context of Nhan Phuc Primary School 3.3 Techniques for motivating students at Nhan Phuc Primary School PART C: CONCLUSION .36 (i) Recapitulation 36 (ii) Concluding remarks on each of the thesis objectives 36 (iii) Limitations of the current research 37 (iv) Recommendations 38 (v) Suggestions for future research 39 REFERENCES 40 APPENDICES 41 Appendix A:Questionnaire .42 Appendix B: Questionnaire 44 Appendix C: Interview questions 46 v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CEFR Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment EFL English as a Foreign Language SLA Second Language Acquisition vi TABLES AND FIGURES Table Population of informants for the study .20 Table Students’ responses to 15 questionnaire items 30 Table Students’ preference of motivational strategies 33 Table Students’ expectation of teacher’s motivational strategies .34 Table Preferred techniques ranked by students 35 Figure Students' opinions whether they like learning English or not 24 Figure Students' interest in English learning 24 Figure Students’ reasons for studying English 25 Figure Students' awareness of their own language competence 27 Figure Summary of students' motivation patterns at Nhan Phuc Primary School 27 Figure Factors affecting students' motivation at Nhan Phuc Primary School 32 vii PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale for the study Perhaps, there has been a “global revolution” of learning and teaching English at primary schools nowadays The term “global revolution” may appear something of an over-statement, but actually the teaching of English has become especially important in recent years The trend towards an early start in learning English turns out to be a worldwide phenomenon The number of countries now introducing English at primary levels has been increasing, including Viet Nam It is expected that English soon will be compulsory from grade in every part of Viet Nam, though the policy has been implemented in many provinces of the country Viet Nam has been taking a lot of important actions in an ambitious education reform so that by the year 2020 all students will reach B1 level adopting CEFR standard after leaving high schools The Ministry of Education and Training is taking a phased approach in which primary English language teaching plays a very important role Although it has long been believed that children can learn a second language more quickly and efficiently than adults, in fact, there is no clear evidence for this belief Obviously, children’s language acquisition and adults’ differ from each other quite a lot in terms of physiological characteristics, cognitive ability, span of attention, faculty of memory, self-consciousness, linguistic capacities, learning style, motivation for studying and so on Because of learner difference and learning context difference, a varied view on motivation in language learning should be taken by researchers and teachers in order to devise suitable teaching styles that can both enhance language learning and facilitate the achievement of education goals Numerous studies have been carried out to investigate motivation, which is considered to be one of the most important elements in language learning, however limited research has been done to thoroughly evaluate children’s motivation 100% 80% 60% 67% A: Interest in Foreign Countries 83% 76% B: Intrinsic Motivation 40% 33% 40% C: Caregivers’ Encouragement 20% D: Instrumental Motivation 0% A B C D E E: Anxiety Figure Factors affecting students’ motivation at Nhan Phuc Primary School The figure reconfirms that all the five factors effect students’ motivation, however, anxiety, caregivers’ encouragement and intrinsic motivation create big effects The data collected from the interview can support this finding When being asked “Clarify why you learn English in details.”, the result was summarized as the following: out 15 interviewees (40%) have the same idea that “My mother/father told me that English is important nowadays, I should try my best learning it” students referred the reason in which English is their favorite school subject and there is a lot of fun in English lessons.” For the question “When you feel worst in English lessons?” The answers are varied; the most common ones include “I’m worried about performing some tasks in front of the class; Sometimes I feel nervous if I couldn’t understand what my teacher talks; I cannot give the correct answer, ” To sum up, children’s learning can be affected by a variety of factors; among them, anxiety, caregivers’ encouragement, intrinsic motivation, instrumental motivation, and interest in foreign which should be taken into account 32 3.3 Techniques for motivating students at Nhan Phuc Primary School Teacher praises me in front of the class Teacher shares her feelings and stories with the whole class Teacher shows pictures or videos for illustration Teacher makes me curious in discussed topics Others Number 130 15 25 10 Percentage 72% 8% 14% 6% 0% I feel best when Table Students’ preference of motivational strategies Figures in table reveal the reality that many children like to be praised publicly by teachers since 72% chose “Teacher praises me in front of the class.” as the answer to complete the blank concerning their best feeling in English classes It is the fact that not only children but also adults want to be complimented by others That is the feeling of being acknowledged and admired by others for someone’s success Praising or rewards can work as extrinsic motivators to help those whose intrinsic motivation is absent Children’s behaviors or answers will be much better next time if they are rewarded for their effort Although, the other strategies did not take high percentages, they can also support to motivate children’s learning That teacher shares her feelings or stories to children can create a good relationship between teachers and learners, which will benefit students’ learning process more The process of English now need more and more interaction for practice which can happen between groups of students, pairs, and between teachers and students Therefore, if a teacher cares to her students’ needs, the process would be smooth and easier for her students As stated before, one of children’s characteristics is 33 curiosity Making them curious about some intended topics is a good way to get them involved in the lesson with high interest Young learners love drawing; they also have good imagination As such, using visual aids to help the lesson more interesting and promote students’ thinking is another strategy that teachers can make use of so as to motivate their students effectively Student’s expectation of teacher’s motivational techniques Number Percentage Give positive emotions Be enthusiastic Introduce to students good work done by their peers Give clear Others explanation 45 80 35 20 25% 45% 19% 11% 0% Table Students’ expectation of teacher’s motivational techniques Students have different expectation about their teacher’s motivational techniques As can be seen from table 3, surprisingly, the most desired technique is that teachers should show students how enthusiastic they are 45% of the students agreed with this An instructor’s enthusiasm is a crucial factor in student motivation It is the teachers’ enthusiasm that can help to inspire students’ learning Many other students share the same point that they will more motivated if teachers give positive emotions and show them good work done by their classmates; 25% and 19% stated these respectively When learning is accompanied by strong emotions like loving, exciting, even a little frightening, and learners will be impressed by such feelings and they learn more readily The rest of the participants (11%) think that they need teacher’s clear explanation in order to focus on learning better Among motivational strategies were raised, the most favorite techniques were ranked by the students as displayed in the table below Based on this, teachers 34 may have some suggestions to decide which strategies should be used often in their class However, one should bear in mind that a variety of techniques is the best policy A technique applied days by days could make students bored and tired According to this table, praising and rewarding success should usually be done by teacher Being enthusiastic and giving positive emotions are always helpful as they help to maintain students’ interest in a long lasting learning process In addition, using visual aids and clear instruction could support learners’ understanding effectively To sum up, in a foreign language lesson, these techniques should be conducted flexibly in order to benefit students’ acquisition most Motivational techniques Percentage Praise and reward success 72% Care to student needs 8% Make learning visual 14% Make students active participants in learning 6% Give positive emotion 25% Be enthusiastic 45% Introduce to students good work done by their peers 19% Give clear explanation 11% Table Preferred techniques ranked by students 35 PART C: CONCLUSION (i) Recapitulation The present study is an attempt to cover the issue of young learners’ motivation in learning English in the context of Nhan Phuc Primary School The focus of the study lies in three main points, namely students’ motivation patterns, factors affecting students’ motivation, and motivating strategies for teachers To deal with this, the study addresses the following questions: In what ways are primary students at Nhan Phuc Primary School motivated in learning English? What factors affect primary students’ motivation in the context of Nhan Phuc Primary School? What teaching techniques motivate primary students effectively in the context of Nhan Phuc Primary School? By applying case study approach and employing useful data collection techniques including questionnaires and interviews, the data analysis reaches the main findings as follow: young learners at Nhan Phuc Primary School show their tendency in English language learning with intrinsic motivation; the main factors underlying their motivation are personal interest, caregivers’ encouragement, and anxiety; praising and being enthusiastic are the two motivational techniques that students prefer (ii) Concluding remarks on each of the thesis objectives As stated earlier, the research aims at gaining understanding of young learners’ motivation in English learning so that appropriate teaching techniques would be adapted to improve both learning and teaching In order to achieve this aim, the research covered the specific objectives below: Concluding remarks on objective 1: Identifying children’s motivation in learning English at Nhan Phuc Primary School Most students agreed that their interest in 36 learning English stems from inside That is to say they are intrinsically motivated Besides intrinsic motivation, other students learn English because of extrinsic, integrative, and instrumental motivation However, young learners at Nhan Phuc Primary School stress their motivation on inner desire rather than external factors Concluding remarks on objective 2: Exploring the factors affecting young learners’ motivation in the context of Nhan Phuc Primary School A variety of factors can be accounted for students’ motivation This study discovered factors underlying their motivation Among them, there are main factors in which students’ anxiety gains the most attention, then caregiver’s encouragement, and the students’ self interest finally Concluding remarks on objective 3: Suggesting motivational strategies for teaching English at Nhan Phuc Primary School Many teaching techniques were discussed already; however, the most favorite strategies from students’ viewpoint are being enthusiastic and praising/rewarding success (iii) Limitations of the current research Although the researcher has made efforts toward carrying out this study, due to the limitation of time, lack of resources and the researcher’s ability, drawbacks are unavoidable With the questionnaires, there is a possibility that the participants did not answer all questions with careful consideration The reliability of the data collection might not work at the best due to such factors as time pressure, reluctance In terms of the interview, some students seemed to be quieter than the others and some gave too general answers, which caused difficulties for the researcher to decode their intention 37 (iv) Recommendations Below are recommendations for primary English teacher to consider when conducting a lesson Teachers can take advantages of the following techniques Because of different teaching contexts, teachers may some changes so that these techniques best fit their own teaching situation Firstly, the secret of good motivation for children is planning Teachers have to remember that it is the learners' activities that need planning, not the teacher's activities Children have short span of attention, so each activity should not last more than 10 minutes long; otherwise, students will soon feel bored In addition, stirrers and settlers are needed, which helps excite children It is wisdom that the mixture of stirrers and settlers always works well for young learners Such activities as singing, moving around the classroom, writing, copying, coloring, and drawing are examples of stirrers and settles Time planning is also important Appropriate time planning for the whole procedure contributes to successful lessons Secondly, as discussed above, praising is a technique that teachers should apply regularly in every lesson Young learners loved to be praised in front of their classmates They will try their best to deal with something new, challenging next time if their effort is recognized by others If teachers can reward their success, then they will see their students’ motivation levels increase Thirdly, fun activities are the key to keep young learners get involved in lessons They always enjoy activities like singing, chanting, playing games, and so on However, teachers should design activities for students to learn, not for fun only Learning by doing is a good technique that every teacher should take into account if they wish to promote their students’ interest in learning Finally, learning material ought to be various The same type of activity day by day will obviously demotive students’ learning 38 (v) Suggestions for further research Firstly, future researchers who are interested in the thesis of “Primary students’ motivation in learning English: A case study at Nhan Phuc Primary School” may invest more time and effort to study a broader sample population from primary school in urban areas Secondly, it might be interesting to figure out in more details the motivational strategies which the researcher have not a chance to investigate them thoroughly Thirdly, types of classroom activities to motivate young students are also the issues which need more investigation in the future In conclusion, it is hoped that despite all the limitations, this thesis may be, to some extent, useful for teachers and students at Nhan Phuc Primary School and others who face the similar teaching situation 39 REFERENCES Broussard, S C., & Garrison, M E B (2004) The relationship betweenclassroom motivation and academic achievement in elementary school-aged children Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 33(2), 106–120 Belmechri, F., & Hummel, K (1998) Orientations and Motivation in the Acquisition of English as a Second Language Among High School Students in Quebec City Language Learning, 48, 219-244 Cameron, L (2007), Teaching Language to Young Learners Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Dickinson, L (1995) Autonomy and motivation: A literature review System, 23, 165-174 Dörnyei, Z (1998) Motivation in Second and Foreign Language Learning Language Teaching, 31:3, 117-135 Dornyei, Z (2001) Teaching and researching motivation Harlow, England: Longman Gardner, R C., & Lambert, W E (1959) Motivational variables in second language acquisition Canadian Journal of Psychology, 13, 266-272 Gardner, R.C (1985) Social psychology and second language learning: The role of attitudes and motivation London: Edward Arnold Gardner, R C (2001) Learning language motivation: The student, the teacher, and the researcher Texas Papers in Foreign Language Education, 6(1), 1-18 10 Guay, F., Chanal, J., Ratelle, C F., Marsh, H W., Larose, S., & Boivin, M (2010) Intrinsic, identified, and controlled types of motivation for school subjects in young elementary school children British Journal of Educational Psychology, 80(4), 711–735 11 Junko Matsuzaki Carreira (2006) Motivation for Learning English as a Foreign Language in Japanese Elementary Schools, JALT Journal, 28, 2044 12 Keller, J (1983) Motivational design of instruction In C M Reigeluth (Ed.), Instructional design theories and models: An overview of their current status Hillsdale, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates 13 Long Tran (2005) Motivating students to learn English: A study on Hanoi Industrial College students MA Thesis, Vietnam National University, Hanoi 40 14 Mai Chi Do Thi (2010) Challenges of teaching English to primary children: Voices from Ninh Binh teachers MA Thesis, Vietnam National University, Hanoi 15 Masgoret et al (2001) Examining the role of attitudes and motivation outside of the formal classroom: A test of the miniAMTB for children Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press 16 Oxford, R., & Shearin, J (1994) Language learning motivation: Expanding the theoretical framework Modern Language Journal, 78, 12-28 17 Pintrich, P R., & Schunk, D H (2002) Motivation in education: Theory, research, and application Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall 18 Quoc Binh Tran (2010) Practical constraints in EFL Vietnamese classroom affecting speaking assessment: A case study in Nam Dinh upper-secondary schools MA Thesis, Vietnam National University, Hanoi 19 Ryan, R M., & Deci, E (2000) Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well being American Psychologist, 55, 68-78 20 Williams, M., & Burden, R L (1997) Psychology for Language Teachers Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 21 http://www.researchproposalsforhealthprofessionals.com/semistructured_inte rviews.htm, Retrieved on November 1st 2013 41 APPENDIX A Questionnaire There are questions in this questionnaire Please answer them in your own ideas, not referring to others’ and circle only ONE choice for each question Do you like learning English? a) Yes b) Quite c) No How interesting you find learning English? a) It is interesting b) It is sometimes interesting, and sometimes boring c) It is boring Why you learn English? a) Because I like English language b) Because I want to understand English (e.g to understand cartoons, books, songs, films etc.) c) Because I want to earn a good job in the future d) Because I want to make my parents happy/satisfied e) Others: I want to get good marks on English a) Because this makes me happy b) Because my parents/teachers praise me or give me some gifts for that c) Because I want to pass English tests d) Because skillful English helps me interact with foreigners in the future 42 e) Others: When you feel best at English lessons? a) Teacher praises me in front of the class b) Teacher shares her feelings and stories with the whole class c) Teacher shows pictures or videos for illustrations d) Teacher makes me curious in discussed topics e) Others: Which would you like your teacher to in English lessons? a) Make something fun with positive emotions b) Be friendly and enthusiastic c) Introduce to me good work done by my classmates d) Give clear explanation e) Others: How good are you at English? a) Really good b) Quite good c) Not good enough 43 APPENDIX B Questionnaire There are 15 statements in this questionnaire You may agree or disagree Besides each statement there are three faces: a smiling face means agree, an unhappy face means disagree Please circle the face corresponding to your choice Remember to circle only ONE face for each statement Q1 English lessons are great fun (I really enjoy learning English.) Q2 I would like to make a lot of foreign friends Q3 I get worried when I am doing worse than my classmates in English class Q4 I would like to try to use the English which I have learned Q5 I hope that we have more English lessons Q6 In my family, we all feel that it is very important to learn English Q7 I am somehow always anxious in the English class Q8 I study English because I think English will be necessary for me when I am an adult 44 Q9 I would like to try and talk to foreigners when my English becomes proficient Q10 My parents hope that my English will be proficient Q11 I am studying English for a future job Q12 I would like to live abroad Q13 I get nervous when I answer or give a presentation in English class Q14 My parents tell me to study English hard Q15 I am studying English in order to enter a high school or a university 45 APPENDIX C Interview questions Do you think learning English is important? Why/Why not? Clarify in details why you like/do not like learning English List things you like when learning English List things you not like in English classes When you feel worst in English lessons? 46 ... LEARNING ENGLISH: A CASE STUDY AT NHAN PHUC PRIMARY SCHOOL ĐỘNG LỰC HỌC TIẾNG ANH CỦA HỌC SINH TIỂU HỌC: NGHIÊN CỨU CỤ THỂ TẠI TRƯỜNG TIỂU HỌC NHÂN PHÚC M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field : English