A study on factors affecting first-year English major students’ motivation in English speaking classes at Hanoi Pedagogical University 2

HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES = = == = = CAO THI VAN ANH A STUDY ON FACTORS AFFECTING FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN ENGLISH SPEAKING CLASSES AT HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY (SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF PEDAGOGY IN ENGLISH) Field: English Language Teaching Hanoi, May 2019 HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES = = == = = CAO THI VAN ANH A CASE STUDY ON FACTORS AFFECTING FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN ENGLISH SPEAKING CLASSES AT HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY (SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF PEDAGOGY IN ENGLISH) Field: English Language Teaching SUPERVISORS: Nguyen Thi Minh Phuong, M.A Dr William H Salazar, Ed.D Hanoi, May 2019 STATEMENT OF THE AUTHORSHIP Title: A study on factors affecting first-year English major students’ motivation in English speaking classes at Hanoi Pedagogical University I hereby certify that this thesis is entirely my own work under strict guidance from my supervisors and no part of this report has been copied or reproduced by me from other person‟ work without the proper acknowledgements I have also provided fully documented references to the work of other researchers Date submitted: May 10th 2019 Student Supervisor Supervisor Cao Thi Van Anh Nguyen Thi Minh Phuong, M.A Dr William H Salazar, Ed.D i ACKNOWLEDGMENT In the completion of this thesis, first of all, I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisors, Ms Nguyen Thi Minh Phuong, M.A who taught me how to organize my thesis and Dr William H Salazar, Ed.D who helped me organize my ideas and how to edit my paper for their experience, guidance, stimulating suggestions and encouragement throughout my research Additionally, I would like to convey my deepest thanks to the lecturers in the Faculty of Foreign Languages for their advice and assistance in introducing me many reference materials related to this research project I am especially indebted to 50 first-year English major students at Hanoi Pedagogical University for their participation into my study Last but not least, I owe my special thanks to my loving parents, my younger brother and my dear friends who offered me their love, care, support and encouragement so that I could accomplish my study Hanoi, May 2019 ii ABSTRACT Motivation is one of the most vital factors determining the success or failure of students‟ foreign language learning Without motivation, nothing can be accomplished But in spite of that, in reality many students in general and some students at Hanoi Pedagogical University in particular, not have enough motivation to practise speaking English smoothly While speaking is considered one of the most important skills when compared with other skills; it is the most essential skills in our daily lives and is the most effective mean of communication Therefore, this study was implemented to investigate the factors affecting first-year English major students‟ motivation in English speaking classes at Hanoi Pedagogical University The participants were 50 first-year English major students and three lecturers of English Survey questionnaire, interviews and classroom observations were used as the major data collection instruments The data were computed and analyzed The major findings demonstrated that there were four main groups of factors that affect students‟ motivation in English speaking classes in order of importance: (1) Student – related factors (mean = 3.59); (2) Lecturer – related factors (mean = 3.4); (3) Classroom – related factors (mean = 3.3) and; (4) Course book – related factors (mean= 2.72) Mean scores of 3.5-5.0 on the 5-point Likert scale were defined as highly motivated; mean scores of 2.5-3.4 were defined as moderately motivated; and mean scores defined as lowly motivated were 1.0-2.4 Based on the findings of this study, implications and suggestions to increase students‟ positive motivation at Hanoi Pedagogical University were made: 1) Intrinsic and Extrinsic motivation are very important to increase students‟ speaking skill level 2) Lecturers should design interesting activities that are relevant to students 3) Lecturers should create a positive classroom environment and show their enthusiasm in their teaching Key words: student motivation, factors affecting motivation, English speaking classes, first-year English major students, L2 motivation iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS HPU2 Hanoi Pedagogical University FFL Faculty of Foreign Languages L2 Second language iv LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Demographics of the participants 22 Table 2: Student – related factors .23 Table 3: Lecturer – related factors 26 Table : Classroom – related factors 29 Table : Course book – related factors 31 Table 6: The comparison among four factors 33 LIST OF CHARTS Chart 1: Student – related factors .23 Chart 2: Lecturer – related factors 26 Chart 3: Classroom – related factors .29 Chart : Course book – related factors 31 Chart : The comparison among four factors 33 v TABLE OF CONTENTS PART A INTRODUCTION 1 RATIONALE AIMS OF THE STUDY RESEARCH QUESTIONS METHOD OF THE STUDY SCOPE OF THE STUDY SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY DESIGN OF THE STUDY PART B DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Motivation in Second/ Foreign Language Learning 1.1.1 Definition of Motivation 1.1.2 Definition of Motivation in L2 Acquisition 1.1.3 Motivation in Practising English Speaking Skills 1.1.4 Types of Motivation 1.1.4.1 Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation 1.1.4.2 Integrative and Instrumental Motivation 1.2 Motivation in L2 Speaking Classroom 1.2.1 Related Issues of Speaking Skills 1.2.1.1 Some Definitions of Speaking Skills 1.2.1.2 Types of Classroom Speaking Performance 10 3.2 Motivation in Speaking Classroom 10 3.2.1 Factors Demotivate Students to Speak in Classes 10 3.2.2 Some Conditions for Effective Motivation in Speaking Classroom 11 1.3 Factors Affecting Motivation in L2 Learning 12 1.3.1 Dornyei‟s Extended Motivational Framework 12 1.3.2 Williams and Burden‟s Framework of the L2 Motivation 12 1.3.3 Factors Affecting Students‟ Motivation in Learning L2 13 1.3.3.1 Student – related Factors 13 vi 1.3.3.2 Lecturer – related Factors 14 1.3.3.3 Classroom – related Factors 15 1.3.3.4 Course book – related Factors 15 1.3.4 Previous Studies on Factors Affecting Students‟ Motivation in L2 Speaking Class 15 CHAPTER TWO: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 17 2.1 Description and Context of the Study 17 Participants 17 2.2 Data Collection Instruments: 18 2.2.1 Survey Questionnaire for Students (Appendix A) 18 2.2.2 Interview for Lecturers and Students (Appendix B) 19 2.2.3 Classroom Observation (Appendix C) 19 2.4 Data Analysis 20 CHAPTER THREE: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 22 3.1 Results 22 3.1.1 Results of Survey Questionnaire, Interviews and Classroom Observations about Factors Affecting the First-year English Major Students‟ Motivation in English Speaking Classes 22 3.1.1.1 Demographics of the Students taking part in the Survey 22 3.1.1.2 Student – related Factors 22 3.1.3 Lecturer – related factors 25 3.1.4 Classroom – related Factors 28 3.1.5 Course book – related Factors 30 3.1.6 The Comparison among Four Factors Affecting Sudents‟ Motivation in English Speaking Classes 32 3.2 Discussion of Findings on Factors Affecting Students‟ Motivation in English Speaking Classes 34 3.2.1 Student – related Factors 34 3.2.2 Lecturer – related Factors 35 3.2.3 Classroom – related Factors 36 3.2.4 Course book – related Factors 36 CONCLUSION 38 vii Summary of the Study 38 Pedagogical Implications 38 Limitations of the Study 40 Suggestions for Future Research 40 REFERENCES 42 APPENDICES 46 viii PART C CONCLUSION In this section of the conclusion, the researcher will cover some important findings, proposes some implications for lecturers and students on how they can use motivation to teach and study English effectively especially English speaking skills based on the findings of the study and discuss some limitations of the study and suggestions for future study Summary of the Study In conclusion, this study aimed to explore the factors affecting the first-year English major students‟ motivation in English speaking classes at HPU2 The researcher focused on four main factors that included: student – related factor, lecturer – related factor, classroom – related factor and course book – related factor and had a limited investigation with these four factors Through three important instruments of the research project: student survey questionnaires, student and lecturer interviews and classroom observations, an insight in each factor was revealed First and foremost, students – related factors containing student‟ interest with speaking English, students‟ belief, students‟ confidence, students‟ learning strategies, students‟ personality and students‟ intelligence/ aptitude were considered as significant factors affecting students‟ motivation in English speaking Moreover, the results of the questionnaires, the interviews and the classroom observations revealed two important factors on how lecturers influence students' motivation to learn in class: (1) lecturer‟ teaching method and (2) lecturer‟s enthusiasm for his/ her subject Furthermore, the study exhibited that a pleasant and positive learning and teaching environment will also increase students‟ motivation The last motivating factor is about the course book used in English speaking class Giving familiar topics and providing necessary background knowledge for students before each task or activity in speaking class are believed to be a effective strategy to promote students‟ motivation and encourage them to actively participate during the lesson Pedagogical Implications Based on the results mentioned in chapter three, this part will present the pedagogical implications of the investigation for improving motivation; including 38 increasing positive motivational factors and decreasing negative motivational factors from both internal and external factors Firstly, students‟ confidence is a vital factor related to students‟ motivation in sharing their opinions in speaking class Thus, improving confidence and limiting anxiety is a necessity Lecturers need to be aware of establishing a comfortable and supportive learning environment in their English speaking classes Forming a friendly close relationship between lecture and students is very important This will encourage students to express their ideas and diminish anxiety when they make mistakes Hughes (2009) stated his idea that when students are not embarrassed in English speaking class, they will be more motivated to complete every English exercise or activity Furthermore, lecturers should not treat students adversely or interrupt them while they are speaking when they make mistakes The help and support from lecturer are expected to reduce students‟ anxiety and increase their motivation Besides, learning strategy also contributes a great impact on students‟ motivation in speaking class If students have suitable learning strategies, they will improve their studying in general and their speaking level in particular It is highly recommended that students should try as much as possible different ways to find for themselves the best strategy for their learning Also, lecturers should give them some advice/ techniques in how to find the best learning strategy for each individual Secondly, many students and researchers agreed that lecturers assume an essential role in students' motivation in speaking performance Through the results of interviews and classroom observations, it is essential for English lecturers to apply different, interesting and practical exercises or activities in speaking class with moderate level of difficulty to encourage students to actively participate in speaking class Therefore, well-designed activities are important in enhancing students' interests, performance and intrinsic motivation in English speaking class Moreover, it is suggested that lecturers should show their enthusiasm and care by observing and helping students when they work in pairs, groups, or even work individually; and always be willing to share anything they know when they are asked; be friendly; always encourage students with rewards or praise; improve their horizons about English and their pronunciation and have clear instructions before each tasks in class Additionally, lecturers should create a pleasant teaching and learning environment between lecturer and students with a perspective on reinforcing 39 students' motivation in English speaking class For instance, during the lesson, lecturer should interact more with students by giving them sincere and supportive feedback for their answers or performance; and spend some minutes to ask students to share their opinions after each speaking task/ activity According to students and lecturers, the facilities in each speaking class seem inadequate Each speaking class should be supplied with a speaker, a projector and posters/ photos/ pictures related to the lessons Last but not least, it is important that lecturers should pay attention to students‟ ideas, presentations and performances and avoid interrupting students whenever they speak or criticise students when they make mistakes This will definitely bring a pleasant learning environment Because, it is obvious that when students feel they are respected by lecturers, they will feel free to confidently share their thoughts in English speaking classes Limitations of the Study Although the researcher put a lot of considerable effort to investigate the factors affecting the first-year English major students' motivation in English speaking classes at HPU2 in this research, there are some limitations to this study First of all, this study was carried out with only 50 first-year English major students and not all of first-year English major students at HPU2 So the number of students who did the survey questionnaire is a small sample of the total student population Second, because the researcher had limited time; had to deal with other duties such as doing the teaching intership and preparing for the C1 test; and had to spend a lot of time to analyse the data, edit and to rewrite the thesis, this research project just focused on exploring factors affecting students‟ motivation in speaking skills, and not the other three English skills (listening, reading and writing skills) Suggestions for Future Research In this section, the researcher will discuss some suggestions for future research based on the study For example, future research could include these following suggestions: - Conduct action reasearch focusing on one class - Study these factors: peer – related factors, parental – related factors, parttime job factors, volunteer – related factors, extra curricular activities – related factors, parental and peer factors and so on 40 - Study the other three English skills: Listening, Reading and Writing - Study all the K44 English classes 41 REFERENCES Boonkit, K (2010) Enhancing the Development of Speaking Skills for Non-Native Speakers of English Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2(2010), 1305 – 1309 Brown, G., & Yule, G (1983) Teaching the spoken language: An approach based on the analysis of conversational English Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Brown, D.H (2000) Principles of Language Teaching and Learning (4th edition) Addison Wesley Longman, Inc Bygate, M (1997) Speaking (6th ed.) Oxford University Press Coopersmith, Stanley “Studies in Self-Esteem.” Scientific American, 218, No.2 (Feb.1968) 96-108 Crookes, G., & Schmidt, R W (1991) Motivation: reopening the research agenda Language Learning, 41(4), 469-512 Deci, E.L., & Ryan, R.M (1985) Intrinsic Motivation and Self- determination in Human Behavior New York: Plenum Dornyei, Z (1994) Motivation and motivating in the foreign language classroom The Modern Language Journal, 78(3), 273-284 Dornyei, Z And I, Otto 1998 “Motivation in Action: A Process Model of L2 Motivation” Working Papers in Applied Linguistics London: Thames Valley University 4: 43-69 Dornyei, R (2001) Teaching and Researching Motivation Longman Ellis, R (1994) The study of second language acquisition Oxford University Press Finegan, E (1999) Language : Its structure and use (3rd ed.) 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PART PLEASE FILL IN THE BLANK PERSONAL INFORMATION Age: Gender: _ The number of years studying English: PART PLEASE TICK ONE OF THE FIVE POSSIBLE RESPONSES FOR EACH STATEMENT ACCORDING TO THE LEVEL OF YOUR AGREEMENT OR DISAGREEMENT WITH THAT ITEMS (1) (2) Strongly Disagree (SD) Disagree (D) (3) (4) Neutral (N) Agree (A) (5) Strongly Agree (SA) Students – related Factors (A) I feel motivated in English speaking class because: SD D N A SA (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) Statement A1 I like speaking English A2 This speaking class definitely helps me to enhance my English knowledge and to 46 be able to communicate with foreigners A3 I am confident to speak English in my class A4 I have an effective way to remember vocabulary and structures for speaking skills A5 I can express my thoughts in front of my classmates A6 I have the ability to learn vocabulary and expressions in English Lecturer - related Factors (B) I feel motivated in my English speaking class because: B1 Lecturer often gives students many opportunities to speak English B2 Lecturer sometimes designs many enjoyable activities and practical exercises to attract students to participate in speaking B3 Lecturer gives marks or rewards regularly to urge students to speak English B4 Lecturer expresses praise and positive encouragement when students speak English well B5 Lecturer creates a good relationship with students B6 Lecturer uses humor to build up a comfortable environment teaching and learning 47 B7 Lecturer is available to help when students are discussing in pairs, in groups or even individually B8 Lecturer is interested in setting learning goals for students and tries to help students to reach their learning goals Classroom – related Factors (C) I feel motivated in speaking class because: C1 The number of students and order of desks in the class are relatively accessible to see and talk with everyone C2 The classroom atmosphere is pleasant and supportive for me to freely share my ideas with other students and lecturer C3 Facilities in the classroom are necessary and helpful for students to speak English C4 I recieve sincere and supportive advice from my lecturer and my classmates C5 I can easily ask questions to my lecturer and friends when I need help Course book – related Factors (D) I feel motivated in English speaking class because: D1 The activities and exercises in the course book are quite interesting D2 The content and the order of the lessons in the book are well-designed 48 D3 The topics covered in the book are familiar and meet my needs D4 The illustrations (pictures, ) are attractively designed PART 3: PLEASE WRITE DOWN YOUR ANSWERS FOR FOLLOWING OPEN – ENDED QUESTIONS: Is there anything else which motivate you in speaking English? Please write to the related factors STUDENT – RELATED FACTORS: LECTURER – RELATED FACTORS: CLASSROOM – RELATED FACTORS: COURSE BOOK – RELATED FACTORS: 49 OTHER FACTORS: Please give some suggestions for increasing students’ motivation in English speaking classes? 50 APPENDIX B INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR LECTURERS AND STUDENTS According to you, how these factors affect your students‟ motivation in English speaking skill class? (Students – related factors, Lecturer – related factors, Classroom – related factors, Course book – related factors) Do you have any suggestions for promoting students‟ motivation in English speaking class? 51 APPENDIX C CLASSROOM OBSERVATION CHECKLIST K44 – 1st – year students (2nd semester) Aspects observed: Students‟ motivation on the English speaking class Students‟ reaction to lecturer‟s speaking activities Students‟ interaction with each other in completing the required task How lecturer deals with the noise and silence in the class? Motivational strategies/ techniques lecturer uses to increase students‟ motivation to speak in English in speaking class 52 ... in English speaking classes at Hanoi Pedagogical University 2 AIMS OF THE STUDY This study aims at investigating the factors affecting first-year English major students' motivation in English speaking. .. implications of the investigation for improving motivation; including 38 increasing positive motivational factors and decreasing negative motivational factors from both internal and external factors. .. of motivation in L2 learning, motivation in L2 speaking class especially factors affecting students‟ motivation in L2 speaking class Moreover, some studies about factors affecting students‟ motivation