初中生英语学习动机的研究

论文总字数：35334字

摘 要

动机是决定英语学习成败的主要因素之一。动机强的语言学习者，对语言学习怀有浓厚的兴趣，对提高学习满怀自信，更加积极主动地投入到语言学习中，并且不懈地努力刻苦学习以获取良好的学习成效。初中阶段的英语学习在整个英语学习过程中起着重要作用。学习动机的激励能够促进初中生更加积极主动投入英语学习中，从而有助于其打下坚实的英语基础。目前在国内，相关英语学习动机方面的研究还较缺乏。并且在英语教学中，对学生的学习动机亦未给予足够重视。新初中英语课程标准强调重视包括动机在内的情感态度对于英语学习过程及效果的影响作用。本文在相关动机理论的基础上，结合初中生英语学习动机的现状，探索激发学生英语学习动机的有效措施。

关键词：英语学习动机；激发策略；初中生

Contents

1. Introduction …………………………………………………………...1

2. Literature Review ……………………………………………………….2

2.1 General Viewpoints on Motivation …………………………………...2

2.2 Motivation Researches in Second Language Learning ……………….2

2.3 Domestic Researches …………………………………………………...3

3. Theoretical Basis ……………………………………………………….4

3.1 Definition of Motivation ……………………………………………….4

3.2 Categories of Motivation ……………………………………………….4

3.3 Leading Motivation Theories ………………………………………..….5

3.4 Motivation and Other Influential Factors ……………………………….8

4. Current Situation of Students’ English Learning Motivation ……….9

4.1 Types of Students’ Learning Motivation ……………………………….9

4.2 Factors Influencing Students’ Learning Motivation …………………...9

5. Strategies for Stimulating Students’ English Learning Motivation…11

5.1 Creating a Relaxing and Positive English Learning Environment .…11

5.2 Improving Teaching Methods ………………………………………….11

5.3 Enhancing Students’ Confidence in English Learning ……………...12

5.4 Helping Students Set Appropriate English Learning Goals ………….13

5.5 Strengthening Students’ Awareness of Values in English Learning ….14

6. Conclusion …………………………………………………………….15

Works Cited …………………………………………………………….16

1. Introduction

English learning is affected by many factors, among which motivation is widely considered as one of the key ones. It is generally accepted that motivation is one of the main factors determining the success or failure of English learning. A motivated language learner has great interest in language learning and holds a strong belief in improving it. They will get actively involved in the language learning and persevere in working hard to obtain satisfactory achievements.

English learning in the phase of the junior middle school plays an important role during the whole process of English learning in that it helps the students to develop a positive attitude towards learning English and assists them in laying the solid foundation for further learning. At present, many students in junior middle schools learn English passively. They show no interest in learning English. They learn English just for high grades, teachers’ praise or parents’ expectations. Some students are often absent-minded in English class and they can’t carefully finish the homework in time. Even some students hate learning English and they see it as a burden. As a result, they can’t get satisfactory outcomes. These are all related to motivation. The new criterion of junior English curriculum lays great emphasis on the effects of students’ affective attitudes, including motivation, on the learning process and outcomes. Teachers are required to help the students to form steady learning motivation.

In the 1950s, foreign researchers prompted the motivation studies in second language acquisition, and the representatives are Gardner and Lambert. However, the research of motivation in second language learning did not begin until the 1980s in China. What is more, the study on the learning motivation of junior middle school students is far from enough. This thesis, based on related motivation theories and the current situation of students’ learning motivation in junior middle schools, explores the effective strategies to stimulate students’ learning motivation, thus helping prompt their active involvement in English learning and improve their English.

2. Literature Review

2.1 General Viewpoints on Motivation

Early motivation research was mainly influenced by behaviorism. The leading representatives are W. McDougall, C. L. Hull and Skinner. Hull holds that the inner drive is the motive of a behavior, and he put forward the drive theory of motivation. Drive means the stimulus induced by inner needs of an individual. The drive theory emphasizes that inner drive plays a great role in stimulating behaviors. (Beck, 2000: 148) On the contrary, the incentive theory seeks reasons of behavior from outside of an individual; it concerns on outer incentives such as goals, punishment, reinforcement, etc. Skinner’s reinforcement theory is the representative of the incentive theory.

The representative of new behaviorism is Bandura, and his opinion on motivation is self-efficacy. According to Bandura, people have the initiative in determining their behavior, in which, expectancy, attention and evaluation play a great role.

Whereas, psychologists of humanism enhanced inner factors as needs and values of motivation, opposing viewpoints of behaviorists. Maslow and Rogers are leading persons of humanism. The famous hierarchy of needs theory was prompted by Maslow.

In addition, the attribution theory belongs to cognitivism, and it was put forward by Fritz Heider in 1957. According to Heider, the behavior of an individual is influenced by both inner and outer reasons. Based on the theory of Heider, Weiner thought all attributions can be included in 3 dimensions: locus, stability and controllability.

2.2 Motivation Researches in Second Language Learning

At the end of the 1950s, Gardner and Lambert started their study in the learning motivation of second language acquisition, and they set the theoretical framework of second language learning motivation. According to them, the second language learning is mainly related to 4 factors: intelligence, language ability, motivation intensity and positive attitude. And among the 4 factors, the motivation intensity is the vital one. They divided motivation into types as integrative motivation and instrumental motivation. Gardner underlined that motivation intensity can be affected by goals, desires and attitudes; meanwhile, it may be influenced by environment and personality.

From the end of the 1980s, people found the limitations of Gardner and Lambert’s theory. Dornyei pointed out that Gardner’s motivation model might not suit all the students. After a research of 134 Hungarian students who learned English in low- and middle-level, he found that, besides 2 types of motivation that Gardner mentioned, “achievement needs” and “attributions about past failure” were also very important. In his theory, he summed up motivations of foreign language learning into 3 levels: the language level, the learner level and the learning situation level. The language level includes integrative and instrumental motivation. The learner level includes anxiety and ability of language, self-confidence, etc. And the level of learning situation mainly contains the course part and the teachers’ part.

2.3 Domestic Researches

From the 1980s, our country started researches on foreign language learning motivation. Firstly, scholars just followed the classic model of Gardner, taking English learning motivation as an important factor in social psychology, studying the effect and function of the model on Chinese students. Later, scholars inside the country began to study motivation in diverse angles of view including psychology, behaviorism, cognitivism and sociology.

Based on the studying environment in China, Gao Yihong explored motivation categories and its relationship with self-cognition, etc. And according to classic and extensive frameworks of learning motivation, she divided motivation into 3 types: instrumental, cultural and situational motivation. (Chen Qiaowei, 2009: 182) Moreover, Qin Xiaoqing and Wen Qiufang, sorting motivation elements, basing on former researches, formed conceptual model of foreign language learning motivation.

In conclusion, the motivation theories and researches of foreign language learning are complex. And the related researches at home are not comprehensive and profound enough. Furthermore, in practice, in China, teachers seldom take the motivation into careful consideration in teaching English. Moreover, few researches have been carried out on the study of students’ English learning motivation in junior middle schools. Thus, this essay, based on related motivation theories and the current situation of students’ learning motivation in junior middle schools, aims to explore the effective strategies to stimulate students’ learning motivation.

3. Theoretical Basis

3.1 Definition of Motivation

According to Williams, M. and R. L. Burden, motivation is a state of cognitive and emotional arousal; it results in a conscious decision to act and results in a period of sustained intellectual or physical effort, in order to attain previously set goals. Pintrich and Schunk, the modern motivation psychologists, consider motivation as a kind of power activating, guiding and maintaining behaviors over time. (Eggen amp; Kauchak, 2009: 401)

As to learning motivation, the willingness to put efforts into learning is a product of many factors, ranging from the students’ personality and abilities to characteristics of particular learning tasks, incentives for learning, settings and teachers’ behaviors. (Slavin, 2011: 317)

3.2 Categories of Motivation

As is mentioned above, Gardner and Lambert thought there were 2 kinds of motivation and they are integrative motivation and instrumental motivation. Furthermore, Deci and Ryan proposed self-determination theory, and they divided motivation into intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation.

3.2.1 Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation

According to Deci and others, extrinsic motivation has 4 sorts: external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation and integrated regulation. External regulation refers to the motivation that is not determined by students themselves, for example, rewards of teachers and requirements of parents. Introjected regulation indicates imposed rules that students must obey. Identified regulation means that students can be aware of the value and function of appointed tasks. In the end, integrated regulation means appointed tasks are important in developing one’s own, thus a learner is interested in the tasks; it is the ideal situation of extrinsic motivation.

Intrinsic motivation indicates that the learning goal of a student is the learning activity itself. Vallerand affirmed 3 kinds of intrinsic motivation: cognition, achievement, and stimulus experiences. The inner cognitive motivation is related to learning new knowledge, contenting curiosity and exploring the world; the inner achievement motivation is relevant to activities as surpassing self, meeting challenges and creating; experiences of stimulus urge people to be engaged into activities arousing sense of happiness.

Many successful learners have both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. However, Deci and Ryan indicated that the grades of learners under intrinsic motivation are better than learners on conditions of extrinsic motivation.

3.2.2 Integrative Motivation and Instrumental Motivation

Integrative motivation indicates the real interest in studying a foreign language, and the destination of acquiring a foreign language is to use it and merge into that community of language.

Instrumental motivation refers to some utilized results; for example, learners learn English language for jobs, certifications, grades and so on. These types of motivation are not contradictory, and sometimes they can exist on the same learner.

3.3 Leading Motivation Theories

There are many motivation theories and here are some leading ones closely related to English studying in junior middle school.

3.3.1 Needs Theory

From lower level to higher level, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs includes physiology, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization.

Physiological needs include breath, water, sleep, food, etc. Safety needs comprise physical safety, health, guarantee of moral. Love and belonging needs include friendship and love. The need of esteem consists of self-esteem, self-confidence, and respect of each other. Self-actualization contains moralities, creativity, aesthetics; it also involves capacity of solving problems, and improving of self-determination. In Maslow’s opinion, among those needs, the need of self-actualization is the most vital one. (Liu Xuelan amp; He Xianyou, 2004: 78)

Generally, lower level of needs is bases of students to be prepared for other activities. Whereas, higher level of needs can act as stimulus of motivation.

3.3.2 Attribution Theory

Attribution theory describes how the individual’s explanations, justifications, and excuses influence their motivation. Bernard Weiner believes that people analyze reasons of success or failure mainly from the following facets: personal ability, extent of attempt, difficulty of tasks, luck, physical and mental health and evaluation from others. Thus, according to Weiner, most of the attributed causes for success or failure can be characterized in terms of three dimensions: locus (internal or external); stability (whether the cause stays the same or can change); controllability (whether the person can control the cause or not). (Woolfolk, 2003: 373)

Researches show that people who attribute success to internal, stable or controllable reasons like ability and efforts, he will be more confident, make more efforts and achieve more success, in contrast to those who attribute to external, unstable and uncontrollable reasons, for example, luck. Meanwhile, regarding attribution of failure, if we attribute it to internal and controllable reasons it will lead to making more efforts; if we attribute failure to external and uncontrollable reasons as the teacher is lack of ability, less attempt will be tried. The worst situation is if a person attributes the failure to internal and uncontrollable reasons like lack of ability, he will be depressed and pay little attempt. (Brophy, 2005: 44)

Thus, to motivate an individual, he should be helped or trained to attribute success or failure to proper causes. By this way the individual will be highly stimulated.

3.3.3 Goal Theory

Goal theory includes goal-orientation theory and goal-setting theory. Goal-orientation theory is derived from educational studies of Nicholls, Ames, and Dweck. Goals generally have 2 orientations: the mastery goal and the performance goal. The performance goal is concerned with exceeding others, by all kinds of means, to show his ability. Thus, students of this type pay attention to the current ability and consequence. Whereas, students under mastery goals will think highly of achieving new skills by their own attempts, or enjoy the learning process. Ames finds that students who have mastery goals tend to have challenging jobs, intrinsic interests and positive attitudes to studying. (Qin Xiaoqing, 2002: 77)

Goal-setting theory was first put forward by Edwin A. Locke. According to goal-setting theory, goals can stimulate a person and change his personal needs to motivation, urging people’s work to specific orientation. Goal-setting theory also points out that there will be high motivation efficiency when the goal has the following traits. The first is to make sure goals are clear and definite, including the deadline. The second is proper challenges need to be added to goals. The third is people need feedback of those goals.

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