THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES NGUYEN THI HOA AN INVESTIGATION INTO FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS' MOTIVATION IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT QUYNH THO HIGH SCHOOL MASTER THESIS Thai Nguyen, June 2023 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES NGUYEN THI HOA AN INVESTIGATION INTO FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS' MOTIVATION IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT QUYNH THO HIGH SCHOOL Major: English teaching theories & methodologies Code: 8140111 MASTER THESIS Thai Nguyen, June 2023 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP This thesis does not contain any information published elsewhere or entirely or partially taken from a thesis by which I met the requirements for or was awarded another degree or diploma, except for references specified within the text. There is no unauthorized use of another person's work in the thesis. This thesis has not been submitted to another educational institution to confer a degree or diploma. Thai Nguyen, May 2023 Nguyen Thi Hoa i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I want to express my profound gratitude to my supervisor, Dr.
Cao Thuy Hong, for her insightful guidance and encouragement while I was conducting the research. Her great expertise and gracious assistance allowed me to complete my studies. I also like to thank the English instructors and staff at the Thai Nguyen University of Education for their help, advice, and inspiration. Additionally, I want to express my gratitude to my family and friends for their love and support during this trip.
Without them, this journey would not have been possible. ii ABSTRACT The research aimed to investigate the factors affecting students' motivation in learning English at Quynh Tho high school. A quantitative survey research design was employed in the current study to (i) identify students’ current level of motivation for learning English, as well as (ii) discover the relationship between students’ motivation and their learning achievement. Statistics collected from 120 students were used to answer three research questions.
Data collected from the questionnaires showed that (i) students generally have high motivation for learning English (mean score ranging from 3.94); and of different types of motivation social motivation was the strongest (M=3.125); (ii) there was a strong relationship between students’ motivation and their achievement in English language learning (r=.01); and (iii) teacher factors (r = .01) were most influential on students’ motivation. The study had important implications for schools, parents, and teachers. Keywords: motivation, motivation factors, learning English iii TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS.
iii LIST OF TABLES. vi LIST OF FIGURES. vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION.
Aims and objectives of the study. Aims of the study. Objectives of the study. Scope of the study.
The significance of the study. 6 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW. Definitions of Motivation. Sources of Motivation.
Internal sources of motivation. External sources of motivation. Motivation in Foreign/ Second language learning. The importance of motivation in foreign and second language learning.
Types of motivation in second language learning. Factors affecting students’ motivation in learning English. Previous studies on foreign language learning motivation in Vietnamese context. 26 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.
The setting of the study. Research design and research method. Research population and research sample. Data collection instrument.
Method of data analysis. 35 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION. Students’ demographic information. What are students' current level of motivation for learning English?.
Are there any relationships between students’ motivation and their learning achievement?. What are the factors that affect students' motivation for learning English?. 45 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. Summary of key findings.
57 APPENDIX A: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS. 71 APPENDIX B: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS – TRANSLATED INTO VIETNAMESE. 76 APPENDIX C - 13 STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE YOUR CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT. 80 vi LIST OF TABLES Name of tables Page Table 2.
Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation (Harter, 1981) 15 Table 4. Students’ demographic information 36 Table 4. Interpretation of Cronbach’s alpha value (George & 37 Mallery, 2003) Table 4. Scale reliabilities of the questionnaire items 38 Table 4.
Students’ current level of motivation for learning 42 English Table 4. Correlation between students’ motivation and their 43 learning achievement Table 4.6: Correlations between students’ motivation and parental 45 factors, teacher factors, and classroom features vii LIST OF FIGURES Name of figures Page Figure 1. The score spectrum of the 2022 national high school 2 graduation exam in the English subject (Source: Bộ Giáo dục và Đào tạo [MoET], 2022) Figure 1. Test score ranking in the country (Vietnamnet, 2022) 3 viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviations Meaning EFL English as Foreign language GPA Grade Point Average L2 Second Language SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.
Rationale According to Wikipedia, as of the 2000s around two billion people speak English in the English-speaking world, making it the language with the most native speakers and the third-largest speaker population. Being fluent in English makes it easy for individuals to connect with each other, enjoy movies, music, culture, and anything else. The English language is essential to daily lives because it facilitates communication among nations. In addition, it is a universal language used in a wide range of contexts, including trade, diplomacy, education, the economy, society, and international commerce in general (Dung et al.
In Vietnam, the demand for people who could communicate effectively in English has also witnessed a dramatic increase. International organizations have cautioned that poor foreign language abilities may make it difficult for Vietnamese workers to fully integrate into the global labor market (Chung, 2022). The educational sector is also quickly responding to the need. In response to the need, the new English teaching program was established in Vietnam for general education, and all third graders, seventy percent of sixth graders, and sixty percent of tenth graders followed the new program (10-year learning system).
At general schools, it was anticipated that English would be taught to all students. Regarding higher education, Vietnam set a goal that by 2020, 60% of intermediate schools would offer a two-year program, 100% of junior colleges would offer a three-year program, and by 2025, 90% of intermediate schools would be able to meet the third level of the Vietnamese six-scale, which rates English proficiency (Vietnamnet, 2016). However, according to statistics of the Ministry of Education and Training, English was the subject with the most candidates scoring below the average in the 2022 national high school graduation exam with 446,648 students, a rate of 51. This subject had 423 candidates with only 0 points.
The results of the analysis of the scores of the country's English high school graduation exam in 2022 showed that there were 866,196 candidates taking the English test, of which the 2 average score was 5.15 points, the median score was 4. the score with the most candidates achieving is 3. Number of candidates with score <= 1 was 423 (accounting for 0.1: The score spectrum of the 2022 national high school graduation exam in the English subject (Source: Bộ Giáo dục và Đào tạo [MoET], 2022) Thai Binh province has made every effort to boost the quality of English teaching and learning by encouraging English teachers to participate in teacher’s training courses, organizing English extra-curriculum activities for students, etc., but the effectiveness of the current innovation is still limited. In fact, in the national high school graduation exam in 2022, the province ranked 20th in term of test score in the country (figure 1.2: Test score ranking in the country (Vietnamnet, 2022) As a teacher at Quynh Tho High School, I realize that although the school has also made significant attempts by supporting English teachers to improve the standard of English teaching and learning, the results of students in national high 4 school graduation exam were not satisfactory.
In the school year 2021-2022, out of the total of 588 12th graders, only 388 students scored above 5 points (accounting for 55. A rather small number of students (47 students- accounting for 8%) scored 8 or higher. In overall, the score spectrum of Quynh Tho high school was 5.1, which was lower than the national and Thai Binh’s one (5. Actually, a wide range of research has demonstrated the strong link between learning motivation and academic success.
It has even been claimed that inspiring students to study is the most important factor in assisting with the enhancement of the quality of English teaching and learning (e., Ajomshoa & Sadighi, 2015; Deckers, 2010; Dung et al. Despite the fact that syllabi, teaching strategies, teaching materials, evaluation techniques, teacher preparation, and students' learning all affect how well English is taught and learned, the most important aspect supporting this improvement is to motivate students. According to Qin (2002), motivation has a significant impact on whether learning a second language is successful or unsuccessful since it can affect how frequently learning strategies are used, one's ability to learn with willpower, how well one sets goals, and how persistent one is in learning. In other words, learning motivation affects students' autonomy in the classroom and defines their level of confidence in their capacity to overcome challenges.
The connection between motivation and learning success has been thoroughly studied, and research results have demonstrated that drive to learn a language is an essential component of successful learning (Quan, 2014). Learners who are highly driven can succeed in their academic endeavors, and the perception of academic achievement can help learners maintain their motivation. From my own experience, despite having a slight advantage over teachers of other subjects in the school because our students recognize the value of English for their future academic and professional endeavors and frequently regard it as one of the most useful courses, I still find it difficult to inspire my students. Understanding the affordances of students' motivation for learning is crucial for developing effective motivational techniques.
Although some research has been 5 done to look at variables that can affect Vietnamese students' motivation to learn English, it is difficult to locate studies that looked into high school students' drive to learn the language. This study is thus conducted with the aim of gaining a better understanding of students' motivation, particularly factors that affect their motivation to learn English. Aims and objectives of the study 1. Aims of the study The study aims at investigating the factors affecting students' motivation in learning English at Quynh Tho high school.
Objectives of the study As previously stated, the primary goal of this study is to give an investigation into: (i) the current level of motivation for learning English of high school students at a high school in the North of Vietnam and (ii) the relationship between motivation and learning achievement, as well as (iii) the factors that may predict students’ English language learning motivation. Based on these findings, the study sought to suggest solutions to improve the students’ motivation to learn English. Research questions The study's objectives attempt to address the following research questions: 1. What is students' current level of motivation for learning English? 2.
Are there any relationships between students’ motivation and their learning achievement? 3. What are the factors that may affect students' motivation for learning English? 1. Scope of the study This study focused only on high school students’ motivation in learning English. Their motivation for learning in general or motivation for learning other 6 subjects was not considered.
Besides, due to the limited time and scope of the study only students’ perspectives were considered. Teachers’ views of what may be motivating to learners were not studied. The study was conducted during the second semester of the 2022- 2023 academic year at Quynh Tho High School, Thai Binh Province.