VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ********************* NGUYEN THANH NGA THE IMPACT OF LEARNERS’ MOTIVATION IN ENGLISH ACQUISITION: A CASE OF NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT TRAN DAI NGHIA UNIVERSITY Nghiên cứu về ảnh hưởng của động cơ học tập đối với việc học Tiếng Anh của học viên không chuyên tại trường Đại học Trần Đại Nghĩa M.A MINOR THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 60140111 Hanoi, 2014 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ********************* NGUYEN THANH NGA THE IMPACT OF LEARNERS’ MOTIVATION IN ENGLISH ACQUISITION: A CASE OF NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT TRAN DAI NGHIA UNIVERSITY Nghiên cứu về ảnh hưởng của động cơ học tập đối với việc học Tiếng Anh của học viên không chuyên tại trường Đại học Trần Đại Nghĩa M.A MINOR THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 60140111 SUPERVISOR: PHAN THE HUNG, Ph. Hanoi, 2014 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP Student’s Declaration: I, Nguyen Thanh Nga, hereby declare that the work entitled ‘The Impact of Learners’ Motivation in English Acquisition: A Case of Non-English Major Students at Tran Đai Nghia University’ is my own work. I did not copy from any other people’s works except where dues reference or acknowledgement is made explicitly in the text. Signed: ___________________ Date: _________________ i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am deeply indebted the Faculty of Post-graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi as an active learning environment where I have chance to receive knowledge and experience life as a post-university student.
Thanks to the school, I have been approached professional training and educating that is required by modern society. I would like to sincerely thank the teachers at the Post-graduate Studies for providing me with foundation as well as advanced knowledge of English language in learning process. I am greatly indebted to PhD Phan The Hung, as my supervisor for providing me with useful techniques to carry out the study. I also have accumulated helpful experience from his suggestions and valuable comments on the writing of this thesis.
My appreciation is also extended to a number of members of classes DH03601 of the Faculty of Infantry Weapon and DH03801 at the Faculty of Ammunition, with their truthful answers, I can complete my research. Their support is greatly appreciated. Very special thanks are due to my close friends who are Pham Le Nu Tuyet Ngan, Do Thi Tuyet Suong, Nguyen Quynh Nga. With their suggestions and contributions, I had many good ideas for my research, they are my fellow- travellers who shared happiness and difficulties with me throughout this research period.
And last, but by no means least, my heartfelt thanks go to the members of my family. They gave me the biggest encouragement to help me not feel pressure to focus on this task. Without whose unfailing love, understanding, encouragement, and support over time and distance, I could not have got this far. ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT Motivation-a psychological aspect, which is considered as one of the most crucial factors in English acquisition, is very important in fostering learner’ positive attitude toward the L2 learning process.
However, how special the influences of motivation on non-English major students in army environment is, compared to other civilian training types. Thus, this study is conducted to investigate some elements that motivate and de-motivate students in EFL courses for basic purpose at Tran Dai Nghia University, an example of military schools. The data was collected through the survey questionnaires and interview of 78 students in two classes of two different faculties in order to find out what should be considered to improve teaching and learning quality of the L2 in this school. Key words: Motivation, acquisition, motivate, de-motivate.
iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP .iii TABLE OF CONTENTS. iv DEFINITION OF TERMS .vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .viii LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES. ix PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. Aims of the study.
Scope of the study. Design of the study. 3 PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW .1 Definition of motivation .2 Motivation in English acquisition .3 Classification of motivation .1 Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation .2 Integrative and instrumental motivation .4 De-motivation in language acquisition .5 Factors that influence students’ motivation in English acquisition. 14 iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.1 Teacher-related factors .3 Commitment to teaching .2 Learner-related factors .6 Age of acquisition .3 Learning condition-related factors .2 Atmosphere in the classroom .2 Theoretical backgrounds of second language acquisition .1 Definition of second language acquisition .2 Principles of second language acquisition .1 Participants and setting of the study .2 Setting of the study .1 Data collection instrument .2 Data collection procedure .3 Data analysis procedure.
26 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION. 27 v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.1 Students’ attitude and reasons toward English and English acquisition .1 Students’ attitude of English .2 Types of students’ motivation in SLA .3 Students’ comments upon frequency of activities .2 Factors that influence students’ motivation in SLA at TDN University .1 Teacher-related factors .2 Student-related factors .3 Learning condition-related factors .1 Techniques in teaching English at TDN University .2 Factors that de-motivate students’ motivation in English acquisition. Conclusions of the study. Limitations of the study.
Suggestions for further study .IV vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DEFINITION OF TERMS Motivation: the psychological feature that orientate an action toward a desired goal. Acquisition: cognitive process of acquire skill or knowledge. Intrinsic motivation: situated within or belonging solely to nature of something. Extrinsic motivation: one kind of motivation coming from outside factors.
Integrative motivation: one kind of motivation related to be assimilated to target language -spoken countries. Instrumental motivation: one kind of motivation related to use the language as an instrument to get something. vii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language TOEIC: Test of English for International Communication IELTS: International English Language Testing System ESL: English as a Second Language SLA: Second Language Acquisition TDN: Tran Dai Nghia L2: Second language IM: Intrinsic motivation FL: Foreign language ESP: English For Specific Purpose EFL: English as Foreign Language ESL: English as Second Language viii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1: Gardner’s Social-Educational Model of Motivation Table 2: William and Burden’s (1997) framework of L2 motivation Table 3: Students' measurement of preference toward English Table 4: Students’ reasons for English acquisition Table 5: The applied activities suggested by the students Table 6: Effect of teacher-related factors on students’ motivation Table 7: The measurement of learner-related factors to learning motivation Table 8: The effect of learning-related factors toward learning motivation Table 9: Students’ feeling about learning-related factors ix LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART I: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale As one of the compulsory subjects in most schools, universities, as well as institutes, English shows its importance in which the most popular language all over the world in general and in Vietnam in particular.
In addition, the development of the language has been admitted through the requirement of having such certificates as TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC, etc… for application in a certain company or institute; learning English is not only an opportunity but also a necessary and sufficient condition for many people. However, whether the positive attitude of learning English is shown by students for their own purposes during the process or just being considered as a normal required subject to complete a studying curriculum. This is really a big reason that motivates or even though de-motivates students in the language acquisition. College of Military Technology Officer is also called Tran Dai Nghia University, Ho Chi Minh city.
As a teacher at Department of Basic Science,; from my personal observation and my own teaching experience in two years, I see that during all the English lessons with a variety of activities, only some students get involved in the tasks whereas the others keep silent or do unrelated things. Therefore, it is hard to find effectiveness and enthusiasm for English as foreign language learning in students’ learning In order to find the suggestible solutions to the problem, it is essential to carry out an investigation on students’ motivation in English learning for general purpose. In the field of second language acquisition (SLA), many researchers and linguists have believed that motivation plays the initial role in the percentage of success in English acquisition. Whether linguistic processes can be effective despite a certain individual is really the subject-talented receptor without any motivation.
1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com For the mentioned reasons, I would like to conduct a study on ‘The Impact of Learners’ Motivation in English Acquisition: A Case of Non-English Major Students at Tran Đai Nghia University.’ The study is to have an investigation in how subjective and objective factors can motivate and de-motivate students’ attitude in English learning. From that point, I also recommend some suggestions to encourage non-English major students who are first year students at Tran Dai Nghia University in the language learning. Aims of the Study In order to carry out the study, it begins with the aims of investigating the motivation in English acquisition for general purposes among the first year non- English students at Infantry Weapon Faculty as the representatives of military participants along with some from Information Technology Faculty, the examples of civilian students, at Tran Dai Nghia University. The research aims at the following points: - To analyze students’ perception of the English learning for general purposes.
- To evaluate the influence of students’ motivation in the language learning process in which divided into two opposite dimensions: motivating and de-motivating. - To suggest some useful tips to foster students’ motivation in English learning. The thesis aims to solve the following questions: - What kinds of factors that motivate as well as de-motivate students’ positive attitude in English acquisition? - What approaches should be applied inside English for general purpose classes in a military school? 3. Scope of the Study 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com It is said that the factors influence students in the success or failure of learning a foreign language are numerous, among them motivation can be seen as the priority aspect which is taken into account.
The study mainly focuses on the elements effect the students’ positive attitude during interacting with other members inside the class in Basic English courses. The results of the study will be carefully considered to foster the activeness of students in the military environment at Tran Dai Nghia University, not for all of the students at universities in Vietnam. Method of the Study Because the result of the study will serve the process of English teaching at the school later, a case study, which is ‘an investigation using multiple sources of evidence to study a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context’ (Bonoma et al) cited in Kaplan et al (1988, 576), is taken into account. By using a variety of data sources, the study employs the qualitative and quantitative case study approach to explore the students’ perception and attitude toward English learning through activities inside the class.
With the following characteristics, the qualitative research is suitable for further adaption, including seeking answers to a question, systematically using a predefined set of procedures to answer the questions, collecting evidence, producing findings that were not determined in advanced, producing findings that are applicable beyond the intermediate boundaries of the study.