(Khóa luận tốt nghiệp file word) Motivational factors affecting HPU secondyear nonEnglish majors in learning English vocabulary

(Khóa luận tốt nghiệp file word) Motivational factors affecting HPU secondyear nonEnglish majors in learning English vocabulary(Khóa luận tốt nghiệp file word) Motivational factors affecting HPU secondyear nonEnglish majors in learning English vocabulary(Khóa luận tốt nghiệp file word) Motivational factors affecting HPU secondyear nonEnglish majors in learning English vocabulary(Khóa luận tốt nghiệp file word) Motivational factors affecting HPU secondyear nonEnglish majors in learning English vocabulary(Khóa luận tốt nghiệp file word) Motivational factors affecting HPU secondyear nonEnglish majors in learning English vocabulary(Khóa luận tốt nghiệp file word) Motivational factors affecting HPU secondyear nonEnglish majors in learning English vocabulary(Khóa luận tốt nghiệp file word) Motivational factors affecting HPU secondyear nonEnglish majors in learning English vocabulary(Khóa luận tốt nghiệp file word) Motivational factors affecting HPU secondyear nonEnglish majors in learning English vocabulary(Khóa luận tốt nghiệp file word) Motivational factors affecting HPU secondyear nonEnglish majors in learning English vocabulary(Khóa luận tốt nghiệp file word) Motivational factors affecting HPU secondyear nonEnglish majors in learning English vocabulary(Khóa luận tốt nghiệp file word) Motivational factors affecting HPU secondyear nonEnglish majors in learning English vocabulary

Rationale

Nowadays, with the trend of international integration, learning a foreignlanguage is very necessary for people all over the world However, learning asecondlanguageisnoteasy.Vietnamese’slearningEnglishisn o exception.They often finds difficult with thislanguage in all basic skills: reading,writing, listening and speaking Moreover, many people believe that vocabularyandgrammararethemostdifficultonesofEnglishandtheyarealsoimp ortantto master four above skills However, they often lack motivation in learningthem.

Many HPU non-English majors report low motivation when learning vocabulary from the Reward – Pre-Intermediate textbook, attributing this to common challenges such as not knowing words, difficulties using new vocabulary in context, and pronunciation problems In light of these observations, the researcher chose the topic “Motivational factors affecting HPU second-year non-English majors’ vocabulary learning” to explore how different factors influence students’ engagement with vocabulary study and to identify strategies to boost motivation.

Englishmajorsinlearningvocabulary”forthegraduationpaper With the findings of the study, the researcher hopes that it will helpstudentsminimizetheirdemotivationtolearnvocabularymoreeffectively.

Aims of the study

Thisstudywasconductedtoinvestigatethemotivationalfactorst h a t impact the second-year non-English majors in learning English vocabulary atHaiPhong Managementand TechnologyUniversity.

 To suggest some solutionsin order to help students avoid demotivation intheprocessoflearningnewwordsandprovideteacherswithusefulinformatio n; thanks toit,theyteach moreeffectively.

ResearchQuestions

The study was carried out in order to find the answers to two researchquestions:

 What are suggested solutions to helpsecond-year non-Englishmajorsincrease motivationinlearning English vocabulary?

Scopeof thestudy

Theresearchonlyfocusesonmotivationalfactorsincludingl e a n e r - related factors, teacher- related factors, learning environment and intralexicalfactorsthat have impact on second – year non – English majors when they learnEnglishvocabulary.

Researchmethodology

Inseekinganswerstotheresearchquestions,surveyquestionnaireischosentoobt ainrelevantinformationofthestudy.Besides,n u m e r o u s interviewsaregiventost udentstogetreliableinformation.Allremarks,considerations,andconclusionsmadel argelybasedontheanalysisofthestatisticdatacollected throughthesetwokinds ofinstruments.

Significanceof thestudy

 The result of the study will help second-year non-English majorsminimizetheir demotivation in learning English vocabulary From there, they getinvolved in vocabulary lessons more, which make students learn newwords more effectively.

 It also helps teachers find appropriate methods to teach vocabulary forstudents so thatstudentsliketolearnnewwordsmore.

Organization ofthe study

 Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter discusses the reasons for the study,aims of the study, research questions, scope of the study, methods of study,significanceof thestudyanddesign ofthestudy.

 Chapter2:Thischapterpresentsthemethodology usedinthestudy.Itdescribes subjects, instruments to carry out the research, the way to collectand analyze data.

 Chapter 3: The chapter provides analysis of data collected, shows findingsand givesrecommendations

Theoretical backgrounds of motivation

Thedefinitionofm o t i v a t i o n

(1991)definedthat“Motivationissomekindofinternaldrivethatencouragessomebo dyt o p u r s u e a c o u r s e o f a c t i o n I f w e r e c e i v e a g o a l a n d ifthatgoalissufficientlyattractive,wewillbestronglymotivatedtodowhateveris necessarytoreachthatgoal.”

Brown (1994) stated:“Motivation is the extent to which you make choiceabout goalstopursueandtheeffortyou willdevoteto that pursuit”.

Dornyei and Otto (1998) claimed that “Motivation can be definedasthedynamically changing cumulativearousalinapersonthatinitiates,directs,coordinates,amplifies,terminates,andevaluatesthecognitiveandmotorproc esseswherebyinitialwishesanddesiresareselected,prioritized,operationalizedanda ctedout.”

Types of motivation

Most researchers (Gardner and Lambert: 1959, Harmer: 1983, Dửrnyei:1998)dividedmotivationintotwotypes: integrativeandinstrumentalmoti vation According to Gardner and Lambert (1959), integrative motivationrefers to a desire to become more like valued members of the target languagecommunity It is based on interest in learning the second language because oftheir need to learn about, associate, or socialize with the people who use it orbecause of purpose intention to participate or integrate with the second languageusing the same language in that community While the instrumental motivationconcernspracticalvaluesinlearningthesecondlanguagesuchasp a s s i n g e xams, financial rewards, furthering a career, or gaining promotion (Harmer:1983;GarderandLambert:1959).Itisadeterminationtoacquireanotherlangu age to achieve such goals as a good jab or social recognition (Gardner andLambert,1959).

Another popular view on types of motivation divided motivation into extrinsicandintrinsicmotivation AccordingtoHarmer(1983),extrinsicmotiva tioni s r e l a t e d t o t h e c o n c e p t o f g o a l I t i s b a s e d o n e x t e r n a l o u t c o m e s such as rewards and punishment This motivation could bring a negative impacttot h e s t u d e n t s b e c a u s e w i t h e x t r i n s i c m o t i v a t i o n , s t u d e n t s d o n o t l e a r n w i t h their strong intention or will but they study it because they are pushed by theinterest in the rewards or the punishment.While intrinsic motivation refers to themotivationtoengageinanactivitybecausethatactivityisenjoyableandsatisfying to do He states that intrinsic motivation plays by far the larger part inmost students' success or failure as language learners" Because this type ofmotivation is from within the students, they are always willingly and voluntarilytrytolearn whattheythinkisworthorimportantfor them.

Theimportanceofmotivationinsecondlanguagelearning

Labonde (1982) concluded that motivation and attitudes are important determinants of learners’ proficiency levels, shaping how well different learners perform The effects of motivation appear to be distinct from those of aptitude, suggesting separate sources of influence on learning success The most successful learners are those who combine natural talent with a high level of motivation to learn.

Dorney(2001)describedtheprocessofmodeloflanguagelearningenvironmen t.Hebelievedthatmotivationconsistedofbeinggenerated;maintainedactivelyandpro tected;andbeing retrospectiveevaluation.

Motivational factors insecond languagelearning

A lot of studies have shown that students' motivation in foreign languagelearningcanbeaffectedbymanyfactors.Ingeneral,therearethreem a i n fact ors:learner-relatedfactors,teacher–relatedfactorsandteachingandlearning conditions.

Intelligence in language learning is viewed as performance on specific types of tests (Lightbown & Spada, 1999) The outcomes of these assessments can help teachers gauge student success in the classroom and guide instructional decisions While IQ-based measures of intelligence are linked to second-language learning, many learners excel in acquiring a new language even when their overall academic results are weak.

Aptitude:it is the "capability of a task" (Carroll, 1981) According toLightbown and Spada (1999:53), aptitude composed of four factors: (1) theability to identify and memorize new sounds, (2) the ability to understand thefunctiono f p a r t i c u l a r w o r d s i n s e n t e n c e s ,

( 3 ) t h e a b i l i t y t o f i g u r e o u t grammatical rules from language samples, and (4) the ability to memorize newwords.

Personality:AccordingtoLighthown&Spada,learners'personalityincludes such characteristics as extroversion, inhibition, self-esteem, empathy,dominance, talkativeness, and responsiveness These researchers also stated thatthesuccessofsecondlanguagelearnersmaybegreatlyaffectedbytheirpersonaliti es.

Learning styles describe how an individual naturally tends to absorb, process, and retain new information and skills, a concept associated with Lightbown and Spada (1999) Learners are commonly grouped into visual, auditory (aural), and kinesthetic categories, reflecting different preferences for how they take in information Understanding these learning preferences can inform instructional design by offering diverse modalities and activities that cater to visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners, while recognizing that preferences can overlap and vary across individuals.

Beliefs about language learning vary among learners and shape what they perceive as effective instruction These beliefs are usually rooted in prior learning experiences and the assumption—correct or incorrect—that a particular teaching approach is the best way to learn a language Lightbown (1999) notes that such beliefs arise from past experiences and influence expectations about how language should be taught Ellis adds that these differing views about language learning lead to different kinds of success.

It has long been believed that young learners master pronunciation more readily than older learners This age-based view is most applicable to pronunciation, where children can produce native-like sounds more easily than adults When entering a new language, children often acquire the target language more perfectly than adults Although younger learners have a greater chance of attaining native-like proficiency in the second language, older learners may show faster progress at the beginning but are likely to be surpassed by the younger group in the end (Long & Larsen-Freeman, 1991).

Motivation and attitude are closely linked, with no clear-cut boundary separating them Nevertheless, research consistently shows that learners who hold positive attitudes toward the language and demonstrate high motivation are more likely to succeed in second-language learning (Gardner, 1985).

Dornyei(2001)mentionedsomefactorsandappropriateb e h a v i o r s relati ngtoteachers'asfollows:enthusiasm,commitmenttoandexpectationsfor thestudent'sacademicprogress,goodrelationshipwiththes t u d e n t s , a n d teach ers'teachingmethods.

Enthusiasm: It cannot be denied that the enthusiastic teacher would bemore likely successful in her teaching than the ones without that characteristic."To a very large degree, students expect to learn if their teachers expect them tolearn"(Sappek,1988).

Commitment to the students' progress:Teachers can express commitmenttowardsthestudentsbyofferingthemconcreteassistance,respondingim mediately when help is requested, correcting tests and papers promptly, orshowing concern when things are not going on Besides, if their students aretreated, teachers "as if they already are eager learners, they are more likely tobecomeeager learners" (Brophy,1998:170)

Teacher expectations play a powerful role in student achievement In Rosenthal and Jacobson's 1968 study, it was shown that the higher teachers' expectations for a student's ability, the more likely that student was to attain higher levels of achievement This illustrates the self-fulfilling prophecy effect, where beliefs about a learner’s potential shape teachers’ interactions, feedback, and opportunities, ultimately influencing actual performance in the classroom.

Good relationship with students:it includes acceptance and ability tolisten andpayattentiontostudents.

Teachers'teachingmethods:Teachers'teachingmethodscanbeunderstood as a set of techniques or activities used to get students involved inlearning to achieve a goal If they are interesting, they can increase students'motivation andviceversa.

Physical conditions in the classroom—ranging from furniture like chairs, desks, and tables to lighting, boards, and overall classroom size—play a crucial role in shaping both students’ learning and their attitudes toward the subject, with these environmental factors positively or negatively influencing motivation Harmer (2001) notes that such conditions affect learning outcomes and student attitudes, while Dornyei (2001:42) adds that “Personalizing the classroom can be seen as students exercising increasing control over their environment,” highlighting how learners gain agency through adjustments to the learning space.

A pleasant and supportive classroom atmosphere greatly motivates students to learn and participate in activities As MacIntyre and Young (1999) note, anxiety arising from a tense classroom climate is one of the most potent factors undermining learning effectiveness and second-language motivation To sustain motivation, the learning environment should be free from anxiety, and students should not feel threatened or intimidated An ideal classroom climate is fostered by the teacher's humor and by strong, positive relationships between teachers and students, as well as among the students themselves.

Theoretical backgroundof vocabulary

Thedefinitionof vocabulary

There have been a wide variety of definitions of vocabulary According to Penny Ur (1996:60), vocabulary is "the words we teach in the foreign language"; however, a new item of vocabulary may be more than a single word—a compound of two or three words or a multi-word idiom.

Pyles and Algeo (1970) emphasize that language hinges on the link between sound and meaning in words, which makes communication possible By arranging words into sentences, we create the building blocks for conversations and a wide range of discourses.

Vocabulary encompasses the complete set of words a language possesses, including single words, short phrases that express a single idea, and multi‑word idioms whose meaning cannot be deduced from the individual components but is understood through their use in sentences and contexts.

Types of vocabulary

There are several opinions about the type of vocabulary that have beengiven bythescientist.

Reading vocabulary consists of the print words a reader can recognize or figure out, forming the total set of words recognized during reading This makes reading vocabulary the largest component of vocabulary because it encompasses the other categories of word knowledge The size of students’ reading vocabulary is strongly related to reading comprehension and overall academic success To derive meaning from texts, learners need a large vocabulary and the ability to use strategies to determine the meanings of unfamiliar words as they encounter them.

Secondly,listening vocabularyrefers to the words we need to know tounderstand what we hear A person's listening vocabulary is all the words he orshe can recognize when listening to speech This vocabulary is aided in size bycontext andtone of voice.

Thirdly,writing vocabularyconsists of the words we use in writing. Aperson's writing vocabulary is all the words he or she can employ in writing.Contrarytotheprevioustwovocabularytypes,thewritingvocabularyisstimu lated byits user.

Speaking vocabulary refers to the words we use in everyday speech It includes all the words a person can naturally deploy in conversation Because the speaking vocabulary develops spontaneously, words are often misused or used in the wrong context, leading to communication gaps Understanding and expanding your speaking vocabulary can help you express ideas more clearly and avoid common word misuses in everyday speech.

However, according to Nation (1990-29), vocabulary is divided in thespecificreference,suchaword.

Reception vocabulary: knowing a word involves being able to recognize itwhen it is heard or when it seen and having an expectation of what grammaticalpatternthewordwilloccurrence.Thisincludesbeingabletodistinguishitf romawordwithasimilarformandbeingabletojudgethewordformsoundsrigh torlooksright.

Productive vocabulary means more than simply knowing a word's meaning: it includes pronouncing it correctly, writing and spelling it accurately, using it in appropriate grammatical patterns and natural collocations, avoiding overuse when the word is low-frequency, placing it in suitable contexts, using the word to convey its sense, and recognizing suitable substitutes when needed.

Besides, Jo Ann Aeborsold and Mary Lee Field classified vocabulary intotwo terms:activevocabularyandpassivevocabulary.

Active vocabulary, also called productive vocabulary, refers to the words and phrases a learner can use accurately and appropriately in speaking or writing It is often harder to put into practice than receptive knowledge, because productive vocabulary requires not only good pronunciation but also a solid command of the target language's grammar, familiarity with collocations, and a clear understanding of word connotations and nuances This type of vocabulary is especially important for developing strong speaking and writing skills.

Passive vocabularyrefers to language items that can be recognized andunderstoodinthecontextofreadingorlisteningandalsocalledreceptivevocabular y.Passivevocabularyorcomprehensionconsists,ofthewordscomprehendedbythepe ople whentheyread andlisten.

What areinvolvedin knowingaword

According to Penny Ur (1996), when vocabulary is introduced to learners, instruction should address both form and meaning Specifically, teachers should cover the written and spoken forms, grammar, and collocation, alongside aspects of meaning such as denotation, connotation, appropriateness, semantic relationships, and word formation, so learners understand how form relates to meaning and how words function in real communication.

Nation (1990) and Taylor (1990) contend that vocabulary knowledge extends beyond spelling, morphology, pronunciation, and meaning (or translation into the learner's mother tongue) to include understanding a word's collocations, register, polysemy, and its homonyms.

Beck and McKown (1991) and Nagy and Scott (2000) argue that vocabulary knowledge includes precision in word use, the speed of word recognition, and the ability to understand and deploy words across different modes—receptive versus productive—and for diverse purposes.

Pronunciationandspelling:EachEnglishwordhasitsspellingandpronunciati on.Learnershavetoknowallthespelling,pronunciation,andirregularities of the word To many students, the complex relationship betweensounda n d s p e l l i n g i n E n g l i s h s e e m s t o m a k e t h e l a n g u a g e i n e x p l i c a b l e I t i s easy to understand when we consider a large number of homophones Englishsuch as weight/wait, buy/by, and the number of similar forms which differswidelyintheirpronunciationlikeeducate/economic.

Grammar:RegardingRuthGairnsandStuartRedman'sview(1986),foreignla nguagelearnersneedsomeguidanceonhowtousevocabularyaccurately.Theyneedto knowthegrammaticalfunction,theunpredictablechangeo f f o r m i n c e r t a i n c o n t e x t s o r s o m e i d i o s y n c r a t i c w a y s o f c o n n e c t i n g with other words in sentences, the regularity, and irregularity, the singular andplural formsof thenewwords.

There are various kinds of meaning, which include denotational meaning,connotationalmeaning, pragmaticmeaningorappropriateness,andmeaningrelationship The meaning of a word is primarily what it refers to in the realworld,itsdenotation.Thisisoftenthesortofdefinitiongivenindictionaries.

Alessobviouscomponentofthemeaningofawordisitsconnotationindifferent contexts or its connotative meaning These are the associations, orpositive or negative feelings it evokes, which may or may not be indicated in adictionary definition Connotation includes stylistic, affective, evaluative, andintensifying value, the pragmatic communicative value, the words acquire byvirtueofwhere,when,how,andby whom,forwhatpurpose,andinw h a t context itisor maybe used.

Appropriateness is a more subtle aspect of meaning that indicates whetheraparticular item isappropriateto use in acertainc o n t e x t o r n o t

Thus, for a language learner it is useful to know whether a word is very common, relatively rare, taboo in polite conversation, tends to be used in writing but not in speech, is more suitable for formal than informal discourse, or belongs to a particular dialect.

Mastering a new word isn't enough; students must also know how to use it appropriately and effectively in both oral and written contexts, or the word may become forgotten or fade away The secret to good word use is understanding its natural collocations—how it typically combines with other words Therefore, learners should practice putting words into collocations as part of vocabulary-building activities For example, when learning words like "create," natural collocations include "create a plan" and "create opportunities," rather than awkward pairings that distort meaning Focusing on contextual usage and common language patterns helps retention and fluency.

“ t o m a k e ” and “to do”, the student may note that both words mean “to perform” but can bedistinguishedbythewordstheycollocatewith.Weoftensaytodot h e homework butwe cannotsaytomake thehomework.

Explicit vocabularylearning andimplicitvocabularylearning

Schmitt (2000) declares, “For second language learners, at least, bothexplicitandincidentallearningisnecessaryandshouldbeseenascomplementa ry”.

Hulstijn(2001)definesexplicitvocabularylearningas“anyactivitygearedatco mmittinglexicalinformationtomemory”.“Indirectvocabularylearning,learnersdoex ercisesandactivitiesthatfocus theirattentionon vocabulary.”( N a t i o n 1 9 9 0 ) F o r e x a m p l e , w h e n s t u d e n t s a r e l e a r n i n g w o r d s from a list, or playing vocabulary games in the class with a lot of help andinstructionfromteachers.Thismeansthattheyarelearningvocabularyexplicitly.

Explicit vocabulary learning is essential at the beginner level For effective instruction, teachers should focus on high-frequency words, maximize vocabulary growth by teaching word families rather than individual words, and attend to the meaning associations that words carry With clear explanations and guided instruction from teachers, students at low- and intermediate-levels can acquire vocabulary explicitly before they rely mainly on implicit learning on their own.

According to Hunt and Bedlar (2001), implicit vocabulary learning is the by-product of doing other activities such as reading or listening A major source of incidental learning is extensive reading Woodinsly and Nation (1988) state that the implicit learning of vocabulary through extensive reading can benefit the language curriculum and learners at all levels.

Chan and Plass (1996) and Day and Omura (1991) highlight that extensive listening can also boost vocabulary learning, complementing other language-learning activities For incidental vocabulary learning, teachers should provide opportunities for extensive reading and listening that allow learners to acquire vocabulary through authentic input and real-life communication, such as films, TV, and other natural sources, thereby strengthening overall language proficiency.

Implicit vocabulary learning offers several advantages: it is highly contextualized, giving learners a richer sense of word use and meaning than traditional paired‑associate approaches It efficiently supports vocabulary acquisition while simultaneously improving reading and listening comprehension The approach is more learner‑centered and learner‑driven because the vocabulary encountered depends on each learner’s own selection of reading materials Furthermore, presentation, consolidation, and lexical/semantic development occur in tandem, reinforcing retention and overall language proficiency.

Explicitandimplicitvocabularylearningplayanimportantroleinvocabularya cquisition.Decarrico(2001)recommendsthatimplicitvocabulary learning should not be used without explicit vocabulary learning at the low andintermediatelevels.

Potential difficultiesinlearningvocabulary

Therearemanystudiesthathaveshowndifficultiesinlearningvocabulary However, in this study, the researcher only mentioned a few studiesofDecarrico (2001),Gardner(1985),Schmitt and McCarthy(1997).

Ineffective approaches to vocabulary learning persist when learners rely on rote memorization—writing English words and their Vietnamese equivalents repeatedly Research shows that this drill-and-memorize method is not an efficient way to study vocabulary Decarrico (2001) argues that words should not be learned in isolation or memorized without understanding; meaningful vocabulary acquisition comes from encountering words in context, linking them to concepts and usage, and building connections rather than relying on repetition alone.

" l o o k and remember" way of vocabulary learning seems to be not very effective forlearners ofthe Englishlanguage.

Lacko f m o t i v a t i o n : s t u d e n t sa r e n o t m o t i v a t e d i n l e a r n i n g E n g l i s h a n d also learning English vocabulary According to Gardner (1985), motivation andattitudesaretheprimarysourcescontributingtoindividuallanguagelearning.

Schmitt and McCarthy (1997) contend that the phonological difficulty of English words is largely shaped by the learner's first language The L1 system can hinder the ability to discriminate certain phonemes, resulting in confusion between words that differ only in those problematic sounds Additionally, accurate pronunciation depends on placing the stress on the correct syllable, but English word stress is variable and must be learned as part of the word's spoken form.

Many teachers require students to memorize vocabulary mechanically and show dissatisfaction when students cannot answer questions or complete exercises correctly This approach leaves students feeling constrained in class and hinders their English vocabulary acquisition Additionally, teachers provide little encouragement in the learning process In class, they mainly check homework, teach new lessons, and monitor students.

Traditional vocabulary teaching often relies on having students repeat words aloud, a method that fails to motivate learners and, when overused, makes lessons dull while limiting learning, so classroom attention depends more on teacher discipline than on engaging activities Moreover, many teachers prioritize spelling and meaning while neglecting pronunciation, offering little or no instruction in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) or guidance on using dictionaries for phonetic transcriptions, leaving students without the tools they need to pronounce words correctly.

Poor use of teaching aids and reference materials results in a classroom equipped with only simple, traditional tools like boards and chalk The underutilization of laboratory equipment and the shortage of English reference materials further hinder teachers from organizing engaging vocabulary lessons.

Thechallengingcurriculum:Therequirementsofthecurriculumarecomparativ ely challengingforstudentswithlowormediumlevel.Studentscomplainthatthereareso manyactivitiesmentionedwhiletheirEnglishknowledgeisnotverygood.

Factorsaffectingvocabularylearning

Learner-relatedfactors

Thesefactorsincludeintelligence,aptitude,personality,learners’preferences, learners’beliefs,age,motivation andattitude.

Aptitude:A l lh u m a n b e i n g s e x h i b i t a r a n g e o f a p t i t u d e f o r l e a r n i n g a secondlanguage,eitherthroughformalinstructionor informalimmersion(Lightbowna n d S p a d a , 1 9 9 3 ) T h e r e f o r e , a p e r s o n w h o h a s b e e n b o r n w i t h a highlevelofaptitudecanlearnatafasterandeasierratethanapersonwithal owlanguage aptitude (Schmidt1985:285).

Personality:AccordingtoReza(2005),personalityisoneoft h e individual differences which are broadly established to have an outcome onlearninggenerally andsecondlanguage acquisitionespecially.Thus,itisamotiveof leaningaword.

Learner preferences are expressed through learning styles, defined as the individual’s characteristic ways of processing information, feelings, and behavior in learning situations (Smith, 1991) Davis (1993) describes learning style as a person’s preferred method for gathering, interpreting, organizing, and thinking about information Ellis (1994) reviewed several learning styles—concrete, analytical, communicative, and authority-oriented (based on Willing, 1987)—and concluded that learners exhibit different styles, but it is not yet clear whether some styles lead to faster or greater learning than others.

Learner’s beliefsare usually based on previous learning experience andthe assumption (right or wrong) that a particular type of instruction is the bestwayfor themtolearn" (Lightbown,1999).

Ellis (1994) pointed out that ‟learners start as children achieve a more native- like accent than those who start as adolescents or adults The younger is better inthecase ofphonologybutnotintheacquisitionofgrammar.”

Changya Li (2009) argues that learning motivation and attitudes are emotional factors that influence foreign language acquisition When motivation is strong, learners show greater passion for learning, sustain longer engagement in language study, and are better able to overcome challenges along the way.

Teacher-related factors

Enthusiasm, commitment to and expectations for the student's academicprogress, good relationship with the students, and teachers' teaching methods arefactors mentionedbyDornyei(2001).

Commitmenttothestudent'sacademicprogress:commitmentstowardsthestudentsar econcreteassistance,respondingimmediatelywhenhelpi s requested, correcting tests and papers promptly, or showing concern when thingsarenotgoingon.

Teachers’expectation:Theexpectationsteacherssetforanindividualstudent can significantly affect the student's vocabulary performance. Teacherexpectations can be based on student characteristics such as race, ethnicity, andfamilyincome level,or indicatorsofpastperformance.

Goodrelationshipwithstudents:teachersgetonwellwithstudents.Therefore, students can sometimes share their difficulties in real life with theirteacher.

Teaching methods refer to a set of techniques and activities designed to engage learners In vocabulary learning, teachers recognize that students learn in different ways, so they deploy a variety of strategies that cater to multiple learning styles to help students retain vocabulary and deepen their understanding.

Environmentalfactors

Physical conditions in the classroom, including classroom size, books, chairs, desks, tables, lighting, boards, projectors, and cameras, significantly influence students’ motivation Harmer (1991) confirms that physical conditions have a substantial impact on students’ learning and on engagement with the subject matter, underscoring the importance of a well-designed educational environment for better learning outcomes.

Lightbown and Spada (1999) indicate that a supportive, non-threatening classroom atmosphere boosts learners' motivation by encouraging them to express their opinions and think critically MacIntyre (1999) and Young (1999) point out that student anxiety is created by a tense classroom climate, a factor that undermines learning effectiveness and motivation, as cited in Dornyei (2001).

Intralexical factors

AccordingtoLaufer(1997),intralexicalfactorswhichaffectthemotivation of vocabulary learning include phonological factors, grammaticalcharacteristics ofthewordand semantic featuresof theword.

Phonological factors—pronounceability and word length—significantly shape foreign learners’ vocabulary processing Schmitt and McCarthy (1997) note that learners’ phonological difficulties relate to phonemes, sequences of phonemes, and suprasegmental features, with some words being phonologically more challenging than others This can lead to troubles discriminating between similar phonemes and to confusion between words that differ in those phonemic features Familiarity with phonological features and a word’s phonotactic regularity also affects accuracy in perceiving, saying, and remembering the word Word length acts as a learning-load index (Bernhardt, 1984; Nation & Coady, 1989); longer words are generally harder to remember, and Coles (1982) found that longer words produce more errors in recognition tasks, with learners tending to memorize one-syllable words more easily than two- or three-syllable words.

It is often argued that certain grammatical categories of words are harder to learn than others in language learning Nouns tend to be the easiest, while adverbs are the most difficult, with verbs and adjectives falling somewhere in between Phillips (1981) also found that nouns are learned more readily than verbs or adjectives, but the advantage of knowing a word’s part of speech declines as learners’ proficiency increases Even when learners grasp the semantic content of words, they frequently confuse their parts of speech, substituting nouns for verbs, adjectives for nouns, or adverbs for adjectives.

+Morphology:Nuttal(2000)notesthatthemorphologyorinternalstructure of a word might offer valuable clues toitsm e a n i n g T h e m o r p h o l o g y of a word can often serve as a facilitating factor in the recognition of a new wordand itssubsequentproduction.

According to Laufer (1997: 149), semantic properties that are sometimesclaimedtoaffectwordlearnabilityareabstractness,specificityandregister restriction,idiomaticity,and multiple meaning.

Specificity in meaning is a key source of difficulty for language learners, who often prefer general terms over more precise ones Blum and Levenston (1978) found that learners tend to choose words that can be generalized across many contexts, leading to over-generalization that ignores register constraints and collocational restrictions and distorts relationships among hyponymy, synonymy, and antonymy The issue of register restriction is closely tied to specificity: general and neutral words that can be used in a wide range of contexts and registers are typically less problematic than terms tied to a specific register or area of use.

+ Idiomaticity: Marton (1997) and Bensoussan and Laufer (1984) showthat the problem of idioms is one obstacle to fluent comprehension in learners.Idiomatic expressions are muchm o r e d i f f i c u l t t o u n d e r s t a n d a n d l e a r n t o u s e thantheirnon- idiomaticmeaningequivalents.Idiomsaredifficultt o comprehendsinceeachwor dprovidesalittleclueornocluewhatsoeverastothemeaningoftheidiom.

Lyons (1968) argued that an ideal language would feature a one-to-one correspondence between form and meaning, with each form tied to a single meaning and each meaning linked to a single form In practice, language does not fit this ideal: a single form can express multiple meanings, and a single meaning can be conveyed by different forms This tension between theoretical precision and actual linguistic usage underpins discussions of polysemy, synonymy, and the variability of lexical representation in real-world communication.

Sampleand sampling

EnglishmajorsatHaiPhongManagementandTechnology University. TheystudiedBasicEnglish 3a n d were at elementary English level Their

English textbook was Solutions (pre- intermediate)writtenbyTimF.andPaulA.D.in2007.Fiveunits(fromunit6to unit 10) were learntduring the third semester Each unit hada number of partsincludingvocabularyandlistening,grammar,reading,speakingandwriting.

Instruments

Firstly, the survey questionnaire was an important instrument used to getthe information about factors affecting learning vocabulary English The surveyquestionnairecomprisestwosections:

 The personal information consisting of students’ gender, age, experience inlearning English.

 The students’ opinions on motivational factors affecting in English learningvocabulary.

Secondly, the researcher interviewed non– English majoreds o p h o m o r e s toreceive morereliable informationforthestudy.

Datacollection

The data was collected in one day Information regarding data collectionwasprovidedfortheteacher.Agreementanddiscussionwiththeteacherinv olved were made earlier to ensure that the data collection was carried outsmoothly.

Dataanalysis

After the administration of the instruments, the data were collected andanalyzed according to the purpose of the study to elicit answers for the proposedresearch questions Data consisted of the information from the answer to thegiven questions in the survey questionnaireand the interviews The data wasanalyzed by the researcher of this study to avoid inconsistency and possiblebiases.

DATA ANALYSIS, FINDINGS, AND SUGGESTEDSOLUTIONS

Dataanalysis

The subjects consisted of 30 second-year students, among whom 13 weremale students, 17 were female students Their ages ranged from 20 to 22 years.TheirEnglishlearningexperiencerangedfrom 9to16years.They startedlearning English at different ages depending on the syllabus of the schools theystudied at About 7% (2 students) had been studying English for at least 9 years,and 93% (28 students) had from 14to 16 years of learning English. Even though,all of them were second-year students, their experience of learning English stillvaried.Thetable1belowpresentedthesubjects’experienceinlearningEnglish.

Yearoflearning 9years 14 to 16years Total

The questionnaire also explored the subjects’ perception of the importance of vocabulary and the difficulty of learning it The results showed that all of the students recognized the importance of vocabulary; 18 students (60%) rated it as very important, while the remaining 12 viewed it as important However, they also found learning English vocabulary to be challenging: 14 students (47%) described it as very difficult to learn, 12 students (40%) said it was difficult, and only 4 students (13%) stated that learning vocabulary was not very difficult.

Many students learning vocabulary face basic problems in reading a word, recognizing it, writing it, remembering its meaning, or using it correctly In this study, 12 students (40%) said they could not read the words correctly, and 18 students (60%) could not recognize the learned words when hearing them, with the same number unable to write down the learned words after some time The data showed that these difficulties span multiple aspects of vocabulary acquisition, highlighting the need for targeted instruction in word reading, recognition, spelling, and long-term retention of vocabulary.

1 1 s t u d e n t s (37%) forgot the meanings of the learned words and10 students (33%) did notknowhowtouse thelearnedwords.

Identifying new wordsUnderstanding theMemorizing new function of particular words for a long time ( words in sentencesmeaning, spelling…)

Intermsofeffortinlearningnewwords,themajorityofs t u d e n t s (67%)put much or very much effort into learning them while one third of therespondents (33%) hadlittleto dothat.

A bar chart shows students’ aptitudes toward learning English vocabulary, highlighting that motivation comes from three key abilities Sixty percent of students value recognizing pronunciation, sixty-seven percent are motivated by word usage, and the largest group, 73 percent, is interested in memorizing words for a long time.

Thetableshowsthedifferentopinionsofthestudentsaboutthemotivational factor as personality in motivating students in learning a word Thehighest number of the students (40%) considered responsiveness was the mainfactorwhilethelowestnumberwasininhibitionandempathy(0%).Therewe re6 students (20%) claimed that self-esteem was a motive and that was also thenumberofstudentswhothoughtabouttalkativeness.Thepercentageofextroversio n and dominance accounted for personality factor were 13% and 7%,respectively.

It can be seen that there were several vocabulary learning styles to helpstudents avoid demotivation in learning 80% of students thought that learningfromdailycommunicationwithforeignerswasagoodwaytoimprovevocabu lary Approximately 77% of them claimed that learning words by topicshelped them remember vocabulary faster and longer 20 students (about 67%)learned words in reading passages and from other resources: internet, TV, etc.Only 10 students(33%)liked learning wordsi n l i s t e n i n g t e x t s 1 0 s t u d e n t s (33%) gave other ideas that they were fond of sticking vocabulary notes on theirbooks, boxes, windows, doors or other places to learn words.Therefore,itwasclear that the HPUs e c o n d – y e a r s t u d e n t s w e r e v i s u a l l e a n e r s , a u r a l l e a n e r s and kinesthetic learners.

The pie chart reveals that students used various learning methods and that 60% regard the dictionary as the most effective tool for vocabulary acquisition About one-third relied on context clues to learn new words, while the remaining students preferred using word families Synonyms and antonyms were not part of their prior learning experiences.

Table 3 shows that age is not a major motivational factor in English vocabulary learning About 83% of students reported little or no effect of age on acquiring English words, while 17% acknowledged that age affected their motivation quite a lot.

Students’attitudes towards learningvocabul ary

Results indicate that 80% of students exhibit high or very high attitudes toward learning English vocabulary, 20% display a low attitude, and no respondents report a very low attitude.

Very much Rather Alittle Notatall Total Numberof students 9 15 5 1 30

Table 5 indicates that students were fairly interested in their teachers' teaching methods About half of the students moderately liked these teaching methods Nine out of thirty students loved their teachers' vocabulary instruction The response options 'a little' and 'not at all' accounted for 17% and 3%, respectively.

0% enthusiasm commitmentteachers'good to theexpectation relationship students'with the progressstudents

Physical conditions (tables, chairs,…) Class atmosphere

Teacher personality and other factors significantly influence student motivation, particularly in learning English vocabulary Approximately 73% of students reported that enthusiastic teachers motivate them the most in vocabulary learning About 67% appreciated teachers who showed a genuine commitment to their students’ progress Around 63% valued having a good relationship with their teachers, and roughly 60% believed that teachers’ expectations were an important motivational factor that fostered a fondness for vocabulary.

One of the factors that have a significant influence on creating positivemotivation in learning vocabulary is the environmental factor 12 students (40%)were interested in learning vocabulary effectively if they were supplied withgood learning facilities 18 students (60%) thought that the atmosphere in theclassroomwasmore important motive.

Pronunciation Spelling Part of speech Morphology Meaning Use

The pie chart shows that meaning was the most concerned by the students(37%) in learning a word Pronunciation, use and spelling were chosen with thesame percentage of the students (17%) Word’s part of speech and morphologygot theleastinterestofthestudentsatabout6%.

Besides, the result shows that the majority of the students (67%) fanciedvocabularytaskswhile therest dislikedthem.

When asked about activities students liked most in vocabulary lesson, the datacollected asfollows:

The table shows that students preferred independent work over other activities Specifically, 60% of participants chose to work individually, about 27% liked working in pairs, and the remaining 13% enjoyed working in groups of three to five.

Asking and answering the questions relatednewwords 5 17%

The table above illustrates the difference in students' preferences for vocabulary practice The largest group, 23%, enjoyed making sentences with new words and playing games A fifth of the participants preferred word matching Other practices, including asking and answering questions related to new words, gap filling, and sentence completion, accounted for 17%, 10%, and 7% respectively.

Instructing you how to pronounce words correctly 8 27%

Reviewing and checking learnt words regularly 6 20%

Findings

This study examines the motivational factors affecting second-year non-English majors as they learn English vocabulary Data analysis reveals that each motivational factor studied exerts a distinct effect on students’ motivation to acquire English vocabulary.

Firstly, among the main factors, learners’ factors have the most influencewhilethe leastonesare intralexical factors.

Among six learner-related factors, aptitudes most strongly influence sophomores’ vocabulary learning, followed by learners’ preferences, motivation, and attitude Learners’ beliefs rank third, and this factor is associated with a preference for dictionary-based learning over other methods Personality and age contribute the least to students’ motivation.

Thirdly,theteachers’factorsconsistsofteachingmethods,teachers’personality and others Among these factors, teaching methodology creates thebest motivationforlearners.

Fourthly, it is environmental factors which also greatly affect the learners’interest.Studentswholearninaclassroomwithacomfortableclassroomatm osphere, with adequate facilities and amenities, they will definitely increasetheirmotivation.

Finally,theyaretheintralexicalfactorswhichdonotincreaseonsophomores’m otivationmuch.Inthesefactors,studentsencounteralotoflanguage problems coming of English words themselves such as pronunciation,spelling,form,meaningor use.

Suggestedsolutions

The university should invest more in modern facilities such as new desks,chairs, and boards, projectors, microphones, etc to make students feel morecomfortabletofocusontheirstudiesintheclassroomsandtosupporttheteachers toworkmore effectively.

More opportunities are created to improve the professional qualifications ofteachers as wellas their teachingmethods.

It is important to know that a word is related to its spelling,pronunciation,meaning,use,part ofspeech,antonymsand synomyms.

Itis necessary for studentstoidentify their difficultiesin learningn e w words andtrytogetmotivationinvariousways toovercomethem.

There is a combination of activitiesto learn English words The activities areworkingindividually,inpairs andingroups.

Students should move away from less effective traditional methods of learning vocabulary, such as always relying on bilingual dictionaries They need to explore more suitable approaches that fit their learning styles, including topic-based learning, organizing vocabulary into word families, taking concise notes, and incorporating interactive activities like games These strategies offer varied, engaging, and contextual ways to build vocabulary more efficiently than rote translation alone.

It is highly recommended that students actively take part in all activitiesgiven by teachers in the classroom and change their self- study habits in rightways.

Students do not forget to do all homework provided and revise new wordsregularlybefore vocabularylessons.

According to the results of the study, students often have word problemssuch as mispronunciation, misuse, or inability to remember words, etc. Basedonthestudents'problemsandmotivationfound,somesuggestionsaregiven:

It is advisable that the lectures vary new word learning activities in theclassroom,dividing studentsintopairsorgroups to teachvocabulary.

There are more interesting, flexible and appropriate word teaching methodsforeachtopicto maintaininterest and motivation for students.

 It is better to create a more comfortable atmosphere to change the classatmosphere.

 Different ways are used to present new words such as visual aids, gesture,facial expressions, etcto enhance students’ motivation because HPU second-yearstudentsarevisual,audial andkinestheticl e a r n e r s

It is necessary to consider all difficulties encountered by students, theirpersonalityandpreferredleaningstyles todesignsuitablevocabularytasks.

Summaryofmajorfindings

Findings show that learner-related factors exert the greatest influence on students' motivation to learn English vocabulary, with learner attitude as the most influential factor and age the least In addition, teacher-related and environmental factors are essential to prevent demotivation and support sustained engagement However, language factors such as pronunciation, spelling, form, or usage of words (excluding meaning) tend to dampen students' interest in learning.

Suggestionsforfurtherstudy

It is expected that the result of the study can give an informative inputabout how to motivate students to learn English vocabulary The researcherexpects that this result of the study can inspire other researchers to conductresearches related to motivation in learning English vocabulary to enrich theexisting study.

1 Allen, V.F.(1983).Techniques in Teaching Vocabulary Oxford

2.Brown, D.H.(2000).Principles of Language Teaching and Learning. (4ed.).Addison WesleyLongman,Inc.

5 Ellis, R.(1994).The Study of Second Language Acquisition.Oxford

7 Lightbown, M.P.&Spada, N.(1993).How Language are learned.

8 Littlewood,W.T.(1981) ForeignandSecondLanguageLearning:Language- acquisition research and its implications for the classroom.GreatBritian:

10 Nation, P.(1990).Teaching and Learning Vocabulary.New York:

11.RichardB.&T.T.T.Trang(2007) TheJournalof AsiaTEFLVol.4,No.1.

13 Schmitt,N.&McCarthy,M.(1997) Vocabulary: Description,Acquisitionand

15 Tim,F&Paul,A.D.(2007) Solutions(pre-intermediate).OxfordUniversityPress.

16 Tricia Hedge (2002).Teaching and Learning in the

Thissurvey questionnaireisdesignedforthestudy onmotivationalfactorsaffecting HPU second-year non – English majors in learning vocabulary. Yourassistanceincompletingthefollowingitemsishighlyappreciated.Alltheinform ationprovidedbyyouis ofgreatuseand solelyforthestudypurpose.

Please put a tick (√) or number the boxes or write the answer where necessary.You canuseEnglishandVietnameselanguage.

4 Which of the following difficulties you have in learning vocabulary?(You canhavemore thanone choice)

You cannot recognize the learned words when hearing itYou cannot write down the learned words after some timeYou cannot remember the meanings of the learned wordsYoudonot knowhowto usethelearnedwords

5 Which of the following make you get motivation in learning new words?

Understanding the function of particular words in sentencesMemorizingnewwordsforalongtime(meaning,spelling)

Learning words in reading passagesLearningwordsinlistening texts

Learning from daily communication with foreignersLearning fromotherresources: internet,TV,…

8 Whichm e t h o d ha sb ee nt he most e ff ec ti ve in he lp in gy ou ac qu irem o re vo cabulary?

Using a dictionaryUsing context cluesUsingwordfam ilies

12.What do the teacher's factors make you motivated in learning vocabulary?

Commitment to your progressTeachers’expectations

Its part of speechIts morphologyIts meaning

Makingsentenceswith newwords Asking and answering the questions related new wordsFillingthe gaps

Instructing you how to pronounce words correctlyReviewing and checking learnt words regularlyCreatingpleasant classroomatmosphere

Using mines, gestures and facial expressionsUsingtargetlanguagetodefinenewwords

Saying words clearly one by one and writing them on the boardUsingsynonymsandantonyms

Bảng câu hỏi khảo sát này được thiết kế để nghiên cứu về các yếu tố gây hứngthúảnh hưởng đến việc học từ vựng sinh viên năm thứ haikhông chuyênA n h tại trường Đại học Quản lý và Công nghệ Hải Phòng Việc hoàn thành các mục,câu hỏi sau đây được đánh giá cao Tất cả thông tin do bạn cung cấp chỉ được sửdụng chomục đíchnghiêncứu.

Vuil ò n g đ á n h d ấ u ( √ ) h o ặ c g h i c â u t r ả l ờ i k h i c ầ n t h i ế t B ạ n c ó t h ể s ử d ụn g ngôn ngữtiếngAnhvà tiếngViệt.

* Bạn đãhọc tiếng Anhđượcbaolâurồi năm

3 Nỗlựchọctừ vựngtiếng Anhcủa bạn nhưthếnào?

Bạn không thể nhận ra những từ đã học khi nghe chúngBạn không thể viết được những từ đã học sau một thời gianBạnkhôngthểnhớnghĩa củanhữngtừđãhọc

Ghi nhớcáctừmới trong mộtthờigiandài(nghĩa,chínhtả)

Hướng ngoạiMặc cảm, tự tiLòng tự trọngĐồng cảmVượt trội hơnNói nhiều

Học từ trong các bài đọcHọctừtrong cácbàinghe

Học từ khi giao tiếp hàng ngày với người nước ngoàiHọctừtừcácnguồn khác:internet,TV,…

Sử dụng từ điểnSử dụng ngữ cảnhSửdụnghọ từ

9 Tuổi của bạnảnhhưởngđếnđộng lựchọc từvựng củabạnnhưthếnào?

10.Tháiđộhọc từvựngtiếng Anh củabạnnhư thếnào?

Cam kết với quá trình học tập của bạnKỳvọngcủa giáoviên

13 Yếu tố môi trường nào ảnh hưởng tích cực đến động lực học từ vựng củabạn? Điều kiện vật chất (bàn, ghế,