Motivation and attitudes ò english majored students at hong duc university towards learning english

HỒNG ĐỨC UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES LÊ THỊ TRANG Motivation and Attitudes of English-majored students at Hong Duc university towards learning English Submitted in partia

HỒNG ĐỨC UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

LÊ THỊ TRANG

Motivation and Attitudes of English-majored students

at Hong Duc university towards learning English

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of

Bachelor of Arts in English Language

HỒNG ĐỨC UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Motivation and Attitudes of English-majored students at

Hong Duc university towards learning English

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of

Bachelor of Arts in English Language

Student: Lê Thị Trang Student’ ID No: 1867020053 Class: K21A – English Language Supervisor: Mrs Hoàng Thị Minh

THANH HÓA, 2022

LIST OF TABLE OF CONTENT

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

13

2.4 RESEARCHES ON FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDENTS‟ ATTITUDE AND

4.1 ATTITUDES OF STUDENTS MAJORING IN LANGUAGES OF HONG DUC

4.2 THE MOTIVATION OF STUDENTS MAJORING IN LANGUAGES AT HONG DUC

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, allow me to express my sincerest and deepest gratitude to all the lecturers and staffs of the Faculty of Foreign Languages - Hong Duc University, who have imparting valuable knowledge to me in particular and the students of the 2018-2022 class in general in the process of studying and researching at the school

in general

Especially, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Ms Hoang Thi Minh - who directly helped, cared and guided me to complete the research I am extremely grateful to her valuable comments and critical and careful instructions Without her constant guiding support and continuous encouragement, my thesis would have never come out in the present form

I would also like to thank all the brothers, sisters and friends at the Faculty of Foreign Languages who helped me during the survey Thanks to everyone‟s valuable contributions, I was able to have the complete research I am today

Finally, I also want to thank my family, who have stood by me, helped and facilitated me throughout the years Sincerely thank everyone

Lê Thi Trang

ABSTRACT

In this report, the study investigated the motivations of English-majored students at Hong Duc University from both lecturers and students The goal of this study was to discover factors affecting the language teaching and learning process There were 66 valid survey questionnaires collected from 66 English-majored students at Faculty of Foreign Languages at Hong Duc University In addition, there were 5 vice monitors from English Language Teacher Education and English Language classes participating in the interview The Google Form approach was used with the purpose of collecting the data From the analysis of responses to the survey, it conveyed the status and motivation of English-majored students towards learning English The research also showed the important role of attitude and motivation in English learning There would be practical recommendations and reinforcement on students‟ motivation in learning This study was expected to be helpful to English-majored students at Hong Duc University

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

TABLE 4.3 SURVEY RESULTS ON ATTITUDES EXPRESSED THROUGH

TABLE 4.4 SURVEY RESULTS ON ATTITUDES EXPRESSED THROUGH

TABLE 4.5 SURVEY RESULTS OF STUDENTS‟ EMOTIONAL ATTITUDES

TABLE 4.6 SURVEY RESULTS OF STUDENTS‟ INTERNAL MOTIVATION

TABLE 4.7 SURVEY RESULTS OF STUDENTS‟ EXTERNAL MOTIVATION

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale

There are various factors affecting the language teaching and learning processes

of language learners Among these different factors, motivation plays an important role in the learning process Moreover, motivation and attitude have been widely acknowledged by both teachers and researchers as the keys factors that influence the rate and success of the foreign language learning The purpose of this research paper is to determine the roles of attitude and motivation on learning English of English-majored students at Hong Duc university

Based on research projects such as Hoang (2008); Lincoln (2011); Loi (2011); Trinh (2005); English is regarded as a global language, and has been identified by the Vietnamese government as the most important foreign language in Vietnamese national education at all levels, especially in higher education due to globalization

In the legal documents issued by the Vietnamese government and the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) (MoET, 2003; MoET, 2004), Vietnamese students need sufficient English proficiency in effective communication in global working environment

Some researchers such as Dörnyei (2005), Gardner (2007), Gao and Zhang (2011); Murray (2011) proves that learners with positive attitude and high motivation are more likely to achieve higher language proficiency than learners with negative attitude and low motivation, because attitude and motivation are important factors in foreign language acquisition Some people think that positive attitudes and high motivation among learners may promote second language learning (Eshghinejad, 2016) When learners show interest in language and willingness to further study, they will take a positive attitude towards English learning Under strong motivation, learners are more likely to succeed in acquiring a second or foreign language, and have a stronger willingness to make more efforts, although they may encounter obstacles

Whether learners can master English successfully depends on their attitude towards language In the process of English learning, students have different

perceptions of their own classrooms, teachers and courses It is an important factor affecting English learners, because such ideas will be responsible for their attitudes According to Fakeye (2010: 206), students‟ attitude towards language is one of the personal variables that affect English learning Moreover, positive language attitude makes learners have a positive orientation towards English learning (Karahan, 2007: 84), and students‟ attitudes are related to their proficiency in the language they want

to learn (Ghazali, 2008) Therefore, people also realize that a person‟s attitude can affect the acquisition of language proficiency Motivation is also another factor that affects students‟ learning English It plays a very important role in someone‟s successful learning of English Conceptual motivation is an important factor that has a positive impact in any educational learning process, especially in second language learning (Rehman et al, 2014: 254) Another explanation holds that motivation is one of the main forces affecting second language learning (Othman and Shuqair, 2013 : 126) In addition, it can guide learners to continue learning even after completing specific goals Learners are willing to learn a second language or a foreign language with sufficient motivation, and indeed, motivation is a prominent factor that needs attention in order to successfully learn a language (Tu and Zhou, 2015) Consequently, if students have strong motivation, they will like to learn a language and study it hard

There have been many studies by researchers to find out the factors that affect students‟ English proficiency The results of studies show that there are many factors that influence students‟ English learning Currently, in Vietnam, universities with international training programs are increasingly popular However, the quality

of graduates, especially English proficiency, varies widely among students Unlike international students in English-speaking countries, international students who study with the main language of English are English, but in daily communication, Vietnamese is still the main language religion In this context, attitudes and motivation play an important role in a student‟s learning English Motivation and attitude give learners a goal and direction to follow Therefore, it has an important role to play in language learning Not having enough motivation and negative attitudes will cause difficulties for learners to learn the language Without the desire

to learn, it is very difficult for learners to achieve effective learning As Huitt (2001) states, paying attention to the importance of language helps learners improve their motivation even when they don‟t have enough intrinsic motivation

In addition, in the process of building an English teaching plan for English teachers, it is extremely important that teachers are aware of and identify the attitudes and needs of students‟ motivation, it contributes to teachers develop learning materials, and select appropriate classroom activities and tasks to make the most of students‟ positive attitudes and motivation (Midraj et al., 2008 )

When conducting a research with the topic Motivation and attitudes of

English-majored students at Hong Duc university towards learning English,

the researcher wishes to discover the role of attitudes and motivation in the study of students studying English at Hong Duc University

1.2 Purpose of the study

The study was conducted with two aims The first objective was to explore the attitude of English language students of Hong Duc University towards learning English The study‟s second aim is to explore the motivation of English language students of Hong Duc University towards learning English

1.4 Significance of the study

The research conducted exploring the role of academic English attitudes and dynamics of students at Hong Duc University makes sense both in theory and in practice

Theoretical significance: The research contributes to systematizing the

theoretical bases on the attitudes and motivations of learners who are English language majors towards learning English The study‟s theoretical framework can

be a valuable reference for future research

Practical significance: The research contributes to determining the role of

learners‟ English language attitudes and dynamics At the same time, it provides educational managers, English language teaching education and English language at Hong Duc University with awareness of students‟ attitudes and motivation to learn English Teachers can develop appropriate teaching methods to promote students positive attitudes and learning motivation

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Theoretical background of attitude

2.1.1 Definition of language attitude

According to Crystal (1997), attitude is the main concept of social psychology,

in which attitude towards language is the feeling of one person‟s language and another person‟s language, so language behavior can be explained by language attitude The restoration, preservation or extinction of language fundamentally depends on people‟s attitude towards language (Baker, 1992) Many studies focus

on three components of attitude, including cognition, emotion and behavior According to Baker (1992); Rajecki (1982), the cognitive element was any information, fact, or knowledge related to the thoughts, beliefs, and values of language The component emotion was a comment on language (positive or negative) The third component was behavior, a kind of behavior intention or action that could be taken (possible behavior) against language Wenden (1991) asserts that these three components interact

Attitude

(Source: Hilgard, 1980) The behavioral aspect of attitude (BAA) was related to a person‟s behavior and reaction in a specific situation Kara (2009) said that a positive attitude leads to showing positive behavior towards learning, absorbing yourself in it and working hard to learn more Such students are also observed to show more enthusiasm for solving problems, absorb things useful for daily life, and unite themselves emotionally

Cognitive aspect of attitude (CAA) was related to language learners belief in the

accepted knowledge and their understanding of the language learning process Cognitive attitude could be summed up in four steps: linking leading knowledge with new knowledge, creating new knowledge, testing new knowledge and applying new knowledge in various situations

Concerning to emotional attitude, Feng and Chen (2009) pointed out that the learning process was an emotional process Influenced by various emotional factors Teachers and their students participate in different emotional activities, and the result of emotional diversification is productivity Since attitude was one of the key factors for the success of language learning, many studies have been conducted in the field of language attitude In addition, language attitude has also been studied In the past 50 years, the relationship between the importance of language use and personal nature has become increasingly close (Saidat, 2010)

2.1.2 The roles of attitude in learning English

Some recent studies have mentioned the role of attitudes in foreign language learning in different countries with different cultures, English backgrounds and grades For example, Shams (2008) carried out a study to investigate students‟ attitude, motivation and anxiety towards English learning The results show that students hold a highly positive and enthusiastic attitude towards English This also emphasizes the value of using English effectively in daily life, because it showed that most students show a positive attitude towards English language and its learning

According to Momani (2009), the survey results of senior high school students‟ attitude towards learning English as a foreign language and their performance in reading comprehension show that the respondents hold a positive attitude towards English learning In addition, there was a strong correlation between students‟ attitude towards English learning and students‟ reading comprehension scores Al- Tamimi and Shuib (2009) made similar findings They studied the motivation and attitude of petroleum engineering students to learn English When they debated, the students took a positive attitude towards using English in Yemen‟s social and educational background, and also showed a positive attitude towards the culture of

the English-speaking world

Twenty-two Arab college students were investigated on their motivation to learn English as a second language, their attitudes towards Americans and Americans, and their future expectations for English learning (Suleiman, 1993) All students have at least five years of ESL study at Arizona State University Results There were positive feelings and gender-related differences in motivation In terms of gender variables, 400 senior three students from five high schools were randomly selected to investigate the correlation between English learning attitude and achievement (Fakeye, 2010) The significant relationship between attitude and achievement is the result found in that study In addition, it is found that there is no statistically significant difference between male and female students‟ attitudes, so it has nothing to do with gender

2.2 Theoretical background of motivation

2.2.1 Definition of motivation

According to Gardner (1985), there have been a lot of researches on the role of motivation in second language learning The overall results show that motivation is related to second language learning success A high level of motivation usually leads to a high level of language achievement and proficiency However, motivation

is difficult to determine or measure Motivation is usually defined as the force, stimulation or influence that urges a person or organism to take action or respond

In addition, motivation is the psychological characteristic that stimulates the action of organisms; and the reasons for the action (Webster‟s Dictionary) Therefore, motivation is related to internal processes, moving, pushing, inducing or inciting people to do what they do It is the call for action that stimulates us to initiate actions in the world around us Needs, motives and desires are often cited as intrinsic motives for our actions Incentives, rewards and reinforcement are considered as incentives from external sources

Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher, is one of the earliest proponents of motivation theory Aristotle implicitly realized that motivation is the result of an

appetizing function, which always works in relation to some results or outcomes According to Dornyei (2001), motivation is a function in a person‟s mind It is a dynamic cumulative change initiated, directed, coordinated, amplified, terminated and evaluated by a person in the process of cognition and movement In these processes, the initial wishes and desires are selected, prioritized, operated and acted Dornyei (2001) also said that motivation explains why people decide to do something, how hard they will pursue it, and how long they are willing to last Similarly, motivation is an intrinsic state that stimulates direction and maintains behavior (Woolfolk, 2001) Motivation is an intrinsic motivation that drives someone to do something to achieve something Therefore, according to Burden‟s hypothesis (1997), motivation focuses on issues including why people decide to act

in a certain way and what factors affect their choice from a cognitive perspective It also involves decisions on the extent to which people are prepared to expand their influence in order to strive to achieve their goals

Therefore, the role of teachers becomes one of the roles to help and promote learners to make appropriate decisions Oxford and Shearin (1996) also put forward their views on this issue, indicating that motivation is very important because it directly affects the frequency of students‟ use of second language learning strategies, the degree of interaction with native speakers, and the amount of involvement they gain in the language Learning (target language), how well they performed in course-related achievement tests, how high their overall mastery level became, and how many second language skills they persisted and maintained after language learning Therefore, motivation is very important for second language learning, and it is very important to know what our students‟ motivation is For this reason, attention should be paid to motivation in second language teaching and learning

Different researchers have different definitions of motivation from the above However, it can be inferred that the motivation of combining effort and desire with advantage and occurrence is the result of internal and external effects Therefore, this study will follow the definition of motivation put forward by Garner (1982), and think that motivation consists of three factors They include effort, desire and

influence Effort refers to the time spent learning a language and the motivation of learners Desire indicates the degree to which learners want to master language, and affects the diagram of learners‟ emotional reactions related to language learning

2.2.2 Types of motivation

 Intrinsic motivation

Intrinsic motivation is defined as the execution of an activity because of its inherent satisfaction rather than some separable consequences When a person is substantially motivated, he will act for the joy or challenge that follows, rather than for products, pressures or external rewards (Ryan and Deci, 2000 : 56) Intrinsic motivation is clearly visible in babies, that is, always trying to catch, throw, bite, squeeze or scream new objects they encounter Even if it doesn‟t matter as age, people usually have basic motives while playing crossword puzzles, drawing pictures, gardening or just reading novels or watching movies However, to have a clearer picture of intrinsic motivation, we need to understand that it has been defined as the opposite of extrinsic motivation

 Extrinsic motivation

Ryan and Deci (2000) redefine that an extrinsic motivation is a structure that

is appended whenever an activity is executed to achieve some separable result Therefore, extrinsic motivation is opposite to intrinsic motivation, which refers to activities only for the enjoyment of activities themselves, not their instrumental value They also said that when the reward no longer exists, learners will lose the motivation and reason to do something, and the external reward that previously gave them internal motivation may damage the good effect However, some researchers have shown that external motivation is effective for people without motivation, followed by positive feedback

2.2.3 The roles of motivation in learning English

Researchers have different views on different types of motivation According

to Lucas (2010), learners have the basic motivation to learn oral and reading skills, and also get the basic motivation through knowledge and achievements Intrinsic

motivation has a significant impact not only on reading comprehension, but also on other aspects of reading, such as reading breadth (Guthrie, 1997) Tercanlioglu (2001) holds that Turkish learners have a positive attitude towards reading because they read out of intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation, while Ditual (2012) further emphasizes that highly motivated learners have a positive attitude towards English learning, both of which are driven by instrumentality and integration According to Chang (2010), class groups influence learners‟ motivation and feel comfortable with motivated classmates Another finding is that inattentive learners motivate their classmates

In addition, instrumental motivation is more important than integrative motivation in EFL learning (Moskovsy and Al-Rabai, 2009) Other results of this study show that integrated motivation is more suitable for ESL learning Language learners are driven by both instrumentality and integration The results show that learners are highly motivated to learn English (Moiinvaziri, 2009) Motivated learners spend more time learning foreign languages, and motivated learners can learn languages more effectively than unmotivated learners (Al-Otaibi, 2004)

Learners with strong desire for language learning can acquire high target language ability (Al-Hazemi, 2000) According to Macintyre (1999), a safe classroom environment is necessary for motivation, and learners feel comfortable when learning a language under this idea However, there are also views that motivation cannot be developed in difficult classrooms Teachers should create an effective learning environment for their learners (Good and Brophy, 1994) and insist that effective language learning takes place in comfortable and friendly classrooms The statement by Ziahosseini and Salehi (2008) points out that extrinsic motivation has nothing to do with the choice of language learning strategies, and emphasizes that Iranian EFL learners are essentially motivated According to Sadighi and Maghsudi (2000), there are two types of motivation that influence Iranian EFL learners‟ English proficiency, namely integration and tools The results

of this study show that there are significant differences in English proficiency scores between integrative motivation learners and instrumental motivation learners

2.3 The relationships between attitude and motivation

According to Gardner (1985), attitude is a set of beliefs and psychological tendencies that act or evaluate behavior in a certain way Language attitude is also described as a complex concept, which can be defined as a part of existential ability and a dynamic structure of learners‟ attitude Gardner (1985) asserted that motivation is the reason for doing something, and it is the combination of desire and effort to achieve the goal Dörnyei (2005) proposed a motivation model, which includes general and situational learning motivation The integrated and specific motivation in language learning is the result of the combined action of learners‟ specific language needs and attitudes towards language and its culture This motivation background greatly affects learners‟ attitude towards language learning and the efficiency of language learning

Gardner and Lambert (1959) developed the Attitude Motivation Test Battery (ATMB), which consists of five structures-attitude towards learning situations, immersion, motivation, language anxiety and instrumentality-and some scales to evaluate these structures Coincidentally, they are also the first people to prove a significant relationship between motivation and positive attitudes towards language and speakers If we look at these scales carefully, we can find that, for example, motivation is measured together with motivation intensity, desire to learn language and attitude towards language learning Measuring motivation by testing language learners‟ attitude towards language learning is a good example to show that attitude and motivation are interrelated

On the basis of previous research results and research on attitude and motivation in language learning, it can be concluded that attitude and motivation are inextricably linked A positive attitude towards language and its speakers can lead

to an increase in motivation, which in turn leads to better academic performance and a positive attitude towards language learning However, attitudes and motives are unstable and may change over time, and are closely related to the actual social, political and socio-historical background and power relations (Pavlenko 2005)

In addition to referring to the differences between language learning

motivation-instrumentality and integration, we also need to point out the differences related to language needs and language use Although learners may have instrumental (external) or integrative (internal) reasons for learning a language, they may also have different reasons for using the language House (2002) distinguishes between communication language and identity language (the term is taken from Hüllen, 1992) Multilingual people can choose and adjust languages according to their own needs Therefore, for example, speakers can express their cultural identity

in their mother tongue and only use another language as a tool for communication and mutual understanding (Dégi 2012) According to this theory, as Hoffman (2003) analyzed, the increasing demand for English as an international and high- level language should not be regarded as a threat to multilingual diversity, but as a

so called multilingual development with English

According to the L2 self-motivation system proposed by Dörnyei (2005;2009), language learners behavior can be analyzed from three components, namely ideal L2 self, L2 self should be and L2 learning experience In our interpretation of learners language behavior and attitude, it is necessary to add the fourth component introduced by Richard Clement in the name of language confidence (Csizér, 2007; Dörnyei 2009)

The L2 Motivational Self System has been tested and verified by many researchers widely in a number of different countries such as Hungary, Saudi Arabia, China, Japan and Iran (Csizér & Kormos, 2009; Ryan, 2009; Taguchi, Magid & Papi, 2009) Self-dynamic system L2 is formed on the theoretical basis of possible selves (Higgins, 1987; Markus & Nurius, 1986) Markus and Nurius (1986: 954) with research topics related to self-ability (possible selves) have stated that self-ability is imaginary images of themselves, who they want to be; and images they don‟t want/fear/avoid about themselves Thus, the three main types of self- ability are the ideal, the expected self, and the fearful self According to Higgins (1987), the ideal refers to the representation of the attributes that the ideal person wants to possess (ie the representation of hopes, aspirations or desires) and the ego must be defined as a representation of attributes that someone believes you should

or should possess (ie representing someone‟s sense of your duty, duty or

responsibility : 320) Self ability, especially the ideal self, has the ability to adjust behavior

Higgins et al (e.g., Higgins, 1987, 1998; Higgins, Klein, & Strauman, 1985; Higgins, Roney, Crowe, & Hymes, 1994) have conducted a large number of studies

to prove the learner‟s ideal self as a self-directed academic Ideal L2 self is the central component of L2 motivation structure in Dörnyei‟s L2 motivation self system, which consists of the following three dimensions: ideal L2 self, L2 right self and L2 learning experience Dörnyei (2009) defines the L2 ideal self as the L2 specific aspect of a person‟s ideal self : 29 According to Dörnyei (2009), thought-to L2 itself is defined as attributes (i.e duties, duties or responsibilities) that one must possess in order to avoid possible negative outcomes : 29 ) L2 learning experiences refer to situational-specific motivations associated with immediate learning environments and experiences (Dörnyei, 2009 : 29) Since we ourselves may be the perceptions we hold in the future, they include images and are related to vision in this way Marilyn King, a former Olympic athlete, said that it is not will and determination that can help Olympic athletes work so hard This is the vision It is the power of an image that inspires so much passion and excitement-that you have a lot of energy to do what you want to do (Murphy, 2006 : 95)

However, in Tódor‟s (2009) analysis, the concept of L2 automata system and its components will be regarded as learners‟ self-reflection Their language self- concept is constantly changing and reevaluating due to different learning methods and communication experiences redefining learners‟ personality and self-image

The above learners‟ linguistic self-concept can be explained by using the terms and concepts set by Dörnyei (2005), that is, the ideal self and the necessary self These two factors constitute the concept of language and are considered by Dörnyei to be closely related The ideal itself expresses the wishes and wishes that learners (language) want to achieve in the near future for personal development and their happiness This motivation background is highly dependent on learners‟ attitudes towards the target language and native speakers Self should do is associated with instrumental motivation in literature As defined by Dörnyei (2005),

must itself refers to all attributes that a person thinks need or should achieve in order to avoid certain negative consequences, so it is more correct to meet external needs and expectations than to meet personal wishes Among typical instrumental motives, we can mention better wages, better jobs, etc Moreover, in our case, some external learning motives are regarded as motives related to language credibility- Mandarin, international languages and so on

2.4 Researches on foreign language students’ attitude and motivation in

Vo Van Viet (2017) surveyed 694 students of Nong Lam University who were studying English as a student of Nong Lam University when doing a survey on student attitudes of Nong Lam University Research results show that most of the students are aware of the importance of learning English in academics and the development of a career in the future However, there still exists a certain gap between the students‟ perceptions, attitudes and actions The survey questionnaire was designed based on the research background of Sheldon Axler et al (1998) cited

in Liu & Zhao (2011) The research results show that students have a positive attitude to learning English and exist endogenous motivation and exogenous motivation in learning English of the students participating in the survey Furthermore, research has also shown a significantly linear relationship between students‟ attitudes and motivation to learn English

In summary, the following can be said about the previous studies discussed in this section Firstly, all of the studies mentioned above have reaffirmed the

Attitude

Cognitive Emotional Behavioral

Learning English at Faculty

of Foreign Languages at Hong Duc University Motivation

Intrinsic motivation Extrinsic motivation

Positive impact

importance of identifying learners‟ motivation and attitudes towards English language learning Second, some studies have been done to investigate learners‟ attitudes and motivations in learning English These studies help researchers understand how to identify learners‟ motivations

2.5 Conceptual framework

Based on attitude theory, motivation theory, and empirical research related to the role of attitudes and motivation in English learning performed by domestic and foreign researchers, such as Hilgard (1980), Ryan and Deci (2000), Pavlenko (2005), House (2002), Trinh Thai Van Phuc (2016,) Vo Van Viet (2017), the researcher proposed conceptual framework for this study as follows:

Figure 1.1 Conceptual framework

Positive impact

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Research Method

This research used a mix – methods study A mixed research method is a combination and integration of qualitative and quantitative methods in the same study According to Martyn Denscombe (2008) the mixed research method is particularly suitable for studies in the fields of education, health science, psychology and sociology The main purpose of the mixed research method is that the use of a combination of quantitative and qualitative research provides a better understanding of the complex aspects of the research than the approach single approach (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2007) Greene, Caracelli, and Graham (1989) pointed out the outstanding advantages of the mixed research method as follows: the method helped researchers compare the research results obtained from the method This compares with research results obtained from the method, in addition

to using the mixed method helps the researcher to easily expand the scope of the investigation From the above arguments, the researcher found that with the feature

of this study investigating the role of students‟ learning motivation and attitudes in learning English, the mixed method is a suitable research method

The main feature of quality electronics research is that it is mainly suitable for small samples, but its results cannot be measured and quantified Collis and Hussey (2003) pointed out that its basic advantage, which is also essentially different from quantitative research, is that it gives a complete description and analysis of the research object without limiting the scope of research and the nature

of participant feedback However, the effectiveness of qualitative research mainly depends on the skills and abilities of researchers, and the results may not be considered reliable because they mainly come from the personal evaluation and explanation of researchers Because it is more suitable for small samples, it also poses a risk to qualitative research results when they are considered to reflect the opinions of a wider group of people mentioned in the Bell study in 2005 In this study, induction is applied to the purpose of this study, which is used to provide general theories and conclusions drawn from the study by paying attention to

specific details Research is done by collecting and analyzing data from only a few people or projects considered to represent the whole team According to the work of Denzin & Lincoln (2005), the main weakness of this study is that only a small number of observations are used to draw general theories and conclusions, so the reliability of the research results is questioned

TABLE 2.1 SYNTHESIS APPROACH, DATA COLLECTION TOOL OF THE

STUDY

Quantitative research method

Quantitative data is information about quantities, and therefore numbers, and qualitative data is descriptive, and regards phenomenon which can be observed but not measured, such as language And the survey questions are designed based on a 5-level Likert scale; from level 1 (strongly agree) to level 5 (strongly agree) Participants were asked to honestly answer all questionnaire items, making their own assessments of their attitudes and motivation towards learning English Using a survey questionnaire is a popular method, because it can be widely used thanks to the use of google forms, the number of participants can be very large, so its use helps to data analysis is easier than manual methods On the other hand, in this method, the use of survey questions is used to clarify the ratio that the research needs From there, this tool makes data analysis easier The questionnaire consists

of 23 questions, in order to determine the motivation and attitude to learning English-majored students from the Faculty of Foreign Languages at Hong Duc university

Qualitative research method

Qualitative research method is selected by the researcher to ensure that the survey questions posed are appropriate to the survey object and increase the rigor and reality

The qualitative data collection technique selected by the author for this study

is the interview technique An interview was conducted including 05 students at the English-majored students of the Hong Duc University During the interview, the author presented her research hypotheses openly for the whole group to exchange and discuss The survey questionnaire designed for students will be discussed by the teachers to see if it can be improved The purpose of qualitative research is to help the researcher answer additional research questions During this research, the researcher invited 5 more friends who are vice-mentor in the Faculty of Foreign Languages They have an objective, overall view, so they can give accurate and practical opinions From those contributions, the researcher can base on those answers to determine the attitude and motivation to learn English of classes in the Faculty of Foreign Languages

3.2 Context and participants

The surveyed participants for this research are 66 students currently studying the 2nd, 3rd and 4th years at the Hong Duc University

For this reason, researchers are not selected the first year student to be surveyed because the freshman students are still in the period of getting used to the new learning environment, the attitude and motivation to study English is still is influenced by English teaching programs at high schools The qualitative study was conducted with 66 students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages Among 66 students, about two-thirds are female, the remaining one-third are male In which, students between the ages of 18 and 23 accounted for three-quarters, the rest over

23 years old accounted for the remaining one-quarter Moreover, there was one hundred percent of students who have studied English for at least 3 years or more Among 66 students surveyed, to determine the respondents of this study, the

researcher used a convenience sampling method, which were those individuals readily available (Walker and Almond, 2010)

Besides, the research had 5 people to face-to-face interviews, there are vice monitor of K21, K22 English Language and K21, K22, K23 English Language Teacher Education These students are responsible for understanding the learning situation in the class, so it always has the most objective, comprehensive and comprehensive view Moreover, according to the comments of the academic advisors, these are 5 energetic and enthusiastic vice-classes who are always involved in helping their friends in their studies, so they can give accurate answers

by observing and evaluating the change in attitude and motivation of each class member over time from first year to senior year

In term of the interview, the researcher chose the face-to-face interview method because the researcher could verify identity to ensure that the quality of the questions was taken from the most accurate source of information Moreover, during the face-to-face interview, the researcher was able to track the body language, eye contact, gesture, and attitude of the 5 interviewees during the interview – things that sometimes reveal more about themselves and the researcher can judge the quality of the answer as right or wrong through expressions and attitudes Although there were gaps at first due to my short acquaintance, but later

on, the interviewees cooperated very well to give the researcher very honest and objective sharing, without hesitation in making assessments frankly about the positive and negative points in the attitude and motivation to learn English of the students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Hong Duc University Moreover, choosing the face-to-face interview method also brought the researcher a very happy and open conversation with the interviewees and built a good relationship with them in particular and teachers and students Hong Duc school staff in general

However, choosing this form also caused the researcher a lot of obstacles It was very difficult to arrange a face-to-face interview with interviewees At first, everyone didn‟t have too much time to interact and talk outside, so the interviewees were still quite timid and cautious, giving general answers, not going deep into the

issue the researcher wanted So it‟s hard for the researcher to give an overall and most accurate assessment Fortunately, after talking for a while, the interviewees have become more sociable, sharing both positive and negative sides about the status and motivation of English language students in particular

Although the face-to-face interview still faced many obstacles, so the researcher did not have much time to talk and get acquainted with them and the question was quite delicate, but the researcher did not choose the online interview form because it is difficult to control the atmosphere of the conversation, not grasp the attitudes, expressions, and gestures of the 5 interviewees, so it was difficult to assess the quality and credibility of the answers The online interview will also create a distance, it was also difficult for the researcher to create a close and sociable atmosphere, so the interviewees would be cautious and create distance when making comments, especially answers comment on the shortcomings in the attitude and motivation of foreign language students in particular and Hong Duc University in general in learning English

3.3 Instrument and Data Collection Procedures

3.3.1 Questionnaire

Some studies use questionnaire method to collect quantitative research data According to Taherdoost (2016), typically the data collected from the questionnaire was quantitative or can be represented numerically and could therefore be analyzed using statistical techniques

In this research, the questionnaire used is divided into two parts

The first part of the survey questionnaire consists of 12 survey questions divided into 03 groups of specific attitudes as follows: (1) Behavioural attitude with

05 survey questions; (2) Cognitive attitude with 04 survey questions and (3) Emotional attitude with 02 survey questionnaires The survey questionnaire is inherited from Ming, Ling, and Jaafar‟s (2011) study However, Ming, Ling, and Jaafar‟s (2011) study was conducted within the research context of secondary school students in Malaysia Therefore, when using the survey questionnaire, the

author has adjusted the wording to suit the research context as a sign language student in Vietnam

The second part of the survey questionnaire includes 12 survey questions divided into 02 specific motivational groups: (1) Intrinsic motivation with 06 survey questions; (2) Extrinsic motivation with 06 survey questions The survey questionnaire was inherited from the study of Choosri and Intharaksa (2011) However, Ming, Ling, and Jaafar‟s (2011) study was conducted within the research context of middle school students in Malaysia Therefore, when using the survey questionnaire, the author also has adjusted the expression to suit the research context as a sign language student in Vietnam

The questions are designed based on a 5-level Likert scale from level 1 (strongly disagree) to level 5 (totally agree) Each question was designed to be an assessment of a criterion that serves as the basis for the assessment of academic English attitudes and dynamics of students at Hong Duc University With such a questionnaire designed the students selected to participate in the survey will show their attitudes and motivation towards learning English

To facilitate the data analysis process, the researcher coded the specific scale as follows:

TABLE 2.2 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Ming, Ling, and Jaafar‟s (2011)

1.1 I usually give priority to websites where I can use

English 1.2 I often listen to English music

1.3 I often watch English broadcast TV channels

1.4 I often play English games

1.5 I don‟t waste my time learning English

2.1 I think that being fluent in English will give me many

job opportunities 2.2 I want to spend more time learning English

2.3 I think English will be used a lot in my life

2.4 The topics in English lessons are very important to

me

3.1 Time passed quickly during English lessons

3.2 I try to make friends with foreigners, with whom I

can communicate in English

II MOTIVATION

Intrinsic motivation

1 1.1 I am learning English because of the joy that I can

experience and know more knowledge of English speaking countries

1.2 I am motivated to learn English because I like the

feeling of acquiring knowledge of English-speaking communities and their way of life

1.3 I am learning English because of the excitement that I

have mastered a difficult structure in English

Choosri

(2011) 1.5 I am motivated to learn English because of the good

feeling that I experience while speaking in English 1.6 I am motivated to learn English because of the

satisfaction I feel when I can complete difficult exercises in English

Extrinsic motivation

2 2.1 I have the motivation to learn English to get a good

job in the future 2.2 I was motivated to learn English because I wanted to

become someone who can speak more than one language

2.3 I am motivated to learn English because I think it is

good for my personal development 2.4 I am motivated to learn English because I will be

ashamed if I cannot communicate in English 2.5 I am motivated to learn English so that I can get good

grades in English tests 2.6 I have the motivation to learn English for the purpose

of improving my English proficiency

The author used a convenient sampling method for this study Data was collected through the Google form online questionnaire This is a popular and convenient tool for researchers because of its free access and easy-to-use functions Furthermore, Google form can help summarize and analyze collected data by automatically linking to a spreadsheet in Google Excel Sheets This software is very useful in this case as the researcher can save a lot of time and money without any advanced tools

3.3.2 Interview

According to Creswell (2014), the qualitative research is an approach to explore and understand the significance of individuals or groups for a social or human problem It is a research method that helps the researcher to know the opinions, reasons, intentions, behaviors, motivations and attitudes of the research subjects According to DeFranzo (2010) the qualitative research methods provide information about problems or help quantitative research through the development

of ideas They are used in inductive research approaches to develop new theories Data in the qualitative research is qualitative data Some methods of qualitative data collection include interviews (unstructured and semi-structured interviews), focus groups, etc.,The advantage of the qualitative research is that researchers have