Factors demotivating electronics-major students to learn ESP at Sao Do University yếu tố gây nên sự mất hứng thú đối với sinh viên ngành điện tử trong giờ học

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ESP: English for Specific Purposes EOP: English for Occupational Purposes GE: General English L2: Second Language SDU: Sao Do University TEFL: Teaching English as a

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES

CHUYÊN NGÀNH Ở TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC SAO ĐỎ

M.A MINOR THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60 14 10

Hanoi – 2012

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES

CHUYÊN NGÀNH Ở TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC SAO ĐỎ

M.A MINOR THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60 14 10

Supervisor: Dr Tô Thị Thu Hương

Hanoi – 2012

TABLE OF CONTENT

Declaration i

Acknowledgements ii

Abstract iii

Table of content iv

List of abbreviations vii

List of tables viii

PART A: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale 1

2 Aims of the study 1

3 Research questions 2

4 Significance of the study 2

5 Scope of the study 2

6 Method of the study 3

7 Organization of the study 3

PART B: DEVELOPMENT 4

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 4

1.1 Motivation 4

1.1.1 Conceptions of motivation 4

1.1.2 Classification of motivation in language teaching – learning 4

1.2 Demotivation 5

1.2.1 Conceptions of demotivation 5

1.2.2 Student demotivating factors in foreign language teaching – learning 6

1.2.2.1 Student-related factors 7

1.2.2.2 Teacher-related factors 9

1.2.2.3 Teaching and learning conditions 10

1.2.2.4 Course books 11

1.3 Related issues of ESP 11

1.3.1 Definitions of ESP 11

1.3.2 Classification of ESP 12

1.3.3 ESP teachers 13

1.3.4 ESP learners 14

1.3.5 ESP materials 15

1.3.6 Assessment 17

1.4 Overview of study on demotivation 17

CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 20

2.0 Research questions and design 20

2.1 Situation analysis 20

2.1.1 Setting of the study 20

2.1.2 Subjects 23

2.2 Data collection 23

2.2.1 Questionnaire for students 23

2.2.2 Interview for students 24

2.2.3 Interview for teachers 24

2.3 Data analysis 25

CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 26

3.1 Results 26

3.1.1 Data analysis of students’ survey questionnaire and interview for students 26

3.1.1.1 Personal information of the students taking part in the survey 26

3.1.1.2 Student-related demotivating factors 26

3.1.1.3 Teacher-related demotivating factors 29

3.1.1.4 Teaching and learning conditions 30

3.1.1.5 The course book 31

3.1.1.6 Solutions to help students overcome their demotivation 32

3.1 2 Data analysis of the interview for teachers 32

3.2 Discussions of findings on factors that demotivate students to study ESP at SDU 36

3.2.1 Student-related factors 36

3.2.2 Teacher-related factors 37

3.2.3 The course book 38

3.2.4 The teachers’ perception of the demotivators in ESP classes 38

PART C: CONCLUSION 40

1 Conclusion 40

2 Pedagogical implications 40

3 Limitations of the study 41

4 Directions for further research 42

REFERENCES 43 APPENDIX 1 IX APPENDIX 2 XII APPENDIX 3 XV APPENDIX 4 XVII

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

ESP: English for Specific Purposes

EOP: English for Occupational Purposes

GE: General English

L2: Second Language

SDU: Sao Do University

TEFL: Teaching English as a Foreign Language

LIST OF TABLES

Page Table 1: Students’ profiles (Total number of students: 89) 26

Table 2: Student-related demotivating factors 27

Table 3: Teacher-related demotivating factors 29

Table 4: Teaching and learning conditions 30

Table 5: The course book 31

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale

Motivation is one of the crucial learner factors affecting foreign language teaching - learning and therefore has been abundantly explored in the field of English as a Foreign Language teaching and learning Many researchers have also examined motivation and its negative side, demotivation in teaching and learning general English in universities However, few researchers have directed their attention to demotivation students tend to carry in the course of learning English for Specific Purposes (ESP) although English continues to dominate as the lingua franca of business, technology, medicine, media, education and research As a result, the demand of ESP is growing rapidly in many countries including Vietnam which has become a member of WTO and has witnessed unprecedented growth in communications with other countries In response to the great demand of English in academic, vocational and professional contexts, more and more universities in Vietnam are offering ESP courses to meet the global trend as well as to meet students’ future career needs Sao Do University is not an exception All students at Sao Do University must pass examinations in ESP to graduate, but many are failing

to study it successfully

Based on my experience of teaching ESP, English for Electronics, for 3 years,

I have found that many Electronics-major students do not seem ever to have developed any interest in learning ESP or if they have, they seem to have lost that interest for some reasons, that is, they have become demotivated in ESP classes In both cases, their achievement in ESP classes has been negatively affected For this reason, I decided to study factors demotivating the Electronics-major students in ESP classes at Sao Do University, so that effective solutions can be found to help

my students get better results in learning ESP

2 Aims of the study

The study was carried out with an aim to help my students get better results in learning ESP It, therefore, was designed to meet the following objectives:

- to identify factors that demotivate Electronics-major students in ESP classes

Question 1: What are the factors that demotivate Electronics-major students in

ESP classes at Sao Do University?

Question 2: What should be done to minimize these factors and help students

overcome their demotivation?

4 Significance of the study

The study is the first investigation of demotivators in learning English for Electronics at Sao Do University The proposed study provides students, of English for Electronics in particular, at Sao Do University with solutions to overcome their demotivation in ESP classes In addition, the proposed study will help ESP teachers

at Sao Do University to have a deeper understanding of their students in ESP classes Thus, they will be able to make suitable changes and adjustments in their teaching English for Electronics to motivate their students for even better results The proposed study will benefit and help future researchers specializing in ESP and motivation with meaningful insights from the findings

5 Scope of the study

The study is limited in scope of finding out factors that demotivate the Electronics-major students in ESP classes at Sao Do University The subjects chosen for this study were 89 Electronic-major students at Sao Do University who have just finished ESP Thus, it cannot be said that the results of this study are generalized to the demotivation of other non-English-major students in ESP classes

at Sao Do University as well as in other universities in Vietnam

6 Method of the study

The study used mixed methods for data collection and analysis Survey questionnaire for students and semi-structured interviews were used The questionnaire for students and semi- structured interviews were used to get students’ opinions on their demotivation factors in learning ESP Semi-structured interviews for teachers were also used to find out their ideas about factors demotivating their students in ESP classes

7 Organization of the study

The study consists of three parts

Part A, INTRODUCTION, presents the rationale, aim of the study, significance of the study, scoG55

pe of the study, method of the study and organization of the study

Part B, DEVELOPMENT, includes three main chapters:

Chapter 1, LITERATURE REVIEW, presents theoretical background on motivation, and demotivation in language learning The main issues related to ESP are also presented in this chapter

Chapter 2, RESEARCH METHODOLOGY, presents the methodology used in the study

Chapter 3, RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS, gives a detailed presentation of data and detailed description of data analysis The implications of the study are also given in this chapter

Part C, CONCLUSION, is a review of the study Furthermore, this part also points out the limitations of the study and provides some directions for further studies

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Motivation

1.1.1 Conceptions of motivation

It is strongly believed that motivation plays a critical role in academic learning

in general and in specific it is true of the “sustained process of mastering an L2” (Dornyei, 2005, p.616)

Motivation, according to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary is “…the reason why somebody does something or behaves in a particular way” Dornyei (2001:613) defined motivation as “a general ways of referring to the antecedents i.e the causes and the origins” He also stated that “motivation explains why people decide to do something, how hard they are going to pursue it and how long they are willing to sustain the activities” (2001:7)

Motivation related to learning English, could be then defined as the purpose for doing things that will lead to learning a foreign language According to Gardner (1985), to be motivated, the learner needs to have something to look forward to, a purpose related to goal or objective This objective would be learning a foreign language There must be something that the learner wishes to accomplish or gain, being the target language the vehicle to attain it The learner’s reasons for another language could vary from achieving a sense of success, fulfill other’s expectations

or being able to buy a new car through getting a better job due to command of the target language

From the above, it can be deduced that motivation is the way learners set up goals and spend effort to pursue them

1.1.2 Classification of motivation in language teaching – learning

In terms of motivation types, different researchers give out different reasons why people learn a language, therefore, there different kinds of motivation for language learning However, motivation is often classified as intrinsic or extrinsic The first kind is when something external and independent of the activity is what

provides a sense fulfillment; the second one is when the activity per se is what gives

a sense of accomplishment (Pintrich and Schunk, 2002) Deci and Ryan (1985) consider these two types of motivation, although they do not consider them as opposites, but as part of a continuum which goes from motivation to external compliance to Self-commitment They also proposed that intrinsic motivation emerged from three psychological needs: need for competence (being able to do things), need for autonomy (making his/her own choices) and need for relatedness (connecting with others)

There are other ways to classify motivation; Gardner (1985) proposed that it is necessary to understand the learner’s goal for learning a language in order to understand what motivates them He proposes two orientations for learning a language: integrative and instrumental The first one refers to having an interest not only in the language, but also in the community who speaks the language, a desire

to assimilate the culture as well as the language It involves being open and respectful to other groups, lifestyles, ideas, etc., and the possibility of identification with another culture (Dornyei, 2003) Instrumental motivation, on the other hand, refers to the desire of learning the language to use it as a toll to obtain non interpersonal purposes such as passing an exam, obtaining a job, etc

1.2 Demotivation

1.2.1 Conceptions of demotivation

According to Dornyei (2001a), demotivation is defined as “specific external forces that reduce or diminish the motivational basis of a behavioral intention or an ongoing action” (p 143) Thus demotivation could be regarded as the negative counterpart of motivation However, researchers do not all agree that demotivation

is solely external Many researchers included not only external factors but also internal factors such as lack of self-confidence and negative attitude within learners themselves Despite his definition of demotivation, even Dornyei listed reduced self-confidence and negative attitude toward the foreign language as sources of demotivation (Dornyei, 2001a) Therefore, Dornyei’s original definition may need

to be expanded to cover both internal and external factors (i.e., demotivators) which reduce or diminish the demotivation to study English

Dornyei (2001) defines a demotivated learner as “someone who was once motivated but has lost his or her commitment/ interest for some reason” (p.142) Loss of interest can derive from various sources of demotivation For examples, a teacher who cannot control the class or a boring textbook can act as demotivating factor for the learner However, the notion of demotivation cannot be related to every reluctant learner Dornyei (2001) has pointed out at least three negative factors cannot be referred as demotivators The first is an attractive alternative action that serves as a powerful distraction (e.g., playing game instead of doing one’s homework) Instead of reducing motivation, they distract learners by presenting a more attractive alternative Secondly, gradual loss of interest in a long-lasting, on-going activity cannot be seen as a demotivator because demotivator is a specific factor or incident that reduces motivation on a single event Thirdly, the sudden realization that the costs of pursuing a goal are too high is raised (e.g., when someone recognizes that how demanding it is to attend a weekend course while working on weekdays)

Furthermore, Dornyei (2001) makes a distinction between demotivation and

amotivation Amotivation refers to a lack of motivation caused by the realization

that “there is no point…” or “it’s beyond me…(Deci and Ryan, 1985).” In other words, a demotivating factor is some external force that reduces or decreases the motivation that the learner already has; an amotivating factor is not so much an external factor as something that is produced by the learner

1.2.2 Student demotivating factors in foreign language teaching – learning

According to Dornyei (2001), demotivating factors consist of nine categories: 1) the teacher; 2) inadequate school facilities; 3) reduced self-confidence; 4) negative attitude towards the L2; 5) compulsory nature of L2 study; 6) interference

of another foreign language being studied; 7) negative attitude towards L2 community; 8) attitude of group members; 9) course book

Based on Dornyei’s study, factors affecting students’ demotivation can be classified into student-related factors, teacher-related factors, and teaching and

learning conditions and course books used in the class

1.2.2.1 Student-related factors

a Intelligence

The term of intelligence refers to performance on certain kinds of tests

(Lightbrown and Spada, 1999) These tests help teachers classify successful or unsuccessful students in the class performance While some studies have showed that there is a link between intelligence measured by intelligence quotient tests and second language learning, some students, in fact, whose academic performance is weak, are successful in L2 learning

b Personality

Lightbown & Spada (1999) discussed a number of personality characteristics such as extroversion, inhibition, self-esteem, empathy, dominance, talkativeness, responsiveness Although several studies on personality and second language learning have been carried out with different and contradictory results, many researchers believe that personality factors are important predictors of success in second language learning “This relationship is a complex one, however, in that it is probably not personality alone, but the way in which it combines with other factors, that contributes to second language learning” (Lightbown & Spada, 1999:56)

These two authors also suggested that teachers should know the aptitude profile of their students to choose appropriate activities for their particular groups of students in their classes

d Learning strategies

Learning strategies are defined as thoughts or activities that assist in enhancing learning and student performance (Weinstein & Mayer, 1986, as cited in Chamot & O'Malley, 1994) Another definition of learning strategies is: “Learning strategies are the various operations that learners use in order to make sense of their learning” (Wenden, 1987a, p 7-8)

From the definitions coined by researchers in the area of learning strategies,

it would be appropriate to state that learning strategies, in essence, are actions taken

by the learner to assist in learning more effectively Different learning strategies work best for different learners when learning a second/foreign language

e Learner beliefs

Beliefs are defined as “psychologically held understandings, premises, or propositions about the world that are felt to be true” (Richardson, 1996, p 102) In the context of second or foreign language learning, beliefs held by students can relate to the nature of the language under study, its relative difficulty, the usefulness

of various learning strategies, the length of time it takes to acquire a foreign language, the existence of language aptitude, the effects of age and gender on second/foreign language acquisition, among others Students' beliefs about language learning have an impact on their performance in class

f Confidence, anxiety

Learners’ motivation can vary tremendously according to their confidence

and anxiety they have toward the language they are learning and the environment they are in Not only is anxiety related to motivation, but it is also related to proficiency and more so to communication proficiency, as suggested by Clement, Dornyei and Noels (1994)

g Age of acquisition

Age is another characteristic of learners which affect learners’ success in second language learning It is often claimed that there is a critical period for second language acquisition which ends around puberty or even earlier However, the Critical Period Hypothesis for second language acquisition has not been conclusively proven by research, nor has it been completely disproved Most researches indicate that critical period hypothesis does not exist for all aspects of second language acquisition, but there is “powerful evidence of a critical period for accent.” (Brown 59) While there are many advantages to an early age for second language acquisition, there is little evidence to support the idea that adults are unable to successfully learn a second language

1.2.2.2 Teacher-related factors

Based on Dornyei (2001), teachers' factors and appropriate teacher behaviors are mentioned as follows: enthusiasm, commitment to and expectations for the students' academic progress, good relationship with the students, acceptance, and ability to listen and pay attention to students

a Enthusiasm

An American psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1997) conducted a survey into the question "Who have been your most influential teachers?” He found that it is teachers' love, dedication and passion together with commitment toward the subject matter that instills in students a willingness to pursue knowledge Also, teachers should clearly identify their reasons for loving and being interested in the subject matter or L2, and then share these reasons with their students (Good & Brophy, 1994)

b Commitment to the students' progress

Teachers should show commitment towards their students' learning and progress, at the same time they should care for what their students have learnt and succeeded (Dornyei, 2001) Furthermore, if teachers treat their students "as if they

already are eager learners, they are likely to become eager learners" (Brophy, 1998: 170)

c Teachers' expectations

In an experiment in educational psychology, an intelligence test to primary school children, Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) came to a conclusion that if teachers had high expectations about how well students could study, their students would probably be able to reach high level of achievement Particularly, when the teacher sets high expectations, they are likely to perform better at the subject matter and even feel more competent (Good & Brophy, 1987)

d Good relationship with the students

- Acceptance: three linchpins of the humanistic psychology; namely; acceptance, empathy and congruence, are of great influence in the development of student-centered teaching

- Ability to listen and pay attention to students: listening to a person is the single most powerful transaction that occurs between ourselves and another person (Wlodkowski, 1986: 28)

It appears that these two attributes of a teacher, mentioned above, bring about good relationships with his/her students

1.2.2.3 Teaching and learning conditions

a Physical conditions

Physical conditions of a classroom refer to the classroom size, chairs, desks, tables, boards and even bulletin boards Jeremy Harmer (1992) confirmed that such physical conditions had great impact on students' learning as well as their attitude towards the subject matter either positively or negatively

L2 teachers should be reminded that the classroom is not only a psychological but also physical environment The decoration: posters, flowers, funny objects influence strongly the atmosphere More importantly, teachers should create the ownership of the class among students He stated "Personalizing the classroom can

be seen as students exercising increasing control over their environment" (Dornyei, 2001: 42)

b A pleasant and supportive atmosphere in the classroom

Language learning is considered one of the most face-threatening school subjects Language anxiety has been found to be a powerful factor that hinders L2 learning achievement (Maclntyre, Young, 1999) Thus, it is the teacher's task to create a pleasant and supportive classroom atmosphere A number of various components contribute to make up the ideal classroom climate such as the teacher's rapport with the students, the students' relationship with each other and the norm of tolerance It is very important to make students understand that mistakes are a natural part of learning, and to ensure that they will not be criticized if they make mistakes

Moreover, humor is a very potent factor to improve the classroom atmosphere The use of humor helps students feel at ease without tension in the air

1.2.2.4 Course books

A common element in the teaching of English as a second or foreign language

is the course book Indeed, it has been argued that the course book is an almost universal element of ELT teaching (Hutchinson and Torres, 1994) and the course book may contribute greatly to the motivation to teach – learn the language

1.3 Related issues of ESP

1.3.1 Definitions of ESP

Differences exist in how people interpret the meaning of ESP Some described ESP as simply being the teaching of English for any purpose that could be specified Others, however, were more precise describing it as the teaching of English used in academic studies, or the teaching of English for vocational or professional purposes Strevens (1988) described it as English language teaching which is designed to meet specified needs of the learner Tony Dudley-Evans (1997), who is well aware

of the current confusion amongst the ESP community, gave an extended definition

in terms of 'absolute' and 'variable' characteristics:

Absolute Characteristics

1 ESP is defined to meet specific needs of the learners

2 ESP makes use of underlying methodology and activities of the discipline it serves

3 ESP is centered on the language appropriate to these activities in terms of grammar, lexis, register, study skills, discourse and genre

Variable Characteristics

1 ESP may be related to or designed for specific disciplines

2 ESP may use, in specific teaching situations, a different methodology from that

of General English

3 ESP is likely to be designed for adult learners, either at a tertiary level institution

or in a professional work situation It could, however, be for learners at secondary school level

4 ESP is generally designed for intermediate or advanced students

5 Most ESP courses assume some basic knowledge of the language systems

The definition Dudley-Evans offers is clearly influenced by that of Strevens (1988), although he has improved it substantially by removing the absolute characteristic that ESP is "in contrast with General English" (Johns et al., 1991: 298), and has revised and increased the number of variable characteristics The division of ESP into absolute and variable characteristics, in particular, is very helpful in resolving arguments about what is and is not ESP From the definition,

we can see that ESP can but is not necessarily concerned with a specific discipline, nor does it have to be aimed at a certain age group or ability range ESP should be seen simple as an “approach” to teaching, or what Dudley-Evans describes as an

“attitude of mind” Such a view echoes that of Hutchinson et al (1987:19) who state,

“ESP is an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the learner's reason for learning”

1.3.2 Classification of ESP

According to Carter (1983), there are three types of ESP:

1 English as a restricted language: The language used by air traffic controllers

or by waiters are examples of English as a restricted language

2 English for academic and occupational purposes: English for science and technology, English for Business and Economics, English for social studies, English for academic purposes, and English for occupational purposes (EOP)

3 English with specific topics: This type concerned with anticipated future English needs of, for example scientists requiring English for postgraduate reading studies, attending conferences or working in foreign institutions

1.3.3 ESP teachers

An issue frequently raised with regard to ESP teachers is whether they need to

be experts in the subject area in question The general assumption is that they are primarily language teachers engaged in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) and should, above all, be experts in the language and language teaching, and are not required to have specialized subject knowledge Nevertheless, they do need to have some understanding of the subject area, which is ideally accompanied

by a positive attitude towards it ESP teachers should also have the ability to actively integrate student knowledge about the subject matter or, as Ellis and Johnson (1994: 26) put it: “It is the learners who have the specific content knowledge and who are able to bring that knowledge to the classroom” Good ESP teachers will thus above all be “experts in presenting and explaining the language,” who also have the ability “to ask the right questions and make good use of the answers” (Ellis and Johnson, 1994: 26) Other valuable sources of information for ESP teachers are subject teachers and subject-matter textbooks

To sum up, to make best use of the resources mentioned above when designing a syllabus, selecting, and/or writing materials, as well as teaching the course, ESP teachers should have at least some basic knowledge about the subject matter in question, which is ideally supported by a genuine interest in it It is even more important that they act as facilitators and encourage pupils to share their own knowledge about the subject matter with the class and to actively participate in the

learning process This characteristic of effective teachers is beautifully articulated in

Kahlil Gibran's novel The Prophet: “If the teacher is indeed wise, he does not bid

you enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind” (as cited in Harmer, 2007: 107)

1.3.4 ESP learners

Another important aspect in which ESP differs from GE is the target audience and their goals, as well as their motivation to learn the language When teaching ESP at the university or higher education level, ESP teachers will most often teach both pre-experience learners and job-experienced learners Pre-experience learners most often have just finished secondary school and rely mostly on their theoretical knowledge, while job-experienced learners, in addition to having theoretical knowledge, also have some practical experience of using a foreign language in business life Consequently, as Ellis and Johnson (1994: 5) point out, pre-experience learner expectations of language learning are to a great extent based on their former educational experience, while job-experienced learners will above all focus on “their own shortcomings in terms of fluency, getting the message across, and being able to understand the people from other countries that they have to deal with” Regardless of these differences between pre-experience and job-experienced learners, the emphasis of ESP teaching/learning for both categories of learners should be on performance or, as emphasized by Ellis and Johnson (1994: 35), they should become “operationally effective”

Motivation is of key importance for both pre-experience and job-experienced learners In the first situation, considering that most students have no or almost no work experience, ESP teachers have to rely primarily on materials and activities they have prepared for their learners For this reason, materials used in the language course should preferably relate to knowledge gained in other courses and learners' future jobs When teaching job-experienced learners, on the other hand, ESP teachers can also focus on what learners do in their jobs and at least to some extent relate the teaching/learning materials and course activities to that The direct use of

the learner's experience in the ESP teaching/learning process is thus important for the motivation of both pre-experience and job-experienced learners, the most important distinction being whether ESP teachers predominantly refer to knowledge gained in other professional courses or the learner's practical experience gained on-the-job

1.3.5 ESP materials

Materials selection, adaptation, or writing is an important area in ESP teaching, representing a practical result of effective course development and providing students with materials that will equip them with the knowledge they will need in their future business life

One of the most important issues regarding ESP materials selection and/or writing is whether the materials selected should be solely or primarily subject specific and what the most appropriate ratio of general materials to subject-specific materials is General materials focus on one's general ability to communicate more effectively, while subject-specific materials focus on a particular job or industry (Ellis and Johnson, 1994) When carefully selected, both general and subject-specific materials will equip the students with the necessary skills and knowledge, but subject-specific materials nevertheless better cater for ESP learners' specific needs Consequently, ESP learners will very often feel more affinity for materials that they find relevant to their area of specialism The use of subject-specific textbooks is also more in line with the realization that students are individuals with different needs, styles, and interests and with some central traits of cognitive theory There are two kinds of materials, namely: readily available textbooks and tailor-made materials The decision on whether to use readily available textbooks or tailor-made materials is primarily based on the learners' subject area

As Ellis and Johnson (1994: 115) emphasize, the choice of materials has a major impact on what happens in the course This impact is demonstrated on the following three levels:

- It “determines what kind of language the learners will be exposed to and, as a

consequence, the substance of what they will learn in terms of vocabulary, structures, and functions”;

- It “has implications for the methods and techniques by which the learners will learn”;

- Last but not least, “the subject of or content of the materials is an essential component of the package from the point of view of relevance and motivation” The selection of ESP materials should thus above all depend on the needs of the learners in relation to their future or present jobs: that is, materials should focus

on the appropriate topics and include “tasks and activities that practise the target skills areas” (Ellis and Johnson, 1994: 115) Another important criterion that should

be taken into account when selecting materials is the level of language knowledge students have already acquired and the target level they will need to communicate successfully in their jobs

ESP is predominantly student-centered, and consequently students’ considerations should be at the top of the list of selection criteria According to Lewis and Hill, students’ considerations include the following:

- Will the materials be useful to the students?

- Do they stimulate students’ curiosity?

- Are the materials relevant to the students and their needs?

- Are they fun to do?

- Will the students find the tasks and activities worth doing?

(Adapted from Lewis and Hill, 1993: 52-53)

To sum up, after analyzing learner needs and setting objectives for the course, the ESP teacher has to select materials that will help the students achieve the course objectives (Ellis and Johnson, 1994) These materials should also relate closely to the learners’ specific skills and content needs, which is an important precondition for full exploitation of the materials as well as the learners’ motivation

1.3.6 Assessment

Tony Dudley-Evans (1998) stated that the reasons for assessment can be grouped under two main headings: for feedback to aid learning and for a comparable measure of competence Classroom assessment and formal testing are both methods of assessment but the circumstances in which they take place are often very different Classroom assessment may be carried out by the teacher or the learners (self-or peer assessment) and can be great source of feedback to aid

learning

1.4 Overview of study of demotivation

Over the last twenty years, research on motivation for foreign language learning has evolved considerably from focusing on describing what composes student motivation to a detailed and elaborated list of suggestions that help teachers initiate, and further promote student motivation However, because of the novelty of the term demotivation, not much research has been conducted on the subject To put

it another way, despite the probable importance of demotivation in learning in general, and L2 and FL learning in particular, to date few studies have focused on student demotivation This section deals with the previous studies on motivation and demotivation

Falouta, Elwoodband and Hood (2009) conducted a study on 900 university EFL learners to investigate demotivating factors in learning EFL in Japan, and the relationship between past demotivating experiences and present proficiencies In their study, demotivating factors were grouped into three categories: external conditions of the learning environment, internal conditions of the learner, and reactive behaviors to demotivating experiences Internal and reactive factors were shown to correlate with long-term EFL learning outcomes

Trang and Baldauf (2007) did an investigation on demotivation involving Vietnamese students from a university of economics, with three main foci: (i) the reasons (i.e the demotives) underlying demotivation, (ii) the degree of influence of different motives and (iii) student's experiences in overcoming demotivation

Dorniyei (2001) conducted a research on 50 secondary school pupils in Budapest who were studying either English or German as their second language The data were collected through structured interview He identified the teacher, lack

of self-confidence, negative attitudes toward L2, compulsory nature of L2 study, interference of other languages, negative attitudes towards L2 community, attitudes

of group members, course book and inadequate school facilities as nine demotivating factors

Oxford (1998) took into account the time factor She recognized that some of demotivating factors include: the teacher, the textbook, negative classroom activities, defective equipment, and inappropriate tasks

Sun Yun-Fang (2008) in the PhD thesis at Indiana University titled

“Motivation to speak: Perception and attitude of non-English major students in Taiwan” conducted a study on Taiwanese students motivation to speak English at a university in northern Taiwan Questionnaires on motivation and anxiety were used

to ask 115 non-English majors in two English conversation classes to give their perceptions and attitudes toward English conversation class Then follow-up interviews were conducted with six volunteer students for deeper analysis of their willingness to use English to communicate in the class, and what activities they prefer in English conversation class 56% of the surveyed students stated that teachers have strong impact on their willingness to use English to participate in class activities They most preferred a class size of between 15-20 students 81% of the surveyed students preferred more interactive activities such as group discussion

on practical and interesting topics and a more relaxing learning environment The results implied that teachers need to be more flexible to meet students' needs such as daily conversation skills, pragmatics, business communication skills and public speaking skills

Zhao Lei (2012), using questionnaires, studied learning motivation types and the factors that influence sustaining motivation in learning English in the Chinese context The study investigated Chinese non-English majors' motivation in English

learning to facilitate teachers' understanding of ways to increase it 124 students from year 1 and 2 were randomly selected and participated in the study together with 10 teachers Both students' and teachers' questionnaires show that intrinsic-extrinsic motivation co-exist with integrative-instrumental motivation to make college non-English majors learn English The results emphasize that teachers are often unaware of their students' specific motivations for L2 language learning, and their lack of knowledge about students' real reasons for learning a language would impede their full understanding of students' motivation Students are driven to learn English by different reasons but tend to be more extrinsic and instrumental

Lakawa (2007) carried out an action research on “Revisiting motivation in ESP mass education” at Trisakti University in Jakarta, Indonesia The author recognized that the content of the new materials proved to be a motivating factor What’s more, while students were found to be instrumentally motivated, validating the intended purpose of ESP courses, their increased effort in the classroom also coincided with increased effort in their self-initiated informal learning activities outside the classroom, behavior associated with integrative motivation

To the best knowledge of the author, no study regarding demotivation in learning and teaching ESP has been done Therefore, the writer decided to study on Electronics-major students’ demotivation in learning ESP at Sao Do University

Summary

In summary, the chapter has reviewed different viewpoints on motivation in general and particularly focused on foreign language learning motivation The chapter has also reviewed the main de-motivating factors affecting students’ motivation in learning English Besides, the conceptions of ESP, classifications of ESP and main issues in learning and teaching ESP are also presented

The following chapter presents the methodology of the study on major students’ demotivation in learning ESP at Sao Do University

Electronics-CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 2.0 Research questions and design

The study seeks answers to the two following questions:

Question 1: What are the factors that demotivate Electronics-major students in

ESP classes at Sao Do University?

Question 2: What should be done to minimize these factors and help students

overcome their demotivation?

The research design is survey with mixed methods for data collection

Two teachers are working toward an M.A degree and the rest hold a bachelor degree in English language teaching The number of teachers is limited and there are no teachers who are in charge of ESP teaching separately Among them, 4 are engaged in teaching English for Electronics in which one teacher has seven-year experience and two teachers have four-year experience and the other have three-year experience All of them are female They are energetic and willing to devote their time and energy to teaching However, they find it difficult to deal with unfamiliar and unaccustomed subject matter They, therefore, have to face with many difficulties and they themselves have found that their ESP classes are not really interesting

English for Electronics

English for Electronics is in the undergraduate training program of electronic engineers It is a compulsory subject and occupies 3 credits Students study English

for Electronics in 3rd semester after finishing Basic English 1, 2 in the two first semesters

Objectives of English for Electronics: After studying ESP, students will be able to:

+ Pronounce and use correctly vocabulary related to some electronic topics such

as electronic devices in the home, computers, fax machines, telephone systems and

Students and their background

Normally, each course is divided into two classes of electronics, which are made up about 100 students The age of the students varies from 18 to 25 They come from different provinces in the country Some of them are from the rural or remote areas, where there are no good opportunities for studying English, these students commonly did not spend much time learning English at high school before The others come from cities Theoretically, they have all finished three years or seven years of learning English at secondary schools before entering Sao Do University Most of them are male students (about 70%) To some extent, there are some students whose English is very good, but generally the target students' English proficiency is still low level Most of them learn English to read specialized documents rather than speak English to foreigners Some have strong pressure to pass exams with high marks; the others would prefer ESP enhance their specialized

knowledge, which is required in their future jobs The others are afraid of studying general English as well as English for Electronics

The course book

The books "Knowhow 1, 2” (A1, A2 Level – Common European Framework

of Reference for Languages) has been used recently for General English (GE) In addition, the book "English for Electronics" are subjectively selected by the

teachers are held to evaluate students' language knowledge

The course book "English for Electronics" are subjectively selected by the teachers and then compiled into the material to teach students of Electronics at SDU

in 45 periods (three credits), and with the following features:

- "English for Electronics" consists of fifteen units designed in combination with electronic topics to enable students to develop both their language skills (reading and writing) and vocabulary relating to electronics

- Each unit is often divided into three parts, namely: Reading, Language study and Technical reading or Writing In the reading parts includes reading texts related

to electronics and tasks designed to help students deeply understand the texts In the second part, language study, the main grammar phenomenon which appeared in the texts is introduced such as reduced-time clause, if-sentences, passive voice, linking words etc The last part is writing or technical reading In the part of writing, students are taught how to link facts and ideas, describe transmission processes, describe diagrams and request information in a formal letter In some units, writing

is replaced by technical reading, in which students are instructed to read technical information on electronic devices such as: remote control system, alarm systems and transmission lines

Teaching facilities

Teaching facilities also play an important part in teaching English and may affect the teaching process positively or negatively All teachers are supplied with speakers and laptops to use for their class contact when necessary In all classes of SDU are equipped with projectors It is very convenient for teachers in teaching

Moreover, there is one library with some sorts of materials for reference like English books, magazines, newspapers but it mainly provides book of electronics in Vietnamese, not English books, especially ESP books

Testing and evaluation

Testing and evaluation is very important in teaching and learning At SDU, ESP students will be evaluated with teachers’ assessment, 3 regular classroom tests and a final examination However, in fact, because of the test-oriented symptom, almost teachers have been forced to enhance the students’ scores To some extent, thus, test scores have not reflected quality of teaching and learning English for Electronics as well as other subjects at my school That’s the reason why I will not mention students’ final scores in my study

2.1.2 Subjects

In order to achieve the aims of the thesis and answer the above research questions, the main subjects of the study include a group of 3 female teachers of English for Electronics currently teaching at SDU and 89 second-year students of electronics At the time the study was being carried out, there were two classes with

89 students of electronics at SDU who had recently finished their ESP course These two classes comprised thirteen females and seventy-six males

2.2 Data collection

There are a number ways in which information about the needs can be gathered such as questionnaires, interviews, observation, etc The researcher of this study decided to choose questionnaires and semi-structured interviews as main tools for collecting information

2.2.1 Questionnaire for students

The demotivation questionnaire (Appendices 1 and 2) for students consisted

of 28 questions, including 27 five-point Likert type questions and one open question These 28 questions designed to measure four factors derived from previous studies: student-related factors (statements 1, 2, 3, 4, 7,8 ,9 ,10, 27 ), teacher-related factors (statements 5, 6, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26), and teaching

and learning conditions (statements 11, 12, 13) and the course book used in ESP classes (statements 15,16, 22, 23, 24) For questions 1-27, participants were

required to tick the column that represented their best answer: Strongly Disagree/

Disagree/ Undecided/ Agree/ Strongly Agree What’s more, for the question 27 had

space for students to write their expectations in the ESP course

The questionnaire also included one open-ended question for students to write their solutions that help students overcome their demotivation

2.2.2 Interview for students

The interviews were carried out in Vietnamese in the form of informal conversations between the researcher and 10 students randomly chosen from the 2 classes after they had done the survey questionnaire The 20-minute interview was semi-structured with 3 main questions (Appendix 3) The questions were based on those questions in the questionnaire, but were extended to get more thorough understanding of the matter The data were recorded, transcribed for the analysis purpose, and then translated into English for writing up by the researcher then checked for correctness by an experienced translator

2.2.3 Interview for teachers

The interview was carried out in English in the form of an informal conversation between the researcher and 3 teachers of English for Electronics (there were only three teachers because at the time the study was carried out there were 4 teachers at SDU taking part in teaching English for Electronics, including the researcher) The semi-structured interviews were organized with 5 main questions (Appendix 4) and lasted 30 minutes The questions were used to identify:

Electronics