A STUDY ON DEMOTIVATING FACTORS OF 10A1 STUDENT’S ENGLISH LEARNING AT HUONG CAN HIGH SCHOOL AND GIVE SOME SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS= Nghiên cứu những yếu tố giảm hứng thú học Tiếng Anh của học sinh lớp 10A1 Trường THPT Hương Cần và gợi ý một vài giải pháp

Motivation plays a very important role in enhancing the students’ English learning performance. Dornyei (1998) put stress on the influence of motivation, which is considered as a key to learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and one of the biggest factors affecting language learners’ success. It is widely accepted that the more motivated learners are, the more successful they would be at learning a foreign language. The learners who choose English language as their major and study it as a foreign language are concerned the motivational factors that play a major role, development of skills and practicing English language in daytoday use. According to teachers and researchers, motivation affects the rate and success of L2 learning. Moreover, motivation provides the primary impetus to start learning L2 and later the driving force to maintain the long and repeatedly annoying learning process. Motivation leads to increased effort and energy. Motivation increases the amount of effort and energy that learners spend in activities directly related to their needs and goals. It determines whether they pursue a task enthusiastically and wholeheartedly or apathetically and lackadaisically. Motivation increases initiation of and persistence in activities. Learners are more likely to begin a task they actually want to do. They are also more likely to continue working at it until they’ve completed it, even if they are occasionally interrupted or frustrated in the process (Wigfield, 1994). In general, then, motivation increases students’ time on task, an important factor affecting their learning and achievement. Motivation is a major factor in the successful study of language acquisition. Apart from the role that intellectual capacity and language aptitude play in a second or foreign language learning (Gardner Lambert, 1972). Most teachers dream of motivated students who strive hard to achieve success. It is considered goal directed and defined as “the combination of effort plus desire to achieve the goal of learning the language plus favorable attitudes toward learning the language”. Motivation is also an important contributor to language achievement in terms of linguistic outcomes, which traditionally embrace the knowledge structure of the language, i.e. vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation and the four basic skills of the language, including listening, understanding, reading and writing. However, the real situation is always different from theory. According to my observation, teacher talks and student sharing. Many students at Huong Can High School find English a difficult subject, they find English hard to learn, they only to deal with tasks in class and they don’t often learn at home. English language requires them to work hard, to invest a lot of time, to possess appropriate methods, but most students are found bored to learn English language. They encounter lots of challenges in finding appropriate methods to learn this language. A number of English teachers at this school said that most students are not interested in English. Besides, although teachers have made great efforts in applying teaching methods in instructing activities, these techniques could work for only some lessons and some students. It is clearly that demotivation causes plentiful negative effects. In a general sense, it can be stated that demotivation constitutes a barrier for a continuing, improving and enjoying language teaching and learning. A high rate of students are reported to get low marks when doing the English tests. In order to get a deeper understanding towards demotivating factors in learning English of 10a1 students to help them and their teachers know their problems better and improve their English competence, I decided to conduct the study named: “A study on demotivating factors of 10A1 student’s English learning at Huong Can High school and give some suggested solutions” as my graduation paper. It is also hoped that this paper will be a good reference for those who are interested in demotivating factors of English learners.

This graduation paper is my final important task on the way of obtaining

my bachelor degree It would not have been completed without the guidance andthe support of many people At this moment of accomplishment, it is my pleasanttask to express my sincere thanks to all of them

First and foremost, I would like to express my endless thanks andgratefulness to my supervisor Ngo Thi Thanh Huyen M.A for her preciousadvice, detailed comments, valuable suggestions and enthusiastic guidancecorrections from the planning stage to the completion of my thesis Without hercontinual encouragement and useful documents, her careful reading and criticalcomments, my paper would be far from finished

Secondly, I am obliging to all my teachers in the Faculty of ForeignLanguages, Hung Vuong University, who inspired me and gave me goodknowledge of English for writing this graduation paper

Thirdly, I really wish to thank all of my colleagues and my students atHuong Can high school for their enthusiasm participating in the observation and

do questionnaires

Last but not least, I would like to dedicate my concluding words to my dearfamily for supporting me devotedly both material and spiritual throughout mythesis-writing period

This study aims at investigating the demotivating factors that reducesinterests in English lessons of 10A1 students at Huong Can High School andpossible solutions that help learners to recover their interests in English lesson Forthis study, a 18-item questionnaire was constructed based on six demotivatingfactors: learners’ factors, teacher’s factors, environmental factors, reduced self-confidence factors and learning content and materials

The questionnaire was completed by 42 students Researcher observed sixEnglish periods in different skills: reading, speaking, listening and writing skill toinvestigate demotivating factors of students The data were analyzed bothqualitatively and quantitatively The results show that factors such as learners’factors, teacher’s factors, environmental factors, reduced self-confidence factorsare the main demotivating factors that prevent students at Huong Can High Schoolfrom concentrating and motivating in their English lessons

Based on the results, researcher suggested some solutions for teachers and10A1 students at Huong Can High School to overcome demotivation such as:having awareness of students’ need and attitude, renovating writing teachingmethods to motivate students, enhancing students’ background knowledge andlanguage knowledge Based on the solutions, teachers can reduce the causes ofdemotivation using various methods applicable for the respective demotivatingfactors

LISTS OF TABLES AND FIGURES

2 Table 1.2 Types of motivation (in terms of communicative

needs)

24

3 Table 1.3 Dornyei’s (1994) framework of L2 motivation 24

4 Table 1.4 William and Burden’s (1997) framework of L2

motivation

25

6 Table 3.1: Student’s attitudes and purposes to learn English 42

7 Table 3.2: Teacher’s enthusiasm and activities in English lessons 44

1 Figure 3.1: Student’s attitudes and purposes to learn English (%) 44

2 Figure 3.2: Student’s attitude toward teacher’s talk (%) 46

3 Figure 3.3: Teaching and learning environment (%) 48

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale 1

2 Previous studies 3

2.1 In the world 3

2.2 In Vietnam 6

2.3 Study gap 9

3 AIMS OF THE STUDY 9

4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 10

5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 10

6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY 10

7 DESIGN OF THE RESEARCH 11

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 12

1.1 Language learning 12

1.1.1 Definition of language learning 12

1.1.2 Language learning theories 13

1.1.2.1 Pavlov’s classical behaviorism 14

1.1.2.2 Skinner’s operant conditioning 14

1.1.2.3 Ausubel’s meaningful learning theory 15

1.1.2.4 Rogers’s humanistic psychology 16

1.1.3 Types of learning 17

1.1.4 Factors affecting language learning 19

1.2 Motivation 20

1.2.1 Definition of motivation 20

1.2.2 Motivation in foreign language learning 22

1.2.3 Classification of motivation 23

1.2.4 Factors affecting motivation in learning foreign language 27

1.3 Demotivation 28

1.3.1 Definition of demotivation 28

1.3.2 Demotivators in learning foreign language 29

1.3.2.1 Learners’ factors 30

1.3.2.2 Teacher’s factor 31

1.3.2.3 Factors related to learning environment 32

1.3.2.4 Reduced self-confidence 32

1.3.2.5 Learning content and materials 33

1.3.3 The expressions of demotivated learners 34

1.4 Summary 36

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 37

2.1 Participants 37

2.2 Methodology 38

2.3 Data collection instruments 38

2.3.1 Questionnaires 38

2.3.2 Observation 39

2.4 Procedures 40

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 42

3.1 The result from questionnaires 42

3.1.1 Student’s attitudes and purposes to learn English 42

3.1.2 Teacher’s enthusiasm and activities 44

3.1.3 Teaching and learning environment 46

3.1.4 Reduced self-confidence factors 48

3.1.5 Learning content and materials 50

3.2 Result from class observation 50

3.3 Major findings from questionnaire and observation 53

3.3.1 Learners’ factors 54

3.3.2 Teacher’s factors 54

3.3.3 Environmental factors 55

3.3.4 Reduced self-confidence 56

3.4.Suggested solutions to deal with students’ demotivation in English learning56 3.4.1 Having awareness of students’ need and attitude 56

3.4.2 Renovating teaching methods to motivate students 58

3.4.3 Enhancing students’ background knowledge and language knowledge 59

3.5 Summary……….60

PART 3: CONCLUSION 61

1 Summary of study 61

2 Implications 62

3 Limitations 63

4 Suggestions for further study 64

REFERENCES 65

PART 1: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale

Motivation plays a very important role in enhancing the students’ Englishlearning performance Dornyei (1998) put stress on the influence of motivation,which is considered as a key to learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL)and one of the biggest factors affecting language learners’ success It is widelyaccepted that the more motivated learners are, the more successful they would be

at learning a foreign language The learners who choose English language as theirmajor and study it as a foreign language are concerned the motivational factorsthat play a major role, development of skills and practicing English language inday-to-day use According to teachers and researchers, motivation affects the rateand success of L2 learning Moreover, motivation provides the primary impetus

to start learning L2 and later the driving force to maintain the long and repeatedlyannoying learning process

Motivation leads to increased effort and energy Motivation increases the

amount of effort and energy that learners spend in activities directly related totheir needs and goals It determines whether they pursue a task enthusiasticallyand wholeheartedly or apathetically and lackadaisically

Motivation increases initiation of and persistence in activities Learners are

more likely to begin a task they actually want to do They are also more likely tocontinue working at it until they’ve completed it, even if they are occasionallyinterrupted or frustrated in the process (Wigfield, 1994) In general, then,motivation increases students’ time on task, an important factor affecting theirlearning and achievement

Motivation is a major factor in the successful study of language acquisition.Apart from the role that intellectual capacity and language aptitude play in asecond or foreign language learning (Gardner & Lambert, 1972) Most teachersdream of motivated students who strive hard to achieve success It is considered

goal directed and defined as “the combination of effort plus desire to achieve thegoal of learning the language plus favorable attitudes toward learning thelanguage” Motivation is also an important contributor to language achievement

in terms of linguistic outcomes, which traditionally embrace the knowledgestructure of the language, i.e vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation and thefour basic skills of the language, including listening, understanding, reading andwriting

However, the real situation is always different from theory According to

my observation, teacher talks and student sharing Many students at Huong CanHigh School find English a difficult subject, they find English hard to learn, theyonly to deal with tasks in class and they don’t often learn at home Englishlanguage requires them to work hard, to invest a lot of time, to possessappropriate methods, but most students are found bored to learn Englishlanguage They encounter lots of challenges in finding appropriate methods tolearn this language

A number of English teachers at this school said that most students are notinterested in English Besides, although teachers have made great efforts inapplying teaching methods in instructing activities, these techniques could workfor only some lessons and some students

It is clearly that demotivation causes plentiful negative effects In a generalsense, it can be stated that demotivation constitutes a barrier for a continuing,improving and enjoying language teaching and learning A high rate of studentsare reported to get low marks when doing the English tests

In order to get a deeper understanding towards demotivating factors inlearning English of 10a1 students to help them and their teachers know theirproblems better and improve their English competence, I decided to conduct the

study named: “A study on demotivating factors of 10A1 student’s English

learning at Huong Can High school and give some suggested solutions” as my

graduation paper It is also hoped that this paper will be a good reference forthose who are interested in demotivating factors of English learners

to the open-ended question: “What things decrease your motivation to try hard to

do your best in that class?”, demotivating factors were finally figured out

Their research findings pointed out three major categories of demotivatingfactors, i.e., context demotivating factors (factors likely to be regarded asantecedent to the teacher’s influence), structure/format demotivating factors(factors over which the teacher is likely to have some degree of influence, if notcomplete control), the teacher behaviors (factors likely to be perceived as underthe teacher’s direct control) 79% of all responses is about teacher-related factorsconsisting of class structure, or format-related demotivating factors and thedemotivating factors resulted from teacher behavior

In a follow-up study to find out whether the perceived demotivationsources could be the same, Christophel and Gorham (1995) used the samequestion to spot demotivating factors with another group of college studentsstudying communicative English The findings of the research were consistentwith those from the first study Nonetheless, no attempt was made in both studies

to examine the cases of the students having already been demotivated before theyenter the class

Chambers (1993) studied “Demotivation and language demotivating factors in the EFL environment” In his research, he also examined

learning-the matter by using questionnaires to galearning-ther perspectives of both students andteachers

The underlying causes of student’s demotivation perceived were quitedifferent by the teachers and their students Teachers perceived them to be related

to psychological, attitudinal, social, historical and geographical reasons Thestudents perceived cause of demotivation were various, i.e., teacher’s behaviors,class size, etc Nevertheless, Chambers could not try to determine whatdemotivating factors were or to look at them Critically, he just listed thestudent’s points of view Therefore, just a few conclusions about the impact ofdemotivating factors were drawn on the language learning experience Thus,while there have been studies addressing the issues related to demotivatingfactors, no attempt has been made either to set a framework to help to enhanceunderstanding about the phenomenon, or to consider it in the relation withthe issues of curriculum and teaching

Besides, Oxford (1998) analyzed the content of essays written byapproximately 250 American students (in high schools and universities) abouttheir experiences in their learning over a period of five years During this time, avariety of prompts were used, such as “describe a situation in which youexperienced conflict with a teacher’s and talk about a classroom in which you feltuncomfortable” In the content analysis of the data, four broad themes emerged:

- The personal relationship between the teacher and the students, including alack of care, general belligerence, hypercriticism, and patronage/favoritism

- The attitude of the teacher towards the course or the materials, including lack

of enthusiasm, sloppy management and close-mindedness

- Teachers’ style conflicts with the students, including multiple style conflicts, conflicts about the amount of structure or detail and conflicts about thedegree of closure or “seriousness” of the class

- The nature of classroom activities, including irrelevance, overloadand repetitiveness

Tunaz M & Erdoğan, E (2012) in “Determining External and Internal Demotivating Factors among Young Learners at Pozantı Regional Primary

Boarding School Frontiers of Language and Teaching” This paper took a brief

look at external and internal demotivating factors among EFL young learners atPozanti Regional Primary Boarding School (YIBO)

In the search of the reasons of demotivation, a questionnaire consisting of5-point Likert scale, open-ended questions, observations and interviews wereadministered Following the evaluation of data tools, interviews were conductedwith randomly chosen students, and a new lesson plan was designed and appliedfor 8 hours of English lesson independent from the state English book.Regretfully, this study was not exhaustive to provide solutions for demotivationdue its limited application period However, it might show that teachers couldchange the negative attitudes into positive ones even with little effort, though itdid not occur miraculously

Lehikoinen and Leinonen (2010) conducted “A study on motives and demotives in L2” The aim of this research is to investigate the factors of

demotivation in L2 learning of Pakistani undergraduates at the University ofBalochistan, Quetta A mixed-methods research design was employed in thisstudy to explore the factors of demotivation

In this study, the researcher used quantitative data to obtain from theresponses of a population of 116 first semester undergraduates in a questionnaireadopted from Sakai and Kikuchi (2009) The questionnaire comprised 35 close-ended items on a 5-point Likert scale on six factors of demotivation: grammar-based teaching, teacher’s behavior, course contents and teaching materials,classroom environment, and lack of self-confidence and interest Qualitative datawas obtained from an open-ended question on students’ demotivating experiences

in learning English in the same questionnaire Descriptive statistics was used toanalyze the quantitative data while the qualitative data was analyzed by usingcontent analysis to extract the themes or factors of demotivation and theircategories based on Sakai and Kikuchi’s framework

The findings revealed that all six factors were cited by students asdemotivating factors with teaching method, lack of facilities and course contentbeing the most cited factors, hence supporting Sakai and Kikuchi’s (2009)framework In addition, the qualitative data suggests that a new factor emerged –negative attitude of society towards English language - hence a contribution to thebody of literature The findings of the study have implications on the teaching andlearning of English in Pakistan.

Heidari (2012) worked on “Demotivating factors on English Speaking skill: A study on of EFT Language learners and teachers’ attitude” The study

was an attempt first to get the perspectives of two groups who are basicallyinvolved in the teaching and learning processes namely, language teachers andlearners, regarding their views about the factors which may negatively affect thespeaking performance of language learners; and second, to see what thesimilarities and differences are between the students and teachers’ attitudes on thesame issue To achieve such a purpose, 215 Iranian male and female EFL learnersand teachers were selected in the pre- and post- stages of the study

The researcher used data collection and data analysis methods in this study.The collected data underwent quantitative and qualitative analyses In order toanalyze the data, as it was already noted, first response of language teacherstaking part in the interview were codified Heidari found some factors that causestudents’ demotivation in speaking lessons and suggest some approaches tostimulate students to speak and give recommendation for improving the speakingskill

therefore reports on demotivating factors perceived by English major students intheir reading classes By using a descriptive design, a 38-item questionnaire wasundertaken with 115 students who were major in applied English studies Theitems were classified into four clusters of demotivating factors such as teachers,learners, reading materials, and instruction The findings indicated that twoclusters related to teachers and learners were found to be the most influential.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen (2007) studied “Demotivating factors for the first-year Non-English-Major Students in learning to speak English at Hai Duong College” The research was carried out with 300 students enrolled in their first- year at Hai Duong College It explored students’ attitudes towards motivations in

learning English and speaking skill as a Foreign-Language (EFL) from theperspectives of the learners

The research used data collection and data analysis methods throughquestionnaire and interview and observation to figure out five demotivatingfactors They were: (1) lack of intrinsic motivation; (2) lack of self-confidence, (3) learning environment (73,3 percent of students said that therewere no extra-curricular speaking activities); (4) teachers’ competence, behaviorsand teaching methods (75,1 percent of students said that the teachers spoke toofast that they could not cover) and (5) textbook and time for speaking skills (78students thought that there were many new words and structures they areconfused and the time for speaking seemed to be quite limited, which accountedfor 62.5% of the total) The questionnaire also asked students to reflect on howcultural factors speaking classroom might affect their speaking and what sort ofspeaking they were interested in and thought they might need in the future

The research also suggested that appropriate methods and materials forteaching speaking in the study context which need to be based on acomprehensive interpretation not only of visible signs or visible needs (mainlyshaped by institutional requirements and social expectations) but also of what was

deep inside students’ act of speaking in a foreign language, involving their owncognitive and affective process embedded in their unrecognized needs

Hoang Thi Hong Nhung (2012) researched “Demotivating factors in listening lessons of Vietnamese students in high school” The study investigated demotivating

factors in listening lessons of 10th grade students at No.1 Lao Cai High School,techniques used by teachers to motivate their students during listening process andpossible factors that help learners recover their interests in listening

This study used both quantitative and qualitative methods For quantitativemethod, two questionnaires were delivered to four teachers and 110 students A semistructure interview for teacher was also conducted to collect data qualitatively

The results show that factors such as listening difficulties, teachers’ styleand competence, inadequate school facilities, lack of target languageenvironment, and exam- orientation are the main demotivating factors thatprevent students at Lao Cai High School from concentrating and motivating intheir listening lessons In addition, factors such as interest purchasing, self-improvement, awareness of the importance of listening and desire to pass certainexams in the future are possible factors that assist students overcome theirdemotivation in listening lessons

Hoang Ngoc Linh (2011) made “An Investigation of Demotivating Factors in English Listening Lessons of the 10th Form Non-English Majors

at Cao Bang Upper Secondary School for the Gifted” It explored the

demotivating factors in English lessons of the 10th form non-English majors atCao Bang Upper Secondary School for the Gifted In order to achieve the aims,the researcher used two survey questionnaires, one for teachers and one forstudents The interviewed questions structured with a list of 7 open-endedquestions were based on the survey questionnaires to get a morecomprehensive view of the matter From the data analysis, it is concluded thatthe demotivating factors in listening lessons of the students are: (1) the teachers(teaching method, personality); (2) inadequate background knowledge of

English (insufficient pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar); (3) learningenvironment (lack of modern facilities, lack of encouragement from friends,parents); and (4) little intrinsic motivation The findings indicated that twoclusters related to teachers and learners were found to be the most influential.

2.3 Study gap

According to many studies conducted by various researchers, demotivatingfactors are one of the most significant problems that affect not only nativeEnglish speakers, but also millions of students that are learning English as asecond or foreign language around the world The vast majority of researchershave made great efforts in finding English diminishing factors, such as grammar-based teaching, teacher behavior, classroom content and teaching materials,classroom environment, and lack of self-confidence and interest

However, there has been no research to be done at Huong Can high school

in this field, and my study aimed to investigate challenges encountered bystudents at Huong Can high school and to know whether they are affected bythose same demotivating factors or not Apart from the factors, my study helped

to improve the student’s competence about their learning, which could also beregarded as a development step in carrying the better teaching and learningprocess in the future and this is also the first time I have studied in the 10A1students at Huong Can High School at Huong Can - Thanh Son - Phu ThoProvince with the hope that they will be more motivated to learn English

3 AIMS OF THE STUDY

The aims of the study are to investigate possible demotivating factors inlearning English of 10A1 students at Huong Can High school This study isintended to:

– Investigate the demotivating factors affecting 10A1 student’s Englishlearning at Huong Can High School.

– Give some solutions to improve 10A1 students’ English learning at HuongCan High School, based on the findings

5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study is carried out with hope that it can be useful for teacher andstudents of 10A1 student at Huong Can high school to realize the essentialrole of English learning to the student To teachers, I hope that when mystudy finishes, they will find the demotivating factors that affect not onlystudent’s abilities in learning EFL but also the EFL’s quality and point outappropriate teaching methods And to students, they can see those factors andavoid them, they will find themselves many interesting approaches tolearning EFL effectively In addition, my study will bring not only teacher’steaching but also student’s learning activities and methods, students will beinterested in learning English in each lesson, which may stimulate them toimprove English learning and get better result

6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

Because of lacking time, my study focused only on demotivating factors inlearning English listening and speaking skills of 10A1 students at Huong CanHigh school

7 DESIGN OF THE RESEARCH

The thesis consists of 3 parts:

PART I: INTRODUCTION

Presents the background of the study, the purpose and aims of the study.This part also states the scope, the significance and the proposed thesis structure

of the study

PART II: DEVELOPMENT

This part consists of 3 chapters:

Chapter 1: Literature review: This chapter focuses on previous research,

theoretical background, de-motivation factors affecting student’s Englishlearning

Chapter 2: Methodology: This chapter presents about participants, setting,

research methods, three tools of data collection and the accuracy of the study

Chapter 3: Major findings and discussions: The discussion of the results is made

to answer the research questions According to the result of the research foundfrom questionnaires, classroom observation and interview shows the findings ofthe research from questionnaires, classroom observation as well as interview andgive some solutions to increase English learning for students

PART III: CONCLUSION

This part summarizes the finding of the study, problems and difficultiesencountered, limitation of the study and suggestion for further studies

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

1.1 Language learning

1.1.1 Definition of language learning

In terms of language definition, different researchers proposed variousconcepts

Concise Columbia Encyclopedia (1994) stated that “systematiccommunication by vocal symbols”

Pinker’s The language Instinct (1994) believed that language is a complex,specialized skill, which develops in the child spontaneously without consciouseffort or formal instruction, is deployed without awareness of its underlying logic,

is qualitatively the same in every individual, and is distinct from more generalabilities to process information or behave intelligently

In addition, Brown (2002) defined Language is a system of arbitraryconventionalized vocal, written, or gestural symbols that enable members of agiven community to communicate intelligibly with one another

Other researchers (as cited in Lightbown & Spada, 1993) defined thatlanguage is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols, which permit all people in agiven culture, or other people who have learned the system of that culture tocommunicate or to interact (Finocchiaro, 1964)

Language is a system of communication by sound, operating through organs ofspeech and hearing, among members of a given community, and using vocalsymbols possessing arbitrary conventional meanings (Pei, 1966)

Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication(Wardhaugh, 1972)

Language is any means, vocal or other, of expressing or communicating feelings

or thoughts… a system of conventionalized signs, especially words, or gestureshaving fixed meanings (Neilson, 1934)

Language is a systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use ofconventionalized signs, sounds, gestures, or marks having understood meanings(Gove, 1961)

- A consolidation of a number of possible definitions yields:

+ Language is systematic – possibly a generative system

+ Language is a set of arbitrary symbols

+ Those symbols are primarily vocal, but may be visual

+ The symbols have conventionalized meanings to which they refer

+ Language is used for communication

+ Language operates in a speech community or culture

+ Language is essentially human, although possibly not limited to humans + Language is acquired by all people in much the same way – language andlanguage learning both have universal characteristics

A search in contemporary dictionaries reveals that learning is “acquiring orgetting of knowledge of a subject or a skill by study, experience, or instruction”

A more specialized definition might read as follows: “Learning is a relativelypermanent change in a behavioral tendency and is the result of reinforced prac-tice” (Kimble & Garmczy 1963)

1.1.2 Language learning theories

The research has discovered that the cognitive domain of human behavior

is a key importance in the acquisition of both a first and a second language Theprocess of perceiving, attending, storing, and recalling are central to the task ofinternalizing a language

The research now focus on how psychologists have defined learning, and

will look at these theories through the eyes of four psychologist, two representing

a behavioristic viewpoint (Pavlov and Skinner, 1943), one representing a rational/cognitive stance (Ausubel, 1956) and one that stretches into what could beloosely defined as a constructivist school of thought (Rogers, 1951) the fourpositions should illustrate not only some of the history of learning theory, but alsothe diverse perspectives that form the foundations of varying language teachingapproach and methods.

Certainty the best-known classical behaviorist is the Russian psychologistIvan Pavlov, who at the turn of the century conducted a series of experiments inwhich he trained a dog to salivate to the tone of a tuning fork through a procedurethat has come to be labeled classical conditioning For Pavlov the learningprocess consisted of the formation of associations between stimuli and reflexiveresponses

John B Watson (1913) coined the term behaviorism In the empiricaltradition of John Locke Watson contended that human behavior should bestudied objectively, rejecting mentalistic notions of innateness and instinct Headopted classical conditioning theory as the explanation for all learning: by theprocess of conditioning, he built an array of stimulus-response connections, andmore complex behaviors arc learned by building up series or chains of responses.Pavlov’s and Watson's emphasis on the study of overt behavior and rigorousadherence to the scientific method had a tremendous influence on learning the-ories for decades Language teaching practices likewise for many years wertinfluenced by a behavioristic tradition

1.1.2.2 Skinner’s operant conditioning

Skinner has called a neobahaviorist because he added a unique dimension tobehavioristic psychology The classical conditioning of Pavlov was, according toSkinner, a highly specialized form of learning utilized mainly by animals andplaying little part in human conditioning Skinner called Pavlovian conditioning

respondent conditioning since it was concerned with respondent behavior—that

is, behavior that is elicited by a preceding stimulus Skinner's operant conditioning

attempted to account for most of human learning and behavior Operant behavior

is behavior in which one “operates” on the environment; within this model theimportance of stimuli is dc-emphasized

Operants are classes of -responses Crying, sitting down, walking, andbatting a baseball arc operants They arc sets of responses that arc emitted andgoverned by the consequences they produce In contrast, respondents are sets ofresponses that are elicited by identifiable stimuli Certain physical reflex actionsare respondents Crying can be respondent or operant behavior Sometimes crying

is elicited in direct reaction to a hurt Often, however, it is an emitted response

that produces the consequences of getting fed, cuddled, played with, comforted,and so forth Such operant crying can be controlled It parents wait until a child'scrying readies a certain intensity before responding, loud crying is more likely toappear in the future

There is no doubt that behavioristic learning theories have had a lastingimpact on our understanding of the process of human learning There is much inthe theory that is true and valuable

1.1.2.3 Ausubel’s meaningful learning theory

The cognitive theory of learning as put forth by Ausubel is perhaps bestunderstood by contrasting rote learning and meaningful learning In theperspective of rote learning, the concept of meaningful learning takes on newsignificance Ausubel described rote learning as the process of acquiring material

as “discrete and relatively isolated entities that arc rentable to cognitive structureonly in an arbitrary and verbatim fashion, not permitting the establishment of

“meaningful relationships" (1968) That is, rote learning involves the mentalstorage of items having little or no association with existing cognitive structure ofus

Meaningful learning, on the other hand, may be described as a process ofrelating and anchoring new

material to relevant established

entities in cognitive structure

As new material enters the

cognitive field, it interacts

with, and is appropriately

subsumed under, a more

inclusive conceptual system

The very fact that material is

subsumable, that is, relatable to

stable elements in cognitive

structure, accounts for its

meaningfulness

- Systematic forgetting

Ausubel provided a

plausible explanation for the

universal nature of forgetting

Since rotely learned materials

do not interact with cognitive

structure in a substantive

fashion, they are learned in

conformity with the laws of

association, and their retention

is influenced primarily by the

interfering effects of similar

rote materials learned

immediately before or after the

learning task (commonly

referred to as proactive and retroactive inhibition) In the case of meaningfully

learned material, retention is influenced primarily by the properties of “relevant

and cumulatively established ideational systems in cognitive structure with whichthe learning task interacts" (Ausubel 1968)

1.1.2.4 Rogers’s humanistic psychology

Carl Rogers is not traditionally thought of as a “learning” psychologist, yet hiscolleagues and followers have had a significant impact on present understanding

of learning, particularly learning in an educational or pedagogical context Rogersdevoted most of his professional life to clinical work in an attempt to be oftherapeutic help to individuals

Rogers’s theory is no without its flaws The educator may be tempted totake the nondirective approach too far, to the point that valuable time is lost in theprocess of allowing students to “discover” facts and principles for themselves.One much talked about educational theorist in the Rogersian tradition is the well-known Brazilian educators Paolo Freire, whose seminal work, Pedagogy of theOppressed (1970)

The various perspectives on learning that have been outline in this sectionare schematically represented below:

Table 1.1 Theories of learning

•emittedresponse

[Ausubel]

 meaningful =powerful

 learn how tolearn

Note: S stimulus,

R

= reward

response-1.1.3 Types of learning

Theories of learning of course do not capture all of the possible elements ofgeneral principles of human learning In addition to the four learning theories justconsidered are various taxonomies of types of human learning and other mentalprocess universal to all The educational psychologist Robert Gagne (1965), forexample, ably demonstrated the importance of identifying a number of types oflearning that human being use Types of learning vary according to the contextand subject matter to be learner, but a complex task such as language learninginvolves every one of Gagne’s types of learning - from simple signal learning toproblem solving Gagne (1965) identified eight types of learning:

- Signal learning The individual learns to make a general diffuse response to

a signal, this is the classical conditioned response of Pavlov

- Stimulus-response learning The learner acquires a precise response to adiscriminated stimulus What is learned is a connection or in Skinnerian terms, adiscriminated operant, sometimes called an instrumental response

- Chaining What acquired is a chain of two or more stimulus-responseconnections The conditions for such learning have also been described bySkinner

- Verbal association Verbal association is the learning of chains chat areverbal Basically, the conditions resemble those for other (motor) chains.However, the presence of language in the human being makes this a special type

of chaining because internal links may be selected from the individual'spreviously learned repertoire of language

- Multiple discrimination The individual learns to make a number ofdifferent identifying responses to many different stimuli, which may resembleeach other in physical appearance to a greater or lesser degree Although the

learning of each stimulus-response connection is a simple occurrence, theconnections tend to interfere with one another.

- Concept learning The learner acquires the ability to make commonresponse to a class of stimuli even though the individual members of that classmay differ widely from each other The learner is able to make a response thatidentifies an entire class of objects or events

- Principle learning In simplest terms, a principle is a chain of two or moreconcepts It functions to organize behavior and experience In Ausubel’sterminology, a principle is a “subsume”—a cluster of related concepts

- Problem solving Problem solving is a kind of learning that requires theinternal events usually referred to as "thinking” Previously acquired concepts andprinciples are combined in a conscious focus on an unresolved or ambiguous set

of events

It is apparent from just a cursor definition of these eight types of learningthat some types are belief explained by certain theories than others For examplethe first five types seem to fit easily into a behavioristic framework, while the lastthree are better explained by Ausubel’s or Rogers's theories of learning Since alleight types "of learning are relevant to second language learning, the implication

is that certain "lower”-level aspects of second language learning may be moreadequately treated by behavioristic approaches and methods, while certain

"higher”-order types of learning are more effectively taught by methods derivedfrom a cognitive approach to learning

1.1.4 Factors affecting language learning

“Success depends less on materials, techniques, and linguistic analyses, andmore on what goes on inside and between the people in the classroom” (Stevick,1980,)

According to Stevick, what goes on inside learners, i.e cognitive, affective factors, seems to have a strong impact on learners’ learning process.

Skehan (1989), factors affecting language learning are:

- Language aptitude

- Motivation

- Language learning strategies

- Cognitive and affective factors:

- Learning and cognitive styles

- Language learning strategies

- Other learner characteristics:

- Anxiety

- Creativity

- Willingness to communicate

- Self esteem

Lightbown and Spada (1999) noted that motivation in second languagelearning is quite complicate to study which can be explained in terms of twofactors: learner’s communicative needs and their attitudes towards the secondlanguage community

In addition, Parsons, Hinson and Brown (2001) defined motivation as animportant component or factor in the learning process Learning and motivationhave the same importance in order to achieve something Learning makes us gainnew knowledge and skills and motivation pushes us or encourage us to gothrough the learning process

Gardner (1982), in his socio-educational model, noted that motivation wasperceived to be composed of three elements These were effort, desire and affect.Effort refers to the time spent studying the language and the drive of the learner.Desire indicated how much the learner wanted to become proficient in thelanguage, and affect means the learner’s emotional reactions related to languagestudy

Aree Punmanee (1991) viewed motivation as the process aroused bystimulus to achieve desired purposes, behaviors or conditions Motivation is thecontinuous process based on a person’s desire

Many researches have been undertaken and there was much in the researchliterature regarding the definition of motivation All the motivation theories in

general want to explain the fundamental question of why humans behave as they

do, and therefore we cannot assume any simple and straightforward answer

Motivation was described as the impetus to create and sustain intentionsand goal seeking acts (Ames & Ames, 1989)

Burden (1997) assumed that “from a cognitive perspective, motivation isconcerned with such issues as why people decide to act in certain ways and whatfactors influence the choice they make It also involves decisions as to the amount

of effect people are prepared to expand in attempting to achieve their goals Therole of the teacher thus becomes one of helping and enabling learners to makesuitable decisions”

Dornei (2001) defined motivation as “a general ways of referring to theantecedents (i.e the causes and the origins” He also stated that “motivationexplains why people decide to do something, how hard they are going to pursue itand how long they are willing to sustain the activities” The author mentioned two

dimensions of human behavior: direction and magnitude (intensity) which

1.2.2 Motivation in foreign language learning

In recent years, motivation has become a familiar term in second languagelearning Motivation in foreign language learning has been defined in differentways

According to Dornyei (1988), motivation refers to the efforts learners make

to learn a foreign language Motivation is one of the keys that influence the rateand success of language learning

Park (2002) believed that motivation is shaped as “sets of belief aboutlanguage learning, the target culture, their culture, the teacher, the learning task, etc.”

Holt (2001:1), referring to Cookes and Schmidt (1991), defined motivation

as “ the learner’s orientation with regard to the goal of learning a secondlanguage”

Motivation in this context can be understood as one relating to attitude and

vice versa with both having an influence on learning and acquisition Gardner

(1985) as as cited in Dornyei, (2001), assumed that motivation involved desire tolearn a language, intensity of effort to achieve this, and attitudes toward learningthe language

According to the framework by Dornyei (1994), motivation consists of 3main levels which are language level, learner level and learning situation level

Language level refers to integrative motivational subsystem andinstrumental motivational subsystem

Learner level depends on need for achievement, self-confidence which islanguage use anxiety, perceived L2 competence, casual attributions and self-efficacy

Learning situation level refers to course specific motivational components,teacher specific motivational components and group specific motivationalcomponents

1.2.3 Classification of motivation

According to Gardner (1985), second language learning motivation isidentified into two distinct orientations, namely integrative orientation andinstrumental orientation, both of which affect foreign language learners in oneway or another

In integrative orientation, learners acquire a foreign or second language tobecome familiar with members of the language community or learn about theirculture or values Motivation to learn a second language stems from positivefeelings toward the community that speaks that language (Gardner, 1985: 82-3)

This type of motivation is defined by Deci and Ryan (1985) as intrinsicmotivation in which learners find enjoyment and interest in learning a languagewith a positive attitude The integrative oriented learners have positive attitudestowards the community or people and their culture who speak that foreignlanguage Integrative oriented learners show more persistent and intensemotivation than other learners (Gardner, 1985).

An instrumental orientation or extrinsic motivation refers to the learning of

a foreign/second language for pragmatic gains such as passing examinations oruniversity requirements, obtaining a prospective career with lucrative income, orfor further education overseas Gardner, et al (1983) defined instrumentalmotivation as “learning a language because of some more or less clearlyperceived utility it might have for the learner.”

Table 1.2 Types of motivation (in terms of communicative needs):

Source

Purpose

Intrinsic (Internal) Extrinsic (External)

Integrative The learner wishes to

learn L2 for personalgrowth and culturalenrichment

Someone else (e.g., thelearner’s parents) wishesthe learner to know L2 for

an integrative reasonInstrumental The learner wishes to

achieve more immediate

or practical goals usingL2 (e.g., for a career)

External power wants thelearner to learn L2 for apractical purpose (e.g., acorporation asks its staff toget language training).Below is Dornyei’s (1994) framework of L2 motivation

Table 1.3: Dornyei’s (1994) framework of L2 motivation (Adapted from Dornyei, 2001)

Language level Integrative motivational subsystem

Instrumental motivational subsystem

Self-confidence + Language use anxiety + Perceived L2 competence + Casual attributions

+ Self-efficacyLearning situation level

Course specific motivational

components Interest (in the course)

Relevant (of the course to one’s needs)Expectancy (of success)

Satisfaction (one has in the outcome)

Teacher specific motivational

Authority typeDirect socialization of student motivation

- Modeling

- Task presentation

- Feedback

Group specific motivational

components

Goal-orientednessNorm and reward systemGroup cohesion

Another comprehensive attempt to summarize the motivationalcomponents that are relevant to L2 instruction has been made by Marion and BobBurden (1997) as a part of a larger overview of psychology for language teachers.The motivational components summarized consist of internal factors and externalfactors The components of these factors are displayed in the framework below

Table 1.4: William and Burden’s (1997) framework of L2 motivation

(Adapted from Dornyei, 2001)

Intrinsic interest of activity

- Personal relevance

- anticipated value of outcome

- intrinsic value attributed to the activity

The nature of interaction withsignificant others

- mediated learningexperiences

- the nature and amount offeedback

- locus of control RE process and outcomes

- ability to set appropriate goals

The learning environment

- comfort

- resources

- time of the day, week, year

- size of class, school

- class and school ethos

The broader context

- wider family networks

- the local education system

- realistic awareness of personal strengths and

weaknesses in skills required

- personal definitions and judgments of success

and failure

- self-worth concern

-learned helplessness

Attitudes

- to language learning in general

- to the target language

- to the target community and culture

Other affective states

- confidence

- anxiety, fear

In conclusion, motivation is one variable, which, combined with otherfactors, influences a learner’s success

1.2.4 Factors affecting motivation in learning foreign language

Four factors that affect motivation in second language learning can bedangerous to the learners, according to Harmer (2001) are the following:

student have to study in the bad lighting classroom , overcrowded with toomany students , have to look at the small board, or in the unpleasant smellclassroom, they can lose their motivation or their motivation in learning will

be lowered

 Method of teaching which refers to the way that students are taught must

affect their motivation Whenever the learners feel bored at the teacher’smethod, their motivation would likely be lost or gradually decreased As hesaid, “If the students loses confidence in the method, they will becomedemotivated” (Harmer, 2001)

can become a major part in demotivating the learners

If the difficulty of work and activity is too high or too low, it can lead students

to a demotivated situation in learning

As Harmer pointed out, to give high challenge activities may have anegative effect on motivation Students can also equally be demotivated by toolow level of challenge From Krashen’s affective filter hypothesis (as cited inLight bown and Spada, 1999, p 39), emotional stated such as tiredness,depression, boredom, etc obstruct the learning process of the students Anxietybecomes a factor that influences the affective filter Low anxiety is more helpfulfor second language acquisition (Krashen, cited in J.Oller and J Richards, 2003).This means that learners’ anxiety can affect their motivation According toKrashen, there are three affective variables that interact with the affective filter

- Motivation which is beneficial for language acquisition

- Self-confidence which is also useful for acquisition

- Anxiety which is good in the case where it is in a low level

1.3 Demotivation

1.3.1 Definition of demotivation

It is strongly believed that motivation plays a significant role inacademic learning in general and the second language learning in particular.Motivational factors or motives have been considered as kinds or inducementswith the effect of energizing on going action (Dörnyei 2001) For a long time,

many studies have been conducted to explore the motivational factorsaffecting second language learning However important motivation is, it isobviously not the only factor relevant to second and foreign languagelearning

There is “another side of motivation” Sakai and Kikuchi (2009) stated thatlearners lost their interest in learning a second language called demotivation.Since it is a relatively new issue in the field of second language motivation,many researchers in the second language learning field have only started towork on this topic fairly recently

Dornyei (2005) defined de-motivation as “specific external forces thatreduce or diminish the motivational basis of a behavioral intention or an ongoingaction”

Deci and Ryan (1985) used a similar term “a-motivation”, which meant

“the relative absence of motivation that is not caused by a lack of initial interestbut rather by the individual’s experiencing feelings of incompetence andhelplessness when faced with the activity.”

Dornyei pointed out that de-motivation did not mean that all the positiveinfluences that originally made up the motivational basis of a behavior have beengot rid of It only meant that a strong negative factor restrains the presentmotivation with some other positive motives still remain ready to be activated

Dörnyei also pointed out that demotivation did not mean that a learner hadlost his or her motivation completely On the contrary, the positive influences thatoriginally made up the motivational basis of behavior can still be there Forinstance, a learner may still be highly motivated to learn English, it being animportant world language, even if his or her teacher were, say, incompetent ormalevolent When a learner has lost his or her motivation completely that refers

to demotivation (discussed above) The difference between these two relatedconcepts is that when an demotivated learner is someone who has found thegeneral outcome expectations to be unrealistic for some reason, a demotivated

learner is someone whose motivation has decreased due to some external factor.However, in the course of time, demotivation can develop into demotivation, that

is, a series of demotivating experiences can lead to a total loss of motivation Forexample, a learner whose English teacher continually humiliates him or her onpurpose It is possible that due to these continuous demotivating experiences, thislearner gradually loses interest in the language However, if the demotives cease

to exist for reason, the level of motivation can return to normal For instance, thelearner described above could regain his or her interest in English if the bullyingteacher were replaced with someone else

1.3.2 Demotivators in learning foreign language.

According to Dornyei (1998), factors de-motivating students’ learning are

as follows

1 The teacher (personality, commitment, competence, teaching method);

2 Inadequate school facilities (group is too big or not the right level, frequentchange of teachers);

3 Reduced self-confidence (experience of failure or lack of success);

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 Attitudes of group members;

9 Course-book

Basing on Dornyei’s study, factors affecting students’ motivation can beclassified into learner’s factors, teacher’s factors, environment factors, andteaching and learning conditions

1.3.2.1 Learners’ factors

Willa (1981) stated that students might become to be lack of motivation inlearning foreign language themselves due to many factors, he found that learning

strategies, leaners’ belief, age of acquisition, confidence, anxiety.

a Learning strategies

One definition of learning strategies is: “Steps or actions taken by learners

to improve the development of their language skills” (Gass et al 1993: 265).Learners who have false learning strategies will be unsuccessful in learning asecond language For example, the first student may learn vocabulary throughwriting and practicing the vocabulary using cue cards, whereas the second studentmay only read the vocabulary and learn that way, the first student try to learn inthe same way as the second student, which may lead to be failed

b Leaners’ belief

Most learners have strong belief about how languages are learnt, how theirinstruction should be divided “These beliefs are usually based on previouslearning experiences and the assumption (right or wrong) that a particular type ofinstruction is the best way for them to learn (Light Brown, 1999:59)

c Age of acquisition

Age is another characteristic of learners which affects learners’ success insecond language learning It is believed that children are better than adults atacquiring a second language It is also often claimed that there is a critical periodfor second language acquisition ends around puberty or even earlier

d Confidence, Anxiety

Learner's demotivation can vary tremendously according to theirconfidence and anxiety they have toward the language they are learning and theenvironment they are in

Not only is anxiety related to demotivation, but it is also related toproficiency and more so to communication proficiency, as suggested by Clement,Dornyei and Noels (1994).

1.3.2.2 Teacher’s factor

Basing on Dornyei’s study, factors affecting students’ demotivation canalso be teacher’s factors

The teacher was the most frequent demotivating factor with the frequency

of 40% of all the factors The teacher could be considered even more predominantwhen the other teacher-related category, reduced self-confidence, was taken intoaccount Together these two categories made up more than half of alldemotivating factors Two other factors with significant proportions (more than10%) were inadequate school facilities and negative attitude towards the L2

Christophel and Gorham (1995) first regarded demotivation as what theycall “teacher-owned.” Many other studies considered teachers as potentialdemotivators themselves Specifically, a teacher’s personality, commitment,competence, and teaching method may elicit demotivation (Dörnyei, 1998).Researchers in Japan typically hear responses such as these from interviewees:

“teachers’ explanations are not easy to understand,” “teachers have poorpronunciation,” “teachers have a one-way teaching style,” and “teachers havearrogant attitudes” (Kikuchi & Sakai, 2009)