A study on students’ motivation in learning english at a primary school in hanoi

Additionally, the researcher found out that both teachers and students agreed factors connecting with the teachers, the learners and the parents were the three most critical elements whi

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES

*********************

NGUYỄN THỊ THU HƯƠNG

A STUDY ON STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN LEARNING

ENGLISH AT A PRIMARY SCHOOL IN HANOI

(Nghiên cứu về động lực học tiếng Anh của học sinh ở

một trường tiểu học tại Hà Nội)

M.A MINOR THESIS (Type I)

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01

Hanoi - 2020

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES

*********************

NGUYỄN THỊ THU HƯƠNG

A STUDY ON STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT A PRIMARY SCHOOL IN HANOI

(Nghiên cứu về động lực học tiếng Anh của học sinh ở

một trường tiểu học tại Hà Nội)

M.A MINOR THESIS (Type I)

Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 8140231.01

Supervisor : Dr Mai Thị Loan

Hanoi – 2020

DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this thesis is my own work and effort and that it has not

been submitted to any other university or institution wholly or partially

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my deep gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Mai Thi Loan for her support, encouragement and valuable guidance throughout the process of conducting this study

My special thank is for Assoc Prof Le Van Canh and all my other lecturers for their useful and valuable lectures that I got from the MA course at the University

of Languages and International Studies, VNU I am indebted to them for basic knowledge on teaching methodology and research methodology

graders and English teachers at Thang Long Kidsmart Primary School I am grateful for their sharing time on the study with me

Finally, I would like to thank all authors and linguists who have provided me with a treasure of knowledge about motivation, so that I can have basic theoretical background for the study

Without all these of help, this thesis could not be completed as expected

Hanoi, 2020

Nguyen Thi Thu Huong

ABSTRACT

This research aims at finding the typically motivational pattern as well as

Thang Long Kidsmart Primary School from both students and teachers‟ perspectives In this study, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used

graders and two Vietnamese teachers The findings from questionnaires and

shown their tendency towards intrinsic motivation in learning English Additionally, the researcher found out that both teachers and students agreed factors connecting with the teachers, the learners and the parents were the three most critical elements which influence students‟ motivation in English learning However, the important degree of these factors was perceived differently by students and teachers Other factors like the course, the group and the environment also affect the participants‟ impetus for English studying to some extent Moreover, some implications of teaching English to young learners are also recommended At last, the result of the study is hoped to benefit teachers, students as well as parents in learning and teaching English To motivate children to learn English, all the related parties should take active roles rather than the teachers or the learners themselves

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Table 1: Cases and responses summary of types of motivation 38

Table 2: Intrinsic motivation frequencies 39

Table 3: Extrinsic motivation frequencies 40

Table 4: Integrative motivation frequencies 40

Table 5: Instrumental motivation frequencies 41

Table 6: Cases and responses summary of elements that have impacts on students‟ impetus for English learning 42

Table 7: Learners-related factors frequencies 43

Table 8: Course-related factors frequencies 45

Table 9: Teacher-related factors frequencies 46

Table 11: Environment-related factors 48

Table 12: Parents-related factors 49

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iv

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES v

TABLE OF CONTENTS vi

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale of the study 1

2 Aims of the study 2

3 Scope of the study 3

4 Significance of the study 3

5 Research questions 3

6 Methods of the study 3

7 Structure of the thesis 4

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW 5

2.1 Review of previous studies related to the research area of the thesis 5

2.2 Theoretical background of motivation in second language learning 8

2.2.1 Definitions of motivation 8

2.2.2 Types of motivation 10

2.2.3 Factors affecting students‟ motivation in learning English 15

2.3 Theoretical background of children as young learners 21

2.4 Summary 25

CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 26

3.1 Restatement of the research questions 26

3.2 The context of the study 26

3.3 Participants 28

3.4 Survey research 29

3.4.1 Survey research definitions 29

3.4.2 Survey research characteristics 30

3.4.3 Steps for conducting a survey 30

3.5 The data collection instruments 31

3.5.1 Questionnaire 31

3.5.2 Interview 33

3.6 Data collection procedures 34

3.7 Data analysis methods 35

3.8 Summary 36

CHAPTER IV: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS 37

4.1 Analysis of questionnaire 37

4.1.1 Type of the 4th graders‟ motivation in learning English in the context of Thang Long Kidsmart Primary School 37

4.1.2 Factors affecting the 4th graders‟ motivation in learning English 41

4.2 Analysis of interview 50

4.2.1 Students‟ type of motivation in learning English 50

4.2.2 Factors affecting students‟ motivation in learning English 51

4.3 Pedagogical implications 59

4.3.1 Extra-curricular activities 59

4.3.2 The Internet and experience sharing to come up with new teaching ideas 59

4.3.3 Parents‟ involvement in children‟s English learning 60

4.3.4 Appropriate compliments and recognition from teachers and parents 60

4.4 Summary: 60

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION 62

REFERENCES 65 APPENDICES I APPENDIX 1: I APPENDIX 2: IV

APPENDIX 3: VII APPENDIX 4A: IX APPENDIX 4B: XVII APPENDIX 5: XXV APPENDIX 6: XXXVI APPENDIX 7A XLI APPENDIX 7B XLII

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale of the study

Motivation, a complex and multifaceted construct, has been considered one of the most critical factors that have an influential impact on the success of second language learning by teachers and researchers Therefore, motivation has become an untiring topic of research and theoretical work in language learning In the last 50 years, the study of motivation has tried to find out the determining factors that motivate students to learn English as a second language and how teachers can strengthen their students‟ motivation in studying English Motivation starts with Gardner and Lambert‟s (1972) research which highlighted the idea of integrativeness, then on 1990s, it moved to the cognitive view, self-determination and attribution theories The last motivational theory, the L2 Motivational Self System proposed by Dörnyei (2009) is made up by three components: the Ideal L2 Self, the Ought-to L2 self and L2 Learning Experience In the world, motivation in second language acquisition has also been investigated in different contexts from tertiary to elementary schools (Feng & Chen, 2009; Wu & Wu, 2008; Melendy, 2008; Wang, 2007; Lamb, 2007) However, these studies just mainly focus on motivation in English as a second language acquisition rather than a foreign language

In Vietnam, there are numerous studies on motivation in learning English as

a foreign language These investigations mainly focuses on finding out the type of motivation students possess as well as factors that affect them in learning different English skills like Speaking, Reading, Writing and Listening However, research on young learners‟ motivation in learning English at primary schools seems to be scarce Based on the literature review and the reality of teaching and learning English at my school, this current investigation was carried out to fill this gap

In fact, no one used to conduct an investigation into children‟s motivation

in studying English in my school As a result, this study will be useful for the

researcher because it will give me the opportunity to have a better understanding of children‟s motivation in learning English Moreover, I can have an insight into the factors that affect students‟ motivation in English studying Once understanding the type of motivation and the factors, I can apply more appropriate techniques to motivate students to study English

Besides, my school is a private one in which English is not only a compulsory but also a crucial subject More specifically, English is taught from grade 1 onwards, while in other public schools, students only start studying English from grade 3 Additionally, students learn English with both Vietnamese and foreign teachers in classes equipped with modern technology such as computer, projector, louder speakers, etc They also have more English lessons than those studying in state schools The class size is another ideal factor for a language learning class There are only twenty to twenty five students in each class compared

to fifty or even sixty students per class in many state schools In other words, students in my school have much more convenient conditions to study English than those in public schools Nevertheless, a certain number of students seem to be passive and quiet in English lessons and the students‟ English level is not really relevant to the learning conditions This reality drives me to conduct the minor research with the hope to take an insight into primary students‟ motivation in learning English and the factors affecting their motivation from both students‟ and teachers‟ perspectives I hope that the result of the study will help me and other teachers in my school have more appropriate teaching methods to encourage students‟ English learning

2 Aims of the study

graders‟ motivation in learning English in the context of Thang Long Kidsmart Primary School This overall aim was specified into the following objectives:

(1) To find out the students‟ types of motivation in learning English

(2) To discover the factors which affect students‟ motivation in learning English

3 Scope of the study

The study focuses on identifying the type of motivation and factors that

Kidsmart Primary School, a private primary school in Hanoi Therefore, the motivational pattern and components that have an influence on impetus for English learning of other graders in the same school or students at other schools would be beyond the scope

4 Significance of the study

In terms of theory, in this study, both the quantitative and qualitative studies are expected to contribute to the theoretical background of learners‟ motivation in general and young learners‟ impetus for studying English in particular

in context of a private primary school in Hanoi In terms of practice, the findings of the study can be used as a reference for primary English teachers and English teachers at my school to understand students more and improve their teaching situations

5 Research questions

The study addresses two research questions below:

School have in learning English?

6 Methods of the study

Based on the purposes of the study, a survey method using questionnaires

to collect data from students was used The questionnaires were delivered to 65 students in grade 4 to identify their motivational patterns and the factors that can affect their motivation in learning English For multidimensional understanding of students‟ motivational types and factors affecting their motivation in English studying, two Vietnamese teachers who were directly teaching these students were invited to semi-structured interviews Their responses from the interviews help the researcher understand more about the students‟ types of motivation and the

components that can have an influence on students‟ motivation in learning English from teachers‟ observation and teaching experience Data got from students‟ questionnaires and teachers‟ interviews were expected to help the researcher draw reliable conclusions on students‟ motivation in learning English

7 Structure of the thesis

The thesis consists of five chapters:

Chapter I - Introduction: provides the general introduction of the study with the

rationale, the aims and objectives, the scope, the significance, the research questions, the methods and the organization of the study

Chapter II - Literature review: discusses the theoretical background that is

relevant to the study such as definitions of motivation, types of motivation, factors affecting students‟ motivation in learning English, definitions of young learners,

characteristics of young learners and useful techniques to teach English to children

Chapter III - Methodology: presents the methodology of the study, including the

background information of the context where the study was carried out, the subjects, the instruments used to collect the data, and the procedures of data collection and data analysis

Chapter IV - Data analysis: describes the detailed analysis of the collected data

from which some findings, explanation and interpretation of the findings are presented

Chapter V - Conclusion: summarizes the summary of the main issues and

concluding remarks of the study The limitations as well as some recommendations for further studies are also discussed in this part

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW

In this chapter, the researcher will review results of the previous studies related to

the research area, which plays an essential role in directing the investigator to find out the appropriate methods to conduct the research At the same time, theories about motivation including motivation definitions, motivational types and factors that influence students‟ motivation in learning English are also mentioned

learning English, so the theories about young learners such as definitions, characteristics and techniques to teach English to young learners will help the researcher have a better understanding of the participants Therefore, theories related to young English learners will also be presented in this chapter

2.1 Review of previous studies related to the research area of the thesis

Motivation has been found to play a determinant role in L2 learning In the world as well as in Vietnam, there are countless number of studies on motivation in second or foreign language learning, but most research was carried out in secondary

or tertiary education settings; while comprehensive enquiries into the foundation stages for younger learners seem to be lacking

In Singapore, Yeung and his colleagues conducted a survey in 2011 among

4214 primary and secondary students from 78 schools to examine the developmental pattern of L2 motivation The result from questionnaires showed that primary students were more motivated to learn English than those in secondary schools, and both boys and girls experienced a downward trend in L2 motivation This deterioration in L2 motivation is in line with a variety of studies in other parts

of the world (e.g Dörnyei et al., 2006; Fraine et al., 2007; Henry and Apelgren, 2008; Enever, 2011)

In China, Wu (2003) adopted a quasi-experimental design (using class observation and interviews as the data collection instruments) to exam the influence

of classroom learning environment on L2 intrinsic motivation of young foreign

language learners (from 4 to 6 years old) He concluded that Self-Determination Theory and the „immediate class environment‟ are useful to understand the young learners‟ L2 motivation Besides, he stated that the learning environment, the difficulty of tasks, instructional support, and the pattern of evaluation and attribution had correlation with intrinsic L2 motivation

Yan (2006) used a five-point Likert scale questionnaire to study the beliefs

of 118 primary school students (aged 10 - 12) from one selected school The researcher found out that in comparison with English proficiency of their parents, the participants seemed to be more confident in their English language skills More than half of the participants believed that learning English should be related to knowing about the target cultures He also reported that the L2 motivation of these learners is complicated and multifaceted (e.g a combination of integrative and instrumental orientations) This study also revealed the important role played by English teachers However, this research did not indicate whether the impact of teachers came from teachers‟ professional practices, their personality or putting pressure on learners, or something else

Gao (2003) conducted a questionnaire-based survey among 182 students from a selected urban school (age unspecified) to investigate the English learning motivation of primary students The findings showed participants‟ complex motivational patterns of five different categories: undefined motivation; learning English as a responsibility; learning English for interest; learning English for self-actualization; and learning English for one‟s country This finding constitutes evidence against the overly simplified understanding of L2 motivation - such as the increasingly critiqued binary distinctions of instrumental-integrative or intrinsic-extrinsic motivation (Dörnyei, 1998; Dörnyei and Ushioda, 2009, 2011; Ushioda,

2011, 2013) It may also indicate a need to approach the L2 motivation of young learners from multiple angles and research methods

In Japan, Carreira (2006) undertook a study on motivation in learning English in Japanese Elementary Schools which mainly focuses on intrinsic and

extrinsic motivation Questionnaires were delivered to 174 third grade and 171 sixth grade students The research found out five underlying factors behind students‟ motivation which were „interest in foreign countries, intrinsic motivation, caregiver‟s encouragement, instrumental motivation and anxiety‟ The result also showed a considerable gap between the third and sixth graders in terms of intrinsic motivation, interest in foreign countries and instrumental motivation Besides, the research pointed out a steady developmental decline in intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for learning English

In Vietnam, there are numerous studies focusing on investigating students‟ motivation in learning English in general and in studying specific skills like speaking, reading, listening and writing in particular Nevertheless, these studies were mostly conducted at secondary, high school or tertiary settings

Pham Thi Hong Van (2014) carried out a study on factors affecting learners‟ motivation to speak English among students of business accounting at Hung Vuong Vocational College using questionnaires and interviews as the main data collection instruments The result revealed that the participants showed their tendency towards instrumental motivation in English learning Factors related to the teachers like pleasant personality, good pronunciation and efficient use of Vietnamese and English in class as well as elements connecting with the learners like their lack of self-confidence, trouble in pronunciation and vocabulary strongly affect their motivation in English speaking class

Le Minh Huong (2014) undertook an investigation into the factors affecting non-English major students‟ motivation in learning English listening skills at College of Industrial Technique Results from survey questionnaires and semi-structured interviews demonstrated that factors affecting non-English major students‟ motivation in learning English listening skills derived from three sources such as students, teachers and learning conditions

learning English writing skills at a high school in Hanoi Results obtained from

questionnaires and class observation showed that the participants possessed extrinsic motivation and instrumental motivation in writing class Besides, five main factors influencing students in English writing class are teachers‟ teaching methods, teachers‟ enthusiasm, students‟ lack of confidence and low level of English proficiency and the classroom atmosphere

Tran Hoa Linh (2014) did a research on motivation in learning English of

158 English-gifted students from grade 10 to 12 at a gifted high school in Hanoi Data analysis from questionnaires revealed that intrinsic motivation and integrative motivation were the types that prevailed among the participants

Interested in young learners, Hoa (2013) carried out a study on students‟ motivation in learning English at Nhan Phuc Primary School She delivered

motivation, factors affecting their motivation and appropriate teaching techniques to motivate them to study English She then chose fifteen students for further interviews The results illustrated that students have a tendency towards intrinsic motivation in learning English and three prevailed factors influencing their motivation are students‟ self-interest, caregiver‟s encouragement and anxiety

Given the teaching and learning situations, the researcher is fully aware of the importance of motivation in foreign language learning In fact, in the context of Vietnam, there has been little research on young learners‟ motivation in English learning Consequently, the researcher decided to conduct a study to investigate the

well as the factors that have an impact on their impetus for studying the language

2.2 Theoretical background of motivation in second language learning

2.2.1 Definitions of motivation

Motivation has been defined differently by linguistics, psychologists, educators and second language researchers, but there is little agreement on the definition of L2 motivation Different authors defined the term in different ways

Gardner (1985) defined motivation as “combination of effort plus desire to

achieve the goal of learning the language plus favorable attitudes towards learning the language” In the line with Gardner‟s opinion, Dörnyei (1994) referred motivation to the attempt and desire to learn a language and positive attitudes towards learning it In these definitions, the authors all mentioned three main components of motivation which were the attempt, the desire and favorable attitude towards language learning

Richards, Platt & Platt (2000) all agreed that motivation was the factor that determined a person‟s desire to do something In other words, motivation is the underlying reason why a person has the determination to carry out a task Adding to this explanation, Williams and Burden (1997) emphasized that motivation was made up of four parts: the desire and determination for an action; the interest for an object or an activity; the energy one holds; and the maintenance of the interest and participation Accordingly, motivation not only provides learners desire and determination, but also creates the interest which drives one person to carry out the actions then helps to maintain this passion and attendance However, these researchers did not mention the processed nature of the term “motivation”

Dörnyei and Ottó (1998: 65) used a process-oriented theory to explain the construct L2 motivation defined L2 motivation as followed: „The dynamically changing cumulative arousal in a person that initiates, directs, co-ordinates, amplifies, terminates and evaluates the cognitive and motor processes whereby initial wishes and desires are selected, prioritized, operationalized and (successfully

or unsuccessfully) acted out.‟ In other words, motivation is the origin of the actions, but it keeps changing rather than being fixed and static over time This definition offered a renewed understanding of the nature of second language motivation In fact, L2 motivation is now often taken to be a dynamic, fluid and contextualized theoretical concept (Kim, 2005; Norton, 2000; Ushioda, 2009, 2013) The researcher agreed with Dörnyei and Ottó‟s explanation In fact, many studies were conducted to prove that there was a shift in motivational pattern among students in

different stages of learning like at primary school or at secondary level Findings from Enever‟ research in 2011 showed that older learners tend to lose their earlier English learning motivation, due to the change of learning environment with more challenging tasks, peer pressure and other factors

All in all, from the abovementioned definitions, the researcher perceived that motivation is the learners‟ underlying effort and desire for successful language learning as well as their positive attitude towards studying the language However, motivation does not remain the same all the time In other words, one can be interested and motivated at a certain period of the learning process, but easily lose their impetus later

2.2.2 Types of motivation

Motivation in foreign or second language learning is classified in different ways by different theorists Based on socioeducational theory proposed by Gardner (1985), motivation was divided into integrative motivation and instrumental motivation In contrast, those who followed self-determination theory categorized motivation as intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation Some scholars have identified other motivational patterns based on the contextual features or other aspects related to specific participants or groups of participants Required motivation is a term that was first coined by Warden and Lin (2000) because the participants in their research were motivated by certain requirements Julkunen (2001) mentioned other forms of motivation, such as situation-specific motivation and task motivation, and the researcher believed that motivation depends on context and task Accordingly, individualistic, cooperative, and competitive situations might affect motivation differently Although these researchers have come up with new terms and categories for motivation, the usage of such classifications seems to be limited in scope, and they are not widely referred to in other studies

In this study, the researcher mainly based on the classification of two influential theories, socioeducational and self-determination theories, in which motivation was classified as integrative motivation, instrumental motivation, intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation

In short, integrative motivation is the desire to learn a language in order to use it successfully in social interactions in the target language community Learners with integrative motivation also tend to be interested in people who use the language and the target culture

2.2.2.2 Instrumental motivation

Contrary to integrative motivation, learners who learn the language because

of the utilized or practical values are those who are instrumentally motivated The interest and focus of the learners is placed heavily on the expected outcomes of the learning process Gardner et al (1983) defined instrumental motivation as “learning for perceived utility” Learners of such type learn another language with the purpose

of some pragmatic gains, instead of social implication with the target language community (Gardner, 2010) These instrumental goals might increase the social status or self-image, better careers and business opportunities, to further study or meet the requirements of school, reading technical materials or translation, etc

(Saville, 2006) Naghmeh Babaee (2012) also exemplified instrumental motivation Unlike integrative motivation, a person who learns English because he or she needs

to get a well-paid job has an instrumental motivation to second language learning Instrumentally motivated learners perform mainly for the attainment of external rewards, such as appraisal, personal fulfillment, status or power Hence, it can be considered that instrumentally motivated learners‟ desire to learn the second language is aligned to accomplish some non-interpersonal purposes In other words, learners‟ instrumental motivation arouses when they find a need to use the target language as an instrument to obtain a particular goal

Instrumental motivation is especially significant for adult learners for reasons

of practical purposes Findings from a number of studies support this idea Studying

on English learning motivation among first-year female university students in Zayed University in the UAE (1999), the researcher found out that instrumental motivation was the key motivational factor of the participants Another research conducted on Arab students (1984) has showed that they are instrumentally motivated to study English to get a good degree or find a good job after graduation

Overall, it may be said that one student who studies the language because of practical values like occupational promotion or even others‟ criticism tend to possess instrumental motivation

2.2.2.3 Intrinsic motivation

Dörnyei (2001) explained that intrinsic motivation was an action that was done for its own sake to experience satisfaction If a learner is intrinsically motivated, he learns the language because learning is fun and interesting not because his parents or teachers want him to study it Accordingly, people engage in the tasks for their own sake not because of outside rewards Intrinsic aims at bringing about certain internally rewarding consequences like feeling of competence and self-determination

Moreover, Paul Eggen and Don Kauchak (1994: 428) suggested that behaviors like curiosity, need to know, and feeling of competence or growth

revealed a learner‟s intrinsic motivation More specifically, intrinsically motivated students are willing to learn the language for the purpose of fulfilling their curiosity, the desire to know new knowledge and feeling of competence They also enjoy the learning for their interest not praises or rewards

Vallerand (1997) described intrinsic motivation as three types which are

“knowledge”, “accomplishment” and “stimulation” In the first type, one finds language learning useful and interesting by learning new things and obtaining new knowledge The second subtype is the explanation for learning a language when one has the pleasure from achieving certain goals Finally, stimulation refers to the pleasure when a learner performs the task

To summarize, intrinsic motivation helps to explain one‟s reason for language learning which comes from the learners‟ interest, enjoyment and feeling of satisfaction rather than outside rewards Additionally, students who learn the language with a desire to know the new knowledge or to realize their curiosity are also intrinsically motivated From my own teaching experience, young learners tend

to have high intrinsic motivation As for them, learning is fun because they can enjoy different games as well as various learning activities The older they get, the more challenging the activities become, and as a result, their original interest seems

2.2.2.4 Extrinsic motivation

Unlike intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation is related to doing an action

in order to receive an extrinsic reward or to avoid punishment (Dörnyei, 2001) Ryan and Deci (2007: 7) highlighted the difference between intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation was that the latter referred to an action which was done to

attain „some separable outcomes‟ It is referred as an outward force in the form of

expectations, praises and rewards that stimulate students‟ interest in language learning Agreeing with this view, Spaulding (1992: 4) clarified that extrinsic motivation existed when individuals were motivated by an outcome that was externally or functionally unrelated to the activity in which they were engaged If a student studies hard to win his parents‟ favor, gain teacher‟s praise or earn rewards, his motivation is primarily extrinsic

Deci and Ryan (1985) classified extrinsic motivation as four smaller subtypes The first and least autonomous is external regulation which is realized with aim to meet the external demands or to attain rewards They exemplified that students who might participate in a certain activity just because the teacher wants them to do that, otherwise they will be punished or subjected to teacher‟s criticism have external regulation Obviously, the behavior is not self-determined In addition

to constraints and punishment, external regulation can be encouraged by rewards or desire For example, a student studies hard to receive an award from parents or teachers

The second type of extrinsic motivation is introjected regulation with which learners “begin to internalize the reasons for their actions” (Ryan, 1982) This process is regarded as the internalization of the “external contingency”, so it is not really self-determined In this situation, the constraints or rewards do not come from the outsider but from inside individuals when they feel compulsory to do so because of specific aims Ryan also demonstrated this by a case in which a student studies a night before the exam because he will feel guilty and worried if he does not do like that

The third autonomous type is identified regulation which is described by the individuals‟ wish to enhance their self-esteem More specifically, an individual accepts certain kind of regulation because he has decided to pursue his personal importance or behavior

Finally, the most autonomous type of extrinsic motivation is integrative regulation At this level, an individual becomes willing to do an activity Specifically, the integration comes from the compatibility of motivation and an individual‟s values and beliefs as well as other aspects of his life For instance, a student decides to leave other entertaining activities behind studying because he believes that studying well at school is very important for him In this case, the regulation is assimilated to the self (Deci and Ryan, 2000) As a result, the more regulations are assimilated, the more motivated actions are self-determined In sum, regulations move to different levels from the least to the most self-determining

ones On the whole, extrinsic motivation is motivation to do a work or an activity as

a means or way to achieve a target Those who are extrinsically motivated perform and do affairs as they think that their contribution will cause enviable results like a reward, teacher admiration, or prevention of punishment (Pintrich & Schunk, 1996)

Taking everything into account, a learner with integrative motivation becomes more interested in people and the culture in which the target language is spoken as well as likes to learn a language to enter successfully into the target language society Unlike, instrumental motivation originates from a need to learn the L2 for functional or external reasons such as passing exams, financial rewards and so on Learners possessing intrinsic motivation tend to study the language because of their own interest, enjoyment and feeling of satisfaction rather than outside rewards In contrast, students have extrinsic motivation in language learning are often affected by others and the systems of rewards and punishments

Moreover, it could be assumed that extrinsic motivation is somehow related to instrumental motivation, and intrinsic motivation is correlated with integrative motivation More specifically, extrinsic motivation is related to the purpose of getting something in the outside world like getting a prize, which is also the nature

of instrumental motivation On the other hand, intrinsic motivation pertains to internal factors and learning the language just for itself Integrative motivation aims

at broadening knowledge about the target language culture from then becoming successfully communicated in the target community where the language is spoken This breadth in cultural knowledge is also another kind of intrinsic motivation

2.2.3 Factors affecting students’ motivation in learning English

Numerous studies have shown that students‟ motivation in foreign language learning have been affected by different factors According to Dönyei (2001, 2001a, 2001b, 2005) students‟ high motivation is often linked to success in the language classroom Additionally, Lamb (2001) has added that teaching material is also one

of the components that contribute to students‟ successful learning Classroom learning environment, teacher‟s personality and teaching effectiveness contribute to

students learning motivation (Alderman, 2004; Fan, 2012; Richards and Bohlke, 2011; Renandya, 2013, 2014) Furthermore, self-efficacy or expectancy of success,

if nurtured adequately while in the classroom might have an influence on students‟ learning (Ryan and Deci, 2000) Based on different research in the literature review,

in this minor thesis, the factors affecting students‟ motivation are discussed in six main components: one relates to the learners themselves, others connect with the teachers, the course, the group, the learning environment and the parents

2.2.3.1 Learners-related factors

The first and foremost important factor that has an influence on students‟ motivation in foreign language learning is the learner According Dörnyei‟s (1994),

two components related to the learners are the need for achievement and

self-confidence Need for achievement is regarded as the motive to achieve the language

proficiency or become perfect Dörnyei‟s (1990: 54-60) pointed out that the higher need for achievement students had, the more likely they got better marks

The second intricate factor correlating with learners is self-confidence which is divided into four elements according to Dörnyei (1994):

Language use anxiety: anxiety is defined as the feeling of tension and

nervousness connecting with second language learning It can affect the quality of oral production and fluency (Ellis, 1998: 121) Anxiety results from the fear of making mistakes (Robby, 2010) or performing worse than others in class Learners also feel nervous when they receive correction or negative feedback (Aftat, 2008) Kutus (2011) added that students‟ nervousness came from the fact that other learners and teachers laughed at them when they made mistakes

Perceived target language competence is the students‟ belief that they can

complete the task because of their past proficiency level Clément, Baker and MacIntyre (2003) agreed that students with high perceived L2 competence and low anxiety were willing to communicate

Casual attribution: this theory specifies the internal and external attribution

for learning success or failure The past achievement or failing can affect future goals and expectancy of learning

Self-efficacy specifies the learner‟s judgment of his own ability to perform a

particular action Teachers should provide meaningful and achievable tasks to enhance self-efficacy

In summary, the learners are the first factor that can have an influence on their motivation in language learning Their need for achievement and self-confidence can contribute to their impetus for studying the language From my teaching experience, the clearer goals students set for their English learning, the more motivated they feel when they achieve these goals Similarly, the more confident they are, the more active they are in English class, and this encourages them to study the target language

2.2.3.2 Course-related factors

The second related factor to students‟ motivation is the course According to Dörnyei‟s (1994), course-specific components consist of the syllabus, the teaching materials, the teaching methods and the learning tasks Renandya (2014: 25) emphasized that it was hard to imagine a language class without instructional materials because many of the tasks and activities of a language lesson are often organized around course books or other instrumental materials Dörnyei‟s (1994)

also specified the requirements of the course which were the interest; the relevance, the expectancy and the satisfaction It is evident that the course needs to be

interesting enough from the learning materials, the teaching methods and the learning tasks Beside normal learning program, other extracurricular activities like outdoor learning, mini projects are designed to provide students with more exciting learning experience Also, it is necessary for the course to be relevant to the students‟ levels In other words, it must not be too easy or difficult What is more, the course has to meet the students‟ expectancy and needs

2.2.3.3 Teachers-related factors

Teachers are indispensable parts of the learning process Therefore, they have an inevitable influence on students‟ impetus for language studying Renandya (2014) stated that almost everything about the teacher, including his or her personal

characteristics, can have a big impact on students‟ motivation Wong (2007) discovered that there was a positive correlation and direct relationship between the teacher and a student‟s English attainment Factors connecting with teachers consist

of teacher‟s behaviour, personality and teaching styles Dörnyei‟s (1994) specified

three sub-components related to teachers Affiliative drive is an extrinsic motivation

to make the teacher happy Another factor is teacher‟s authority type which can be

authoritarian or democratic teaching style It is undoubted that students will react in different ways depending on their teacher‟s supporting or controlling teaching style

Another factor in this category is the teacher‟s role in direct socialization of

students‟ motivation which includes modeling, task presentation and feedback

To summarize, teacher is a focal factor that have an influence on students‟ learning In my opinion, teachers‟ pleasant personality, proficiency, teaching methods are all important and affect students‟ motivation in learning English

2.2.3.4 Group-related factors

Group is defined by Dörnyei (1994) as an organizational unit, or „group dynamics‟ An individual‟s language learning is definitely affected by those who study in the same class As a result, elements associating with the group refer to classroom learning which takes place in the group as an organizational unit This

kind of group perceived by Dörnyei (1994a) comprises goal-orientedness, the norm

and reward system and classroom-goal structure The goal-orientedness is the

group goal which is regarded as “a composite of the individual goals” Norm and

reward system concerns extrinsic motivation that indicates appropriate behaviors for

efficient learning Classroom-goal structure can be competitive, cooperative or

individualistic

In short, the group or the class has a certain influence on students‟ impetus for language learning The attitudes and behaviors of both teachers and classmates can affect students in positive or negative ways

2.2.3.5 Environment-related factors

Factors associating with the learning environment can be divided into physical conditions and classroom atmosphere

Physical conditions

Physical conditions in the classroom such as classroom size and other facilities in the class like chairs, tables, board, computer, projector, etc can have an influence on students‟ participation in positive or negative ways Agreeing with that, Harmer (2001) highlighted physical conditions can affect students‟ learning and their attitude towards second language acquisition and learning motivation Obviously, crowded class with poor facilities demotivates learners dramatically However, personally, the researcher believes that in a private primary school, all the classes are equipped with modern and favorable facilities for learning process especially English Thus, the factor of learning conditions in class seems to contribute less to students‟ motivation in language learning

Classroom atmosphere

A pleasant and supportive classroom atmosphere can greatly motivate students to learn and take part in learning activities MacIntyre (1999) and Young (1999) agreed that learners‟ anxiety came from a stressful classroom climate and it was unfortunately one of the most determinant factors deciding learning effectiveness and second language motivation (cited in Dörnyei, 2001: 121) As a result, to motivate students to learn English, the learning environment should be far away from tension, and students should not feel stressed or frightened An ideal classroom climate can be created by the teacher‟s sense of humor, the rapport among teacher and students as well as among students‟ cooperation themselves

All in all, both favorable learning conditions and comfortable classroom atmosphere help to contribute to students‟ motivation in language learning Crowed class with lack of learning facilities and tensioned classroom atmosphere can affect negatively to students in language class Moreover, the researcher thinks that the comfortable classroom atmosphere can only be created by both teachers and students‟ contribution If there is solely teachers‟ try without students‟ cooperation, the atmosphere in class cannot be pleasant as the teachers and students expect

2.2.3.6 Parents-related factors

Everyone must work together to provide better outcomes for children, especially parents Santrock (2003) insisted that the processes of punishment, reinforcement and imitation allow children to learn and remember certain behaviors Accordingly, when a child is reinforced for an acceptable behavior, he is likely to repeat it Before children go to school, the primary role of all parents is to influence, teach and control their children In the learning process, children first duplicate those who are normally close to them such as their parents or caregivers Observation learning strongly influences a child‟s language learning when they notice their parents‟ use of language at home or through the television programs or the reading materials In reference to Burns (1982), family is the only place of learning where the basic framework of personality and development is established

Scott (1990) emphasized pattern of child upbringing promoted positive development He found that adolescents who came from homes where there were acceptance, mutual confidence and compatibility between parents and children were better adjusted, and this resulted in more self-esteem If parents provide a supporting environment for a child‟s learning needs at home, they can get involved

in their children‟s learning development Parents can assist their children through specific learning activities to reinforce the children‟s work Burns (1982) believed that parents had an opportunity to reinforce their children‟s learning and influence their general perception towards learning a language

In sum, if parents involve in their children‟s language learning and give enough support, children will have more motivation and desire for their studying In contrast, if only teachers try to motivate students‟ learning at school then at home when children receive no assistance, they will feel alone and their language learning can be affected negatively Consequently, the researcher strongly believes that parents should play their active role in supporting their children in language learning

2.3 Theoretical background of children as young learners

2.3.1 Young language learners

for children between the ages of five and eleven/twelve, which in most countries would be equivalent to learners in primary school Regarding biological aspect, Piaget (in Pinter, 2006) explained four states of development that all children will

go through:

1 Sensory-motor stage (from 0 - 2 years) in which children seemed to learn through

physical interaction with the world around them

2 Pre-operational stage (from 2 - 7 years) when children need concrete situations

to process ideas

3 Concrete operational stage (from 7 - 11 years) in which children begin to conceptualize

and do some abstract problem solving, though they still learn best by doing

4 Formal operational stage (from eleven years onwards) in which children are able

to use abstract thinking

2.3.2 Characteristics of young learners

It is essential for teachers to know and understand young learners‟ characteristics because this will help them to have effective teaching style and methods Children‟s characteristics are different from adults from both biological and social point of view In foreign language learning, children have some following features

Firstly, according to Pinter (2006), young learners have a great curiosity to try new things and explore concrete to abstract things Sharing the same idea, Sadler (1974) asserted that children learn from concrete to abstract, and they are naturally curious and develop quickly as individuals The application drawn from this characteristic is that teachers should teach children concrete items first Additionally, teachers can use media or realia especially when presenting vocabulary so that students can understand easily

In addition to having a natural curiosity, Cameron (2001) stated that young learners actively construct meaning from their experiences Therefore, giving many experiences for young learners in language learning is important Harmer (2001) added that young learners get their understanding not only from explanation but also from what they see and hear They learn when they have a chance to touch and interact with what we call “experience” In line with this viewpoint, Scott (1990) and Mustafa (2003) stated that children in primary or elementary schools generally learn by way of physical activities or learning by doing Thus, learning comes from the real experience from children‟s life

Another characteristic of young learners is that they have a quite short attention and memory span and are easy to get bored (Slattery and Willis, 2001; Scott and Ytreberg, 1990) Consequently, teachers are highly recommended to create interesting, enjoyable and fun lessons for young learners In regard to this view, Harmer (2001) stated that if activities are not extremely engaging, students will get bored easily and lose their interest after ten minutes It means that teachers should be able to maintain children‟s focus and attention

Young learners are also active learners and thinkers Children construct knowledge from actively interacting with the physical environment in developmental stages On this notion, teachers should support their students by having many experiences in order that they can construct knowledge through experiences Children can learn better if they can participate in various activities that enable them to experience many things

What is more, young learners learn by thinking in terms of theme in reference to Shin (2007) It is easier for them to deal with one thing at a time without much difficulty This causes the fact that teaching or presenting a lot of things to children at the same time may lead to confusion and frustration for both children and teachers

Mustafa (2003) pointed out that young learners learned best in an environment free

of competition This principle implies that individual competition should be avoided

because it can be stressful and overwhelm them Games are played when everyone wins, or when you do not single out a winner Scott (1990) added that children also learn in social context, in groups as well

In summary, young learners possess variety of features that are very different from adults These characteristics include curiosity, enjoying learning by doing and physical activities, short attention and memory span, learning in terms of themes, and learning best in a comfortable learning environment From the personal teaching experience, the researcher all agrees with these attributes of children

2.3.3 Techniques for facilitating young learners to learn English as a foreign language

Understanding the characteristics of young learners is important, but facilitating children learn English as a foreign language is a much more essential aspect that teachers should notice Cameron (2001) recommended that teachers may help young learners deal with the difficult tasks with enthusiasm and willingness Mustafa (2003) and Shin (2006) suggested several ways to support young learners learn a foreign language

The first technique is using English more frequently to provide children more time exposure to the language Moon (2000) said that young learners need to be exposed to both spoken and written English around them Teachers can do this by speaking English from the beginning of each English lesson (Slattery and Wills, 2001) Halliwell (2004) specified the advantages of using English in English classroom This first one is to encourage students to trust their instinct to predict meaning in spite of limited linguistic understanding Moreover, English language used in the classroom confirms the idea that it is something they actually use for the real and not just something they do in exercises and in games Another advantage is that it increases the amount of exposure the young learners get to the language

In classroom activities, using Total Physical Response (TPR) by James Asher (1977) is a great way to teach English especially for very young learners That method keeps children active in learning process while it links the language

with physical movement To best engage children who are easily distracted and have very short attention spans in learning, activities should be last in five and ten minutes According to Scott and Ytreberg (1990), activities should be various It is suggested that each task focuses on different skills while using individual, pair work, group work or whole class activities alternately Children are encouraged to learn from each other by integrating pupil-pupil interaction into the activities in addition to teacher-pupil interaction Lastly, Scott and Ytreberg (1990) pointed out the balance between quiet and noisy activities to create both peaceful and dynamic learning environment

Using various techniques for short periods of time is the third suggestion Susan Halliwel (1992: 18) insisted that children‟s classroom was not the class in which children sat still in rows and attentively listened to their teachers Biddulph (1998) emphasized children especially boys did not tend to sit still and sometimes resort to aggression probably because of the changes in hormones, following with high energy Therefore, teachers are recommended to provide a variety of experiences and a set of activities without getting them bored Children are creative and want to be active, so it is better to make use of their imagination and energy in games, songs, drawing pictures and puzzle-like activities Various, short and simple activities are appropriate for their attention span

Apart from the above-mentioned techniques, teachers are advised to provide students with useful, promoting-acquisition routines (Shin, 2007) Young learners need to repeat language items many times to get them “stick” or remember As a result, teachers should repeat games or do several different activities with the same language topics or set of words Similarly, children love to repeat the same songs or stories because this gives them the feeling of confidence and familiarity Routine also helps children relax and not worry about being able to follow the sequences of events and activities in the classroom

Last but not least, classroom environment and condition are crucial as well

In order to create an English environment, teachers should decorate the classroom

so that young learners become accustomed to English words or sentences Teachers can put some prints such as rules, lists of vocabulary, or pictures about different familiar topics like parts of the body, animals, food and drink and so on in the classroom By this way, children will be familiar and have descriptions about those words or pictures More importantly, this can make them memorize the words because they always see or read them when they are in the classroom In addition, the words or pictures with colorful and interesting art will attract students‟ interest and motivate them in learning

2.4 Summary

The chapter has so far presented the relevant literature review which helps to form the theoretical framework of the study The framework the researcher used in this study is based on theories about motivation (definitions, types of motivation, factors affecting motivation in learning English) in socioeducational and self-determination theories by influential authors such as Gardner and Lambert, Dörnyei

as well as young English learners (definitions, characteristics and techniques to teach English to young learners) suggested by different authors like Cameron, Asher, Halliwell Additionally, this chapter provided readers with the summary of

grade students‟ motivation in learning English which is carried out and presented in the next chapter

CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Restatement of the research questions

This study aims at finding out the typically motivational pattern possessed by

their motivation in English learning Therefore, two following questions will be answered as research findings:

School have in learning English?

3.2 The context of the study

In Vietnam, students have started learning English at primary level since

2010 according to the project “Teaching and learning foreign language in the national education system in the period 2008 -2020” Throughout the country, English is taught from grade 3, but in big cities like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, children even start learning English at kindergartens

Thang Long Kidsmart Primary School is a private school which was established in 2013 In comparison to other private schools, it has quite young historical development with a moderate number of students In the school year 2018-2019, the school has 15 classes with a total of more than 300 students from grade 1 to grade 5 Each class has from 20 to 25 students

In terms of facilities, each class is equipped with modern technology like computer, projector and Internet access to facilitate the language learning Additionally, different pictures about rules or topics in English are decorated in the classroom for students to get familiar with the English words and sentences There are also two English rooms in which the English club is held twice a week Besides, the school has one library in which students can read numerous English books and stories

Like other private primary schools in Hanoi, Thang Long Kidsmart Primary School decides English is one of the most crucial and prior subjects It means that

all students in grade 1 study this subject with the similar number of periods spent on both Vietnamese and Math Each week, they have seven lessons of English, and two

of which they study with foreign teachers and the rest with Vietnamese ones In addition to studying English in class, there are some extracurricular activities designed

by the English teacher group like studying outdoors at the supermarket, at the park, at the zoo, etc as well as English competition such as “Ring the golden bell”, mini projects to help students have more exciting experiences in learning English

In regard to English teachers, the school has three full-time Vietnamese teachers including the researcher and two other foreign teachers These native teachers just work part-time and they only come to school when they have English lessons Three Vietnamese teachers are quite young from 26 to 33 years old and they all graduated from English Department at Hanoi University of Languages and International Studies They often participate in different trainings and workshops about teaching English to children The school year of 2018 -2019 is the first year when the new course book “i-Learn Smart Start” is taught, so all the teachers participated in several trainings held by the publisher to get them familiar with the content as well as the useful methods to exploit the book effectively

The course book which is used in the school is not the national course book for primary schools The series of five volumes of the book “i-Learn Smart Start” published by Ho Chi Minh Education University Press are taught officially at Thang Long Kidsmart Primary School For each grade, there are two books including Student‟s Book and Workbook These course books were examined and approved

by the Ministry of Education and Training to be used as the main teaching materials beside the national English books for primary students Except for “i-Learn Smart Start 1”, other books in the series have 10 themes about the familiar and interesting topics for children with six lessons in each theme Accordingly, the course books

Workbook Beside the hardcopy of the course books, there are some applications containing games and videos or songs for students to practice at home as well as the soft version of the book which can be easily set up on computers or smartphones

3.3 Participants

girls and thirty-three boys coming from three classes 4A1, 4A2 and 4A3 The research decided to choose these students rather than other graders of the school because of the following reasons First and foremost, I and two other teachers were directly teaching them in the school year of 2018-2019 Consequently, I could understand them more than those who I was not teaching currently By the same token, it would be convenient for me to collect the data from these students More importantly, in terms of cognitive development, they are old enough to understand and answer the questions in the questionnaire rather than students in lower grades

graders have just moved to Hanoi from different provinces like Thai Binh, Hai Phong, Son La, ect There is no gifted class, which means that in a class the English level is not the same There are students with amazing pronunciation, and they start learning English at kindergartens Their parents also send them to some prestigious English centers in Hanoi after school In general, students enjoy learning English and taking part in games or speaking activities like role-playing and other aforementioned extracurricular activities They can remember the words and structures quickly but can easily forget them They are likely better at speaking and listening practice rather than doing grammar exercises or worksheets They can call out the words from the flashcards but when being asked to write down the words, many of them find it challenging Besides, the number of structures and grammar presented in the book “i-Learn Smart Start 4” is relatively difficult and heavy From their parent‟s expectation, they also hope that their children can have better understanding of the grammatical points presented in the book and can apply them in doing grammar worksheets as well as at the end-of-term tests This is also nearly the last year of the primary level, so the parents want their children to be successfully prepared for the test to be accepted to other secondary schools In fact, grammar is one of these students‟ weaknesses What is more,

there are about one fifth of the students who do not like learning English and are often silent in English classes

Two Vietnamese teachers taking part in this research are those who have been working at this school for more than three years and were teaching students in grade 4 One teacher is the leader of the English group These teachers are very creative and enthusiastic Technological skill is one of their most strong points The researcher sometimes asks for their permission to join their class and learn from their teaching methods Moreover, they are the main teachers who are responsible for organizing the English club of the school

3.4 Survey research

3.4.1 Survey research definitions

Reference to Check & Schutt (2012), a survey research is defined as „the collection of information from a sample of individuals through their responses to questions‟ This type of research allows a variety of methods to recruit participants, collect data, and utilize various methods of instrumentation Survey research can use quantitative research strategies (e.g., using questionnaires with numerically rated items), qualitative research strategies (e.g., using open-ended questions), or both strategies (i.e., mixed methods) Surveys are frequently used in social and psychological research (Singleton & Straits, 2009) to describe and explore human behavior

According to Scheuren (2004: 9) the word survey is used most often to describe a method of gathering information from a sample of individuals Beside sample and gathering information, other recurring terms in definitions and descriptions are systematic or organized and quantitative Therefore, a survey can

be seen as a research strategy in which quantitative information is systematically collected from a relatively large sample taken from a population

In summary, surveys represent one of the most common types of quantitative social science research In survey research, researchers select a sample of respondents from population and administer a standardized questionnaire to them Surveys may be undertaken simply to provide someone with information

3.4.2 Survey research characteristics

Kraemer (1991) identified three distinguishing characteristics of survey research First and foremost, survey research is used to quantitatively describe specific aspects of a given population These aspects often involve examining the relationships among variables Secondly, the data required for survey research are collected from people and are, therefore, subjective Finally, survey research uses a selected portion of the population from which the findings can later be generalized back to the population

3.4.3 Steps for conducting a survey

Unyimadu (2005: 43) suggested 6 steps in executing a survey design as follow:

1 Research question formulation

2 The determination of the sampling plan

3 Specific choice of what survey technique to be used

4 Designing the data gathering technique

5 Actually carrying out the survey

6 Data analysis

Susan (1983) proposed 10 steps to conduct a survey

Step 1: Defining the purpose of the survey: This is an important first step in

developing the research design The more tightly focused of the study, the more useful the results are likely to be for community development

Step 2: Locating previously conducted surveys on similar topics: This step enables

the researcher to discover examples of the different types of survey designs and instruments to collect data

Step 3: Deciding on the type of survey design: The survey design which best

accomplishes the goals and objectives of the project is very essential in the survey process

Step 4: Selecting the sampling methods: The sampling method is used to relate the

type of survey design to the population included in the study