A study into EFL learner motivation

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY

A Study into EFL Learner Motivation

THE THESIS SUMMITED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS (TESOL)

Submitted by TRAN THI THUY HANG

Supervisor

Assoc. Prof. Dr. NGUYEN THANH TUNG

SEPTEMBER 2016

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STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I certify that this thesis entitled “A Study into EFL Learner Motivation” is my own work.

Except for the reference which is made in the text of the thesis, this thesis contains no

material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis by which I

qualified for or awarded another degree or diploma.

No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the main text of

the thesis.

This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma in any other

tertiary institution.

Ho Chi Minh City, 12 September 2016

Tran Thi Thuy Hang

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Assoc. Prof.

Dr. Nguyen Thanh Tung, for his generous assistance and great devotion to guiding me

through the preparation and completion of this thesis. Without his great help, I would

have never been able to finish this thesis.

Secondly, I am sincerely grateful to all lecturers of the TESOL program at Ho Chi Minh

Open University for their helpful instruction and dedication from 2012 to 2014.

Thirdly, I want to express my thanks to all the students and English teachers at Ho Chi

Minh University of Technology for their participation in this study.

Finally, I am deeply indebted to my beloved family and my friends for their support and

encouragement so that I could have motivation to complete this thesis.

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ABSTRACT

The research was designed to investigate learner motivation at Ho Chi Minh University

of Technology in terms of the reasons why the students learnt English as these reasons

could reveal their motivation types and the factors affecting their learning motivation.

This study also aimed at determining the lecturers’ perceptions toward their students’

motivation.

It has been said that the low English performance of the students in Ho Chi Minh (HCM)

University of Technology has not received enough attention from any studies. Therefore,

the researcher conducted the research with 275 students and their twelve lecturers in

twelve classes in the lowest English level course which requires the most motivational

support. All the students and the lecturers were asked to answer the questionnaires

specially written for them. Furthermore, twelve students chosen randomly and the

lecturers participated in the one-by-one interviews with the researcher. The results

gathered from these questionnaires and interviews were analyzed with the support of

SPSS.

The results from the survey with 275 students indicate that the students are both

extrinsically and intrinsically motivated to learn English. However, their extrinsic

motivation is the dominant because of the better job opportunity in the future and the

usefulness for effective communication in the modern society. The findings also show

that both internal factors and external factors play an important role in enhancing learner

motivation and performance. Among those factors, the English teachers are considered as

a crucial element because they can help the students to follow their learning goals, create

a friendly classroom environment, give supportive feedback, conduct interesting

classroom activities, and design the most suitable materials for their particular classes.

In conclusion, although the lecturers could understand their students’ learning motivation

types and applied varied methods to motivate the students to learn English in class, they

also need more activities to increase the students’ time of using English outside the

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classrooms and more support from the administrative staff at the university. Based on the

research findings, some pedagogical implications for the students, the lecturers and the

administrative staff were withdrawn. Hopefully, the results from this research can be

helpful to improve learner motivation in particular as well as the quality of teaching and

learning process at HCM University of Technology.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP.................................................................................. I

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................II

ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................... III

TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................. V

LIST OF TABLES...........................................................................................................IX

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.......................................................................................... X

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1

1.1. Background of the study ............................................................................................ 1

1.1.1. English in Vietnamese tertiary level ...................................................................... 1

1.1.2. Main constraints in Vietnamese learner motivation .............................................. 2

1.1.2.1. Vietnamese learning style................................................................................ 2

1.1.2.2. Teachers’ action and perception ...................................................................... 3

1.1.2.3. Classroom organization ................................................................................... 4

1.2. Statement of the problem........................................................................................... 5

1.3. Purpose of the study and the research questions..................................................... 6

1.4. The significance of the study ..................................................................................... 6

1.5. Limitations of the study ............................................................................................. 7

1.6. The organization of the study.................................................................................... 7

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW........................................................................ 8

2.1. Definitions of learner motivation .............................................................................. 8

2.2. The importance of learner motivation...................................................................... 8

2.3. Learner motivation types........................................................................................... 9

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2.3.1. Integrative and instrumental motivation .............................................................. 10

2.3.2. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation ........................................................................ 11

2.4. Research framework ................................................................................................ 13

2.5. Motivation factors..................................................................................................... 14

2.5.1. Internal factors ..................................................................................................... 14

2.5.1.1. Goal setting.................................................................................................... 15

2.5.1.2. Expectancy..................................................................................................... 15

2.5.1.3. Self-confidence .............................................................................................. 16

2.5.1.4. Self-efficacy................................................................................................... 17

2.5.2. External factors .................................................................................................... 17

2.5.2.1. Teachers......................................................................................................... 18

2.5.2.2. Feedback ........................................................................................................ 18

2.5.2.3. Classroom environment ................................................................................. 19

2.5.2.4. Materials ........................................................................................................ 20

2.5.2.5. Activities........................................................................................................ 20

2.6. Teachers’ perceptions toward students’ motivation ............................................. 21

2.7. Related studies on learner motivation .................................................................... 21

2.7.1. Around the world ................................................................................................. 22

2.7.2. In Vietnam............................................................................................................ 24

2.8. Research gap ............................................................................................................. 27

2.9. Summary ................................................................................................................... 27

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ................................................................................. 29

3.1. Pedagogical setting ................................................................................................... 29

3.2. Research design......................................................................................................... 30

3.2.1. Research subjects................................................................................................. 30

3.2.1.1. Students.......................................................................................................... 30

3.2.1.2. Teachers......................................................................................................... 31

3.2.2. Research methods................................................................................................. 31

3.2.3. Research instruments ........................................................................................... 33

3.2.3.1. Questionnaires ............................................................................................... 33

3.2.3.2. Interviews....................................................................................................... 35

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3.2.4. Analytical framework........................................................................................... 37

3.3. Data collection procedure ........................................................................................ 39

3.3.1. Administering the questionnaires......................................................................... 39

3.3.1.1. Questionnaire for students............................................................................. 39

3.3.1.2. Questionnaire for lecturers ............................................................................ 40

3.3.2. Administering the interviews............................................................................... 40

3.3.2.1. Interview with students.................................................................................. 40

3.3.2.2. Interview with lecturers................................................................................. 41

3.3.3. Summary of the data collection procedure .......................................................... 41

3.4. Validity and reliability ............................................................................................. 42

3.5. Summary ................................................................................................................... 45

CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION .............................................. 46

4.1. Data analysis ............................................................................................................. 46

4.1.1. Students’ questionnaire ........................................................................................ 46

4.1.1.1. Students’ profile............................................................................................. 46

4.1.1.2. Students’ types of motivation ........................................................................ 50

4.1.1.3. Factors affecting students’ motivation........................................................... 53

4.1.2. Lecturers’ questionnaire....................................................................................... 60

4.1.2.1. Lecturers’ profile ........................................................................................... 61

4.1.2.2. Lecturers’ perception towards students’ types of motivation........................ 63

4.1.2.3. Lecturers’ perception towards factors affecting students’ motivation .......... 65

4.1.3. Students’ interviews............................................................................................. 72

4.1.4. Lecturers’ interviews............................................................................................ 81

4.2. Discussion of the findings......................................................................................... 90

4.3. Summary ................................................................................................................... 92

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................... 93

5.1. Conclusions................................................................................................................ 93

5.2. Research findings...................................................................................................... 94

5.2.1. Findings for students............................................................................................ 95

5.2.2. Finding for lecturers............................................................................................. 96

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5.3. Research implications .............................................................................................. 97

5.3.1. Implications for students...................................................................................... 98

5.3.2. Implications for lecturers ..................................................................................... 98

5.3.3. Implications for administrative staff..................................................................101

5.4. Recommendations for further research ...............................................................102

REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................105

APPENDICES................................................................................................................112

Appendix 1......................................................................................................................112

Appendix 2A...................................................................................................................113

Appendix 2B...................................................................................................................115

Appendix 3A...................................................................................................................117

Appendix 3B...................................................................................................................119

Appendix 4......................................................................................................................121

Appendix 5A...................................................................................................................122

Appendix 5B...................................................................................................................137

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 The procedure of delivering and collecting data .................................................. 42

Table 2 Students’ information (gender) ............................................................................ 46

Table 3 Students’ information (English in their university entrance exam) ..................... 47

Table 4 Students’ information (mid-term score)............................................................... 48

Table 5 Students’ information (English learning experience)........................................... 49

Table 6 Students’ information (using English outside the classroom).............................. 50

Table 7 Students’ reasons for studying English ................................................................ 51

Table 8 Factors related to the students.............................................................................. 54

Table 9 Factors related to the teachers.............................................................................. 56

Table 10 Other motivational factors.................................................................................. 58

Table 11 Lecturers’ information (gender)......................................................................... 61

Table 12 Lecturers’ information (academic qualification)................................................ 61

Table 13 Lecturers’ information (teaching experience).................................................... 62

Table 14 Lecturers’ perception toward students’ reasons of learning English ................. 63

Table 15 Lecturers’ perception toward motivational factors related to the students ........ 66

Table 16 Lecturers’ perception toward motivational factors related to the teachers ........ 68

Table 17 Lecturers’ perception toward other motivational factors................................... 70

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

MOET: Ministry of Education and Training

EFL: English as Foreign Language

L2: Second Language

HCM: Ho Chi Minh

M: Mean

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background of the study

1.1.1. English in Vietnamese tertiary level

English has become the most important foreign language in Vietnamese educational

system at all levels. However, English is especially emphasized at tertiary level because it

plays a crucial role in the future of the leaners who expect to have a better career and

position in society. These leaners need English not only for graduation requirement but

also for a ticket to an international working environment and higher income.

Nevertheless, the matter of English in Vietnamese universities is complicated and

disappointed.

After completing the 10 credits within the first and second years of study, very

few training branches are allowed to provide further English training for students.

Most universities do not have policies or regulations to encourage their learners to

continue learning a foreign language. (Phan H. T., 2010, p. 5)

Phan’s statement pointed that English education in universities has not effectively

prepared students for the demand of English after their graduation. As the result, the

English proficiency of the majority of university students and graduates are quite

disappointing. They do not appear to be confident with their English (Tran T. T., 2013, p.

139). In an effort to discover the reasons behind that unpromising consequence, Tran

(2013) in her study mentioned learner motivation as a vital factor affected English

learning process in Vietnamese universities. She reported that good motivation can be

viewed as a factor which can positively lead to the successful enhancement of English

teaching and learning at universities (p. 141). In addition, she also had further analysis in

Vietnamese setting:

The teaching of English in Vietnamese universities received many criticisms from

the participants. They all suggested that the current English teaching and learning

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at universities was ineffective and disappointing. It negated their motivation and

made them lose their hope in English learning. (p. 141)

Therefore, in order to improve the current English achievement in universities, learner

motivation should be the center of attention. The following section turns to focus on

learner motivation.

1.1.2. Main constraints in Vietnamese learner motivation

Despite of the previously mentioned essential influence of learner motivation on English

learning process, it is believed that Vietnamese university students obtain a low level of

motivation. Tran and Richard Jr. (2007) wrote that:

Despite the current extrinsic pressures to learn English as a foreign language in

Vietnam, many students don’t seem ever to have developed any interest in

learning English, or if they have, they seem to have lost that interest for some

reason, that is, they have become demotivated. (p. 81)

Sharing the same point view, Phan and Le (2009) also noted that Vietnamese students are

not strongly or appropriately motivated. As the result, the students turn to lose their

enthusiasm and confidence in English learning (p. 164). That situation has received a

number of studies analyzing the constraints of learner motivation in Vietnamese tertiary

system. As the result, Vietnamese learning style, teachers’ action and perception as well

as classroom organization are viewed as the main constraints. The following section will

discuss Vietnamese learning style.

1.1.2.1. Vietnamese learning style

The first constraint refers to Vietnamese passive learning style. The Confucianism even

now maintains its influence on preventing leaners from interrupting their teachers with

questions (O'Sullivan, 1997, p. 51). Moreover, Le (1999, p. 4) noted that “influenced by

Confucianism, students feel rude if they interrupt, question, or argue with their teacher”.

In other words, raising learners’ voice in class is discouraged because of ethic boundaries

in society. Therefore, Vietnamese students tend to be passive in classrooms and depend

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on their educators. Nguyen (1989) and Tran (1999) reported that: “The attempt to have

insight into Vietnamese students’ voices remains limited owing to the commonly held

belief that teachers are traditionally considered the knowledgeable “expert”. Ly (2007, p.

153) also contributed: “students may think that it is more beneficial to let teachers decide

their needs, because teachers know more about what they need to learn and how their

knowledge will be assessed in examinations”. Dang (2010, p. 6) continued the argument

with his point that Vietnamese students are accustomed to getting the knowledge from

their teachers. Learning actively is not a common habit of Vietnamese students (Le S. T.,

2011, p. 38). Accordingly, Vietnamese learners gradually lose their own interest in

classrooms and the ability to set their goals in learning English. This situation results in

the fact that Vietnamese student motivation has been decreasing considerately, which

triggers their low English proficiency. The next section will discuss the teachers’ action

and perception.

1.1.2.2. Teachers’ action and perception

Besides Vietnamese learning style in the last section, the second constraint, Vietnamese

teachers’ action and perception, also has an important effect on learner motivation.

“Teachers were found to have a strong impact on students’ demotivation or motivation to

learn” (Tran & Baldauf, 2007, p. 100). However, the influence of Vietnamese university

educators is believed to be negative. Luu (2011) raised his convincing points:

The word “ignore” is highlighted since numerous teachers understand the position

of the learner element in their teaching strategies. Nevertheless, they do not want

to explore it due to such factors as time constraints, energy insufficiency (due to

teaching several hours a day), brief and unrepeated teaching of a particular class,

and pride in their degrees or ranks. It is their “pride” that a number of teachers

even take students’ resistance as an offence, but teaching students without

understanding them is a greater offence like doctors treating patients without

investigating their medical histories. (p. 285)

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Based on Luu’s opinion, the reasons why Vietnamese lecturers have remained traditional

demotivating teaching style have been certainly clarified. However, another important

cause is discovered in teachers’ perception. Tomlinson and Bao Dat (2004) found that

“teachers believe their students to be passive, not willing to participate in classroom

activities, and seldom speaking English in the classroom. For these reasons, they keep on

using a lecturing style in class” (p. 38). Holding that unsupportive viewpoint, teachers are

unable to motivate themselves and their students to create a successful English teaching

and learning process. Furthermore, some special circumstances at a tertiary level have

exacerbated the problem. Tran (2013) wrote about university teachers as follows:

Despite knowing different modern language teaching methods (at least by names),

they normally did not bother to use these methods. This was because (1) no one

‘forced’ them to use these methods, (2) it was too hard to make use of the new

methods given the current situation of class size, limited resources and the need to

provide enough for-the-exam-knowledge to students and (3) renovate teaching

style required time and efforts, but no incentives were given for the teachers who

spend their time to make use of new teaching methods. (p. 142)

Thus, the negative influence of teachers’ action and perception must be recognized as a

serious constraint against learner motivation. Moreover, classroom organization will be

mentioned in the next part.

1.1.2.3. Classroom organization

In addition to learning style, teachers’ action and their perception, classroom organization

is also justified for its significance. The first aspect to mention would be overcrowded

classrooms. Classrooms of one lecturer with more than 40-50 students tend to encourage

traditional passive learning and teaching process. Nevertheless, the difference in students’

English level, the second aspect, is central to low learning motivation. “In most

universities, students who have already learnt three or seven years of English at school

are still placed in a class with the students who had not learnt any English before entering