The impacts of demotivating factors on students' english learning at Ton Duc Thang University

i

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I certify that this thesis entitled “An investigation into demotivating factors

influencing on students’ English learning at Ton Duc Thang University” is my own

work.

Except where reference is made in the text of the thesis, this thesis does not contain

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

have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma.

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

this thesis.

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

tertiary institution.

Ho Chi Minh City, December 2016

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all of the following people for helping me

complete my thesis

Firstly, I would like to express my special thanks to my supervisor, Dr. Đặng Tấn Tín

for his helpful assistance and guidance. This thesis could have never been completed

without his enthusiastic counsel and support.

Secondly, I am extremely grateful to all of the lecturers of the TESOL program at Ho

Chi Minh City Open University for their helpful instructions during my M.A. course.

My appreciation also goes to my TESOL7 classmates for sharing me with a lot of useful

materials to complete my thesis.

In addition, my profound gratitude is also conveyed to the managing board, the English

teaching staff in the academic year of 2015–2016 at Tôn Đức Thắng University of for

giving me the best conditions to conduct the study

Last but not least, I would like to express my gratitude to my beloved family and my

friends at the same group under supervision of Dr. Đặng Tấn Tín for their support and

encouragement during the time of completing my thesis.

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ABSTRACT

In the field of foreign language education, demotivation has been widely regarded

as a major cause which negatively influences learners’ attitudes and behaviors, leading to

their undesired learning outcomes. Recognizing demotivating factors to EFL students’

learning, teachers can eliminate the possible causes of demotivation. Despite the

importance of teachers’ know-how about demotivating factors to EFL students’ learning,

only a limited number of studies have been carried out to understand and handle that

problem at Vietnamese educational context. Realizing the gap unfilled in the existing

literature, this study attempts to investigate into the likely demotivating factors in English

language learning at Ton Duc Thang University in Ho Chi Minh City. The study was

conducted as quantitative research. The sample of this study responded to 47-item

questionnaires to find out the demotivating factors that affect students' English learning

at Ton Duc Thang University. The data were collected through the questionnaire which

was directly delivered to students. The results revealed that students at Ton Duc Thang

University felt demotivated because of teachers’ competence and teaching styles, learning

contents, learners’ self-determination, and learners’ language utility. Among the reported

factors, learning contents most demotivate learners in learning whereas learning context

isthe least influential factor to students’ attitudes toward and interests in learning English.

It is suggested that the university administrators, and teachers need to make changes in

English curricula so that students find more motivation and encouragement toward

learning English. In addition, students themselves should build up intrinsic motivation in

learning English. They should also try to overcome undesirable external factors that

diminish their motivational basis of their language learning. Prospective studies can

analyze qualitative data in order to deeply probe other demotivating factors to EFL

students’ learning and their attitudes about those factors.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP......................................................................................i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ii

ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................viii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ...........................................................................................xii

LIST OF TABLES..............................................................................................................ix

LIST OF FIGURES............................................................................................................xi

LIST OF APPENDIX........................................................................................................xii

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

1.1 Introduction........................................................................................................... 1

1.2 Background of the study....................................................................................... 1

1.3 Statement of problem............................................................................................ 2

1.4 Purposes of the study ............................................................................................ 5

1.5 Research questions................................................................................................ 6

1.6 Scope of the study................................................................................................. 6

1.7 Significance of the study....................................................................................... 6

1.8 Organization of the study...................................................................................... 7

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW............................................................................. 9

2.1 Introduction........................................................................................................... 9

2.2 Motivation in language learning........................................................................... 9

2.2.1 Definitions of motivation .............................................................................. 9

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2.2.2 Developments in L2 motivation research.................................................... 10

2.3 Demotivation in language learning..................................................................... 12

2.3.1 Definitions of demotivation......................................................................... 12

2.3.2 External and internal demotivation ............................................................. 13

2.3.3 Demotivating factors toward English language learning ............................ 16

2.3.4 Categories of demotivation in language learning........................................ 20

2.3.5 Development of L2 demotivation research ................................................. 23

2.3.6 Demotivation and the related term Amotivation......................................... 25

2.4 Empirical studies on related research ................................................................. 27

2.5 Summary of previous studies on demotivation .................................................. 34

2.6 Research gap ....................................................................................................... 36

2.7 Summary............................................................................................................ 37

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY............................................................... 38

3.1 Research orientation ........................................................................................... 38

3.2 Research context................................................................................................. 38

3.3 Learning material................................................................................................ 39

3.4 Participants.......................................................................................................... 40

3.5 Instrument for data collection............................................................................. 41

3.5.1 Rationale for the questionnaire.................................................................... 42

3.5.2 Description of the questionnaire to the students ......................................... 43

3.6 Methods for data collection ................................................................................ 44

3.6.1 Pilot study.................................................................................................... 44

3.6.2 Pilot of the questionnaire............................................................................. 44

3.6.3 Reliability of the questionnaire ................................................................... 46

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3.7 Method for data analysis..................................................................................... 47

3.8 Research procedure............................................................................................. 48

3.9 Summary............................................................................................................. 50

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUCSSIONS.......................................................... 51

4.1 Introduction......................................................................................................... 51

4.2 Students’ background information ..................................................................... 52

4.3 Research question 1: Level of demotivation ...................................................... 53

4.3.1 Findings....................................................................................................... 53

4.3.2 Discussion for research question 1.............................................................. 58

4.4 Research question 2: Demotivating factors........................................................ 60

4.4.1 Findings....................................................................................................... 60

4.4.2 Discussion for research question 2.............................................................. 70

4.5 Chapter summary................................................................................................ 73

CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION.......................................... 74

5.1 Introduction......................................................................................................... 74

5.2 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 74

5.2.1 Students’ level of demotivation................................................................... 74

5.2.2 Demotivating factors on students learning English as a foreign language . 74

5.3 Recommendations............................................................................................... 77

5.3.1 Teachers’ competence and teaching style ................................................... 77

5.3.2 Learning context.......................................................................................... 77

5.3.3 Learning content.......................................................................................... 78

5.3.4 Students’ self-determination........................................................................ 79

5.3.5 Learners’ language utility............................................................................ 79

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5.4 Limitations and suggestions for further research................................................ 80

REFERENCES .................................................................................................................. 81

APPENDIX ....................................................................................................................... 89

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

EFL: English as Foreign Language

ESL: English as Second Language

L2: Second language

TDT: Ton Duc Thang

TOEIC: Test of English for International Communication

PET: Preliminary English Test

IELTS: International English Language Test System

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 2.5: Components of demotivation by Oxford

Table 3.3: Detail descriptions of participants

Table 4.2: Number of Participants

Table 4.3a: Cronbach’ Alpha for Level of demotivation

Table 4.3b: Mean values of Levels of demotivation

Table 4.3c: Frequency and percentage of level of demotivation

Table 4.4.1.1a: Reliability for Teacher's competence and teaching styles

Table 4.4.1.1b: Mean values for Teacher's competence and teaching styles

Table 4.4.1.1c: Frequency and percentage for Teacher's competence and teaching

styles

Table 4.4.1.2a: Reliability test for leaning context

Table 4.4.1.2b: Mean values of learning context

Table 4.4.1.2c: The frequency and percentage for learning context

Table 4.4.1.3a: Reliability test for learning content

Table 4.4.1.3b: Mean values for learning content

Table 4.4.1.3c: The frequency and percentage of learning content

Table 4.4.1.4a: Reliability test for Learners' self-determination

Table 4.4.1.4b: Mean values for Learners’ Self-determination

Table 4.4.1.4c: The frequency and percentage for learners’ Self-determination

Table 4.4.1.5a: Reliability test for Learners' language utility

x

Table 4.4.1.5b: Mean values for learners’ language utility

Table 4.4.1.5c: The frequency and percentage for learners’ language utility

Table 5.2.2: The most demotivating factors