The relationship between learner autonomy and learner motivation perceived by first-year English majors at Nguyen Tat Thanh University

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEARNER AUTONOMY

AND LEARNER MOTIVATION PERCEIVED BY FIRST￾YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS AT NGUYEN TAT THANH

UNIVERSITY

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for

the degree of Master of Arts in TESOL

Submitted by : NGUYEN THI THANH TRAM

Supervisor : Dr. DUONG MY THAM

Ho Chi Minh City, September 2019

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY

NGUYEN THI THANH TRAM

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEARNER AUTONOMY

AND LEARNER MOTIVATION PERCEIVED BY FIRST￾YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS AT NGUYEN TAT THANH

UNIVERSITY

Major: TEACHING ENGLISH TO SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES

Major code : 60140111

MASTER OF ARTS IN TESOL

Supervisor: Dr. DUONG MY THAM

Ho Chi Minh City, September 2019

i

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I certify that this thesis entitled “The Relationship between Learner Autonomy

and Learner Motivation Perceived by First-Year English Majors at Nguyen

Tat Thanh University” is my own work.

Except where reference is made in the text of the thesis, this thesis 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 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, September 2019

NGUYEN THI THANH TRAM

ii

RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS

I hereby state that I, Nguyen Thi Thanh Tram, being a candidate for the degree of

Master of Arts (TESOL), accept the requirements of the University relating to the

retention and use of Master’s Theses deposited in the Library.

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my Master’s Thesis

deposited in the Library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research,

in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Librarian for the care,

loan, and reproduction for theses.

Ho Chi Minh City, 2019

NGUYEN THI THANH TRAM

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This Master of Art in TESOL thesis is the result of a fruitful collaboration of all the

people whom have kindly contributed with an enormous commitment and

enthusiasm in my research. Without the help of those who supported me at all times

and in all possible ways, it would not have been feasible for me to complete my

M.A. thesis.

I am deeply indebted to my supervisor, Dr. Duong My Tham, from Ho Chi Minh

City Nong Lam University, whose compassion, encouragement and guidance

throughout the research have helped in the completion of this thesis. I have truly

learned from the excellence of her skills and from her wide experience in research;

no words are adequate to describe the extent of my gratitude.

I would like to express my particular gratitude to my beloved family for their

unconditional love, understanding, encouragement, financial and spiritual support

over time and distance.

I owe a great debt of gratitude to the first-year English-majored participants at

Nguyen Tat Thanh University who contributed data to this thesis.

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ABSTRACT

Learner autonomy in English education has received great concern from numerous

researchers around the world as it is identified as one of the key competences for lifelong

learning. There is a wide variety of factors which affect learner autonomy such as age, prior

knowledge, attitude, motivation, cooperative learning, aptitude, amount of exposure, and

anxiety in foreign language learning. Although learner motivation and learner autonomy

has been popular in the field of foreign language teaching for many years, little attention

has been paid to the link between motivation and autonomy. Purposely, this study aimed at

examining the relationship between learner autonomy and learner motivation in English

language learning as perceived by the first-year English majors at Nguyen Tat Thanh

University.

Methodologically, the study was conducted at Nguyen Tat Thanh University with the

participation of 165 first-year English majors. Mixed-methods research was employed in

this study, i.e., both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered from questionnaire and

semi-structured interview. As for data analysis, descriptive statistics (e.g., Mean, Standard

Deviation, Frequencies, and Percentages) and inferential statistics (e.g. Pearson

Coefficients, Beta values) were exploited to analyze quantitative data, whereas qualitative

data were analyzed through content analysis.

To the findings, the majority of the first-year English-majored students at Nguyen Tat

Thanh University displayed their high instrumental motivation on learning English.

Nevertheless, these first-year English majors manifested their integrative motivation at an

average level. Besides, the large number of the first-year English majors recognized their

responsibilities in their language learning process. Furthermore, the first-year English

majors’ abilities inside class outperformed those outside class. They tended to have better

abilities to choose objectives, materials, activities inside the class. Next, during the past one

year (the first and second semesters of the first year), the first-year English majors had

undertaken the outside and inside autonomous behaviors at an average degree. The linkage

between learner motivation and learner autonomy was perceived by the students, which

was proved by both the questionnaire and semi-structured results. In specific, while the

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first-year English majors’ instrumental motivation made a significant contribution to the

prediction of their perceived autonomous responsibilities, the integrative motivation did

not. In addition, both instrumental motivation and integrative motivation made a

statistically significant unique contribution to autonomous abilities identified by the

students, in which the first-year English-majored students’ instrumental motivation had the

stronger impact on the autonomous abilities than their integrative motivation actually did.

Following that, the students’ outside behaviors of learner autonomy could derive from their

own instrumental and integrative motivational domains. Finally, only the surveyed

students’ instrumental motivation impacted considerably their inside autonomous

behaviors.

Inferred from the study findings, the research paper concluded with some pedagogical

implications, and a recommendation for further study in the line of research on developing

learner autonomy and increasing learner motivation.

Keywords: English majors; Learner autonomy; Learner motivation; Nguyen Tat Thanh

University

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TABLE OF CONTENT

Page

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

RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS……………………………………….. ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ………………………………………………………… iii

ABSTRACT ………………………………………………….………………………. iv

TABLE OF CONTENT …………………………………………………………….. vi

LIST OF TABLES …………………………………………………………………… x

LIST OF FIGURES, CHARTS …………………………………………………….. xii

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

1.1. Background of the Study …………………………………………………… 1

1.2. Problem Statement ………………………………………………………….. 2

1.3. Rationale to the Study ……………………………………………………… 3

1.4. Research Aims ………………………………………………………………. 5

1.5. Research Questions ………………………………………………………… 5

1.6. Significance of the Study …………………………………………………… 5

1.7. Operational Definitions of Key Terms …………………………………….. 6

1.8. Structure of the Thesis ……………………………………………………... 6

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

2.1. Learner Motivation ………………………………………………………… 8

2.1.1. Definitions ………………………………………………….………….. 9

2.1.2. Classifications ………………………………………………………….. 10

2.1.3. Motivation Conceptual Framework ……………………………………. 12

2.1.4. Strategies for Promoting Learner Motivation in EFL Classroom ……... 13

2.2. Learner Autonomy …………………………………………………………. 14

2.2.1. Definitions ……………………………………………………………... 14

2.2.2. Autonomous Learners …………………………………………………. 15

2.2.3. Teachers’ Roles in Promoting Learner Autonomy in EFL Classroom…. 16

2.2.4. Autonomy Conceptual Framework……………………………………... 18

2.3. Correlation between Learner Motivation and Learner Autonomy……… 19

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2.4. Previous Studies……………………………………………………………… 20

2.5. Research Gaps ………………………………………………………………. 23

2.6. Chapter Summary ………………………………………………………….. 25

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY …………………………………………………. 26

3.1. Research Design …………………………………………………………….. 26

3.2. Research Questions ………………………………………………………… 28

3.3. Research Site and Participants …………………………………………….. 28

3.3.1. Research Site …………………………………………………………… 28

3.3.2. Research Participants …………………………………………………... 29

3.4. Research Instruments ………………………………………………………. 31

3.4.1. Student Questionnaire ………………………………………………….. 31

3.4.2. Student Semi-Structured Interview …………………………………….. 33

3.5. Data Collection and Analysis Procedure …………………………………... 34

3.5.1. Collecting and Analyzing Quantitative Data from the Student

Questionnaire ………………………………………………….………………

34

3.5.1.1. Collecting Phase……………………………………………… 34

3.5.1.2. Analyzing Phase……………………………………………… 35

3.5.2. Collecting and Analyzing Qualitative Data from the Student Interview 36

3.5.2.1. Collecting Phase……………………………………………… 36

3.5.2.2. Analyzing Phase……………………………………………… 37

3.6. Methodological Issues ………………………………………………………. 37

3.6.1. Reliability……………………………………………………………….. 38

3.6.2. Validity ………………………………………………….……………… 38

3.6.3. Ethnics ………………………………………………….………………. 39

3.6.4. Triangulation ………………………………………………….………... 40

3.7. Chapter Summary ………………………………………………….…………… 40

CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS………… 41

4.1. Data Analysis ………………………………………………….…………….. 41

4.1.1. Learner Motivation Perceived by the First-year English Majors……….. 41

4.1.1.1. Overall Results of Learner Motivation………………………... 42

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4.1.1.2. Detailed Results of Learner Motivation………………………. 43

4.1.2. Learner Autonomy ………………………………………………….….. 50

4.1.2.1. Overall Results of Learner Autonomy ……………………….. 51

4.1.2.2. Detailed Results of Responsibilities ………………………...... 52

4.1.2.3. Detailed Results of Abilities ………………………………….. 58

4.1.2.3. Detailed Results of Behaviors………………………………… 63

4.1.3. The Relationship between Learner Motivation and Learner Autonomy 70

4.1.3.1. Results of Pearson Product-Moment Coefficients…………….. 70

4.1.3.2. Results of Multiple Regression Analysis……………………… 74

4.2. Discussion of Findings ………………………………………………………. 87

4.2.1. The First-Year English Majors’ Learner Motivation (Research Question

1) ……………………………………………….………………………

87

4.2.2. The First-Year English Majors’ Learner Autonomy (Research Question

2) ………………………………………………….……………………

89

4.2.3. The Relationship between Learner Motivation and Learner Autonomy

(Research Question 3) ………………………………………………….

92

4.3. Chapter Summary………………………………………………….……………. 94

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS………………… 95

5.1. Conclusions………………………………………………….……………….. 95

5.1.1. The First-Year English Majors’ Learner Motivation…………………… 95

5.1.2. The First-Year English Majors’ Learner Autonomy…………………… 96

5.1.3. The Relationship between Learner Motivation and Learner Autonomy 97

5.2. Recommendations………………………………………………….………... 97

5.2.1. For English Majors……………………………………………………… 97

5.2.2. For Teachers………………………………………………….…………. 98

5.2.3. For Further Study……………………………………………………….. 99

5.3. Limitations…………………………………………………………………… 100

5.4. Chapter Summary………………………………………………….………... 100

REFERENCES………………………………………………….…………………… 101

APPENDIXES ………………………………………………….…………………… 109

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APPENDIX A.1: QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH VERSION) …………………. 110

APPENDIX A.2: QUESTIONNAIRE (VIETNAMESE VERSION) …………… 114

APPENDIX B.1: SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW (ENGLISH VERSION) 118

APPENDIX B.2: SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW (VIETNAMESE

VERSION) ………………………………………………….………………………...

119

APPENDIX C: CONSENT FORM (ENGLISH VERSION) …………………….. 120

APPENDIX D: A SAMPLED INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT (ENGLISH

VERSION) ………………………………………………….………………………...

121

APPENDIX E: RELIABILITY INDEXES………………………………………… 124

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LIST OF TABLES

Page

Table 2.1: Learner Motivation Conceptual Framework……………………………….. 12

Table 2.2: Teachers’ Roles in Fostering Learner Autonomy………………………….. 17

Table 2.3: Learner Autonomy Conceptual Framework………………………………... 18

Table 3.1: General Learning Outcomes of the EFL Curriculum ……………………… 28

Table 3.2: The Linkage between the Research Instruments and the Research

Questions………………………………………………….………………..

31

Table 4.1: Instrumental Motivation Perceived by the First-Year English Majors…….. 45

Table 4.2: Integrative Motivation Perceived by the First-Year English Majors………. 46

Table 4.3: Responsibilities of Learner Autonomy Perceived by the First-Year English

Majors………………………………………………….………………….

53

Table 4.4: Abilities of Learner Autonomy Perceived by the First-Year English Majors 60

Table 4.5a: Out-Class Behaviors of Learner Autonomy Perceived by the First-Year

English Majors………………………………………………….………..

64

Table 4.5b: In-Class Behaviors of Learner Autonomy Perceived by the First-Year

English Majors…………………………………………………………….

67

Table 4.6: Correlation Coefficients …………………………………………………… 71

Table 4.7a: Regression Analysis Model Summary (Model 1) ………………………... 75

Table 4.7b: ANOVA Results (Model 1) ……………………………………………… 75

Table 4.7c: Coefficient Results (Model 1) ……………………………………………. 76

Table 4.8a: Regression Analysis Model Summary (Model 2) ………………………... 77

Table 4.8b: ANOVA Results (Model 2) ……………………………………………… 78

Table 4.8c: Coefficient Results (Model 2) ……………………………………………. 79

Table 4.9a: Regression Analysis Model Summary (Model 3) ………………………... 80

Table 4.9b: ANOVA Results (Model 3) ……………………………………………… 81

Table 4.9c: Coefficient Results (Model 3) ……………………………………………. 82

Table 4.10a: Regression Analysis Model Summary (Model 4) ………………………. 83

Table 4.10b: ANOVA Results (Model 4) …………………………………………….. 84

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Table 4.10c: Coefficient Results (Model 4) …………………………………………... 84

Table 4.11: Summary of the Results of the Pearson Test……………………………… 86