An Empirical Study Of The Relationship Between College Students’ Motivational Regulation Strategies And Learner Autonomy In English Learning

Learning motivation is one of the key factors leading to the success of second language learning. It’s well known that there is no royal road in learning. As a sustainable deep learning, so is the foreign language learning. Caught into frustration and setbacks, learners often need the help of certain strategies to regulate their motivations. Only in this way can the foreign language learning go on. Nowadays, motivational regulation strategies attract more and more attention in both educational and psychological fields. Many researchers have made efforts in them, not only theoretically but practically. However, what’s a pity is that the studies on the relationship between the motivational regulation strategies and learner autonomy are not sufficient and wait to be deepened and enriched further.In the guide of self-regulated learning theory and constructive learning theory, this thesis, by means of the combination of a quantitative research and a qualitative research, aims to explore the relationship between non-English majors’ motivational regulation strategies and learner autonomy. In order to accomplish the goal, three research questions are designed:(1)What’s the current situation of non-English majors’ motivational regulation strategies? (2)What’s the current situation of non-English majors’ learner autonomy? (3)What’s the relationship between non-English majors’ motivational regulation strategies and learner autonomy? The research results show that (1)Non-English majors use the motivational regulation strategies with high level of frequency with the self-efficacy enhancement, interest enhancement, task value enhancement and negative-based incentive used most and performance self-talk used least; (2)Non-English majors have a medium level of learner autonomy with the knowing teaching goal, setting learning goal and monitoring learning strategies be strongest and monitoring learning process be weakest; (3)All the eight motivational regulation strategies are positively related to the five aspects of learner autonomy to some degree, indicating that the more frequent the learners use the motivational regulation strategies, the stronger the learners’learner autonomy is; and among them, five strategies embracing performance self-talk, self-efficacy enhancement, self-reward, interest enhancement and master self-talk are able to predict learner autonomy with the interest enhancement having the strongest influence.Based on the research results, this thesis is believed to provide pedagogical implications for the language teachers. First, teachers should refresh their values on students and pay attention to the active construction and engagement of students in language learning. Second, teachers should transform their roles in language teaching as supporters or contributors of language learning and provide appropriate motivational regulation strategies instruction. The last but not least, teachers should explore diverse means to promote learner autonomy, especially, pay attention to the role of students’individual interest in the promotion of learner autonomy.