A Research On The Correlation Between The Gender Difference In Junior High School Students’ English Learning Motivation And Their Performance

Motivation is considered by many researchers to be one of the most important aspects of learners’ psychological factors and individual differences in learning a second language or foreign language.At present,the research that combines motivation with individual differences,especially the research on learning styles and learning strategies,is the current research hotspot.However,there has been little research on the relationship between gender differences in English learning motivation and academic performance of junior high school students.Therefore,this research will explore the relationship between the two,so as to provide theoretical and practical enlightenment for teachers to choose teaching methods from the perspective of gender differences.This study selects 395 junior high school students from a middle school in Changchun as the research object,conducts research through questionnaire survey and interview method,and mainly answers the following three questions:（1）What is the current situation of junior high school students’ English learning motivation and achievement?（2）What are the differences in the type and intensity of English learning motivation between boys and girls in junior high school?（3）What are the correlations between gender differences in English learning motivation and academic performance of junior high school students?By analyzing the collected data,the main findings of this study are as follows:（1）The type of English learning motivation of junior high school students is mainly instrumental motivation,and the motivation intensity is relatively high;（2）Junior high school girls have stronger instrumental motivation and integrative motivation tendency than boys,and the motivation intensity is also higher;（3）The instrumental motivation and motivation intensity of junior high school boys and girls have no significant correlation with their academic performance,while the integrative motivation and motivation intensity are significantly positively correlated with their academic performance;the integrative motivation and motivation intensity of boys are positively correlated with their English proficiency more than girls.Based on the findings,this study puts forward some teaching suggestions and inspirations: in the process of English teaching,teachers should focus on integrating motivation in the process of students’ English learning,correctly guide instrumental motivation,and improve the strength of English learning motivation;Students should cultivate their intrinsic interest and good attitude towards English learning,correctly understand the English instrumental motivation,and strengthen their efforts in English learning.