An Investigation On English Learning Motivation Of Yi Junior High School Students

Learning motivation,as an important part of affective attitude,is an essential element which exerts a significant impact on students’ learning process and learning effect.As a lingua franca,English is becoming increasingly important.And at the stage of compulsory education in China,English is still regarded as the main foreign language which students learn.China,as a country,boasts a vast territory and complex ethnic group.The status of English learning varies from region to region,and thus students learn English out of different motivations.Among them,most of Yi students from southwest of China are weak in English and they are indifferent to English learning as well,which partly reaps unsatisfactory learning outcomes.Through the relevant literature at home and abroad,it is concluded that the previous studies on English learning motivation among Yi students in junior high school are rare.Therefore,this study aims to investigate the English learning motivation of Yi students in junior high school by taking Yi students of S Junior High School as an example so as to know more about their English learning motivation and then some certain suggestions are put forward.Based on the three-level framework and self-determination theory,this study investigates the status quo and affecting factors of English learning motivation of Yi students in junior high school by means of questionnaire and semi-structured interview.A total of 125 Yi students from three classes in grade three are selected as the research subjects to fill out the questionnaire,and then six Yi students are selected for semi-structured interview.In this study,it is aimed at answering the following two questions:(1).What is the status quo of Yi students’ English learning motivation in junior high school?(2).What are the factors that affect the English learning motivation of Yi students in junior high school? After analyzing the data which is gotten from questionnaire and semi-structured interview,two major conclusions are drawn out.The first conclusion is that Yi students in junior high school generally have a low-level English learning motivation,mainly showing extrinsic motivation and instrumental motivation.And they lack intrinsic motivation and integrative motivation.Secondly,there are three kinds of factors that impact their English learning motivation.The factors are about the learner,learning situation and language.At the learner level,Yi students’ poor interests in learning English,uncontrollable learning attributions,anxiety,low self-confidence and utilitarian learning goals all contribute to their low intrinsic motivation and integrative motivation and high instrumental motivation.At the learning situation level,teachers’ test-oriented teaching style,Yi students’ parents’ literacy and their concern for their children’s English learning,and poor learning atmosphere also contribute to their low intrinsic motivation and high extrinsic motivation.At the language level,the status of English and the difficulty of the language can affect their English learning motivation.According to the above conclusions,corresponding suggestions are given to better help local teachers to understand and improve Yi students’ English learning motivation.Besides,these suggestions may help local students adjust their English learning motivation to the optimal level in order to improve their English learning effect as well.