A Study Of Motivation In Second Language Learning

Learners are often influenced by a number of factors in second language learning. As one of the most important affective factors, motivation plays an outstanding role in second language learning. The recent two decades have witnessed a great number of studies on fostering learner motivation in language learning from different perspectives. Among the studies, however, empirical studies on motivation, especially studies situated in China, are limited. This research aims to conduct a theoretical study on motivation, and to carry out an empirical study to shed light on the effects of motivation on second language learning. A survey was conducted among 60 senior grade one students by means of a questionnaire to examine the effects of motivation on L2 learning achievement. The analyzing SPSS17.0 was employed to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the data obtained in the questionnaire. The results show that 1) students with strong intrinsic motivation get higher English scores, while students with weak intrinsic motivation get lower scores; and 2) the accomplishment and L2 learning achievement enjoy significant positive correlation, and External regulation and L2 learning achievement enjoy significant negative correlation. In the light of this study, this thesis also provides several strategies for stimulating the learner's motivation.