A Study Of English Learning Motivation Of Non-English Major Postgraduates

Motivation has been widely accepted by both teachers and researchers as one of the key factors that influence the rate and success of second/foreign language learning. For several decades, researchers in social psychology and education have recognized the importance of motivation for successful second language (L2) learning. A great deal of research has been carried out regarding L2 motivation at home and abroad during the past several decades. Most of the previous studies of English learning motivation in China have been carried out among undergraduates, but few focus on that of postgraduates. In China, Gao Yihong et al (2003) have done research into the motivation types of Chinese postgraduates in English learning, showing that there are motivational differences between undergraduates and postgraduates. Thus it is necessary to carry out investigation into English learning motivation among non-English major postgraduates so as to give English teachers pedagogical implications on how to motivate their students and facilitate their teaching.Based on the previous study, a questionnaire survey is conducted among 164 non-English major postgraduates from Jiangxi Normal University to investigate their English learning motivation. The questionnaire is designed according to Gao Yihong's (2003) Motivation Type Scale. The statistical analysis is conducted by SPSS 13.0, which includes: Firstly, descriptive statistics is employed to reveal the distribution of types of motivation among postgraduates. Secondly, Independent-samples t-test is conducted to find out the possible significant differences between male and female students in terms of motivation; Independent-samples t-test is also computed to identify if there are any significant differences among different major students in types of motivation. Thirdly, Pearson Correlation analysis is carried out to examine how different types of motivation are related to the postgraduates'English achievement. Finally, Multiple Linear Regression is conducted to find the predictive power of the motivation types to English achievement. The present research has yielded the following findings:1. Non-English major postgraduates present three main types of motivation for their English learning: cultural motivation, instrumental motivation and situational motivation. Among the three types of motivation, cultural motivation ranks first; instrumental motivation ranks second, and the last one is situational motivation. The three types can be further divided into seven subtypes of motivation: internal interest, personal development, social responsibility, going abroad, achievements, learning situation, and information media.2. Female postgraduates have stronger motivation than male students in three types of motivation, and there are significant differences between male and female students in cultural motivation. There is no significant difference between students of arts major and science major in the three types of motivation. The statistical results demonstrate that the students of science are more instrumentally motivated than students of arts, while the students of arts are more culturally motivated and situationally motivated than students of science.3. Cultural motivation and instrumental motivation have a positive and significant correlation with the postgraduates'English achievement; instrumental motivation has relatively less influence on the achievement. There is no significant correlation between situational motivation and learner's achievement.4. The most powerful predictor of English achievement is cultural motivation, followed by instrumental motivation. Whereas situational motivation can hardly contribute to students'language proficiency and has no effect on what students have achieved in English learning.Some implications have been drawn from the results of the study for English teaching of Non-English major postgraduates. Based on these results, the thesis also provides some suggestions for enhancing students'cultural motivation, such as providing learners with the culture of the target language, arousing students'interest in English learning, etc.