Enhancing Non-English Majors' EFL Motivation Through Cooperative Learning

The problem of teaching non-English majors effectively always haunts college English teachers in China. No matter how hard the teacher tries, there is not much response from learners in class. Students' passivity is found everywhere in the whole process of English learning. Most teachers generalize that students lack motivation. It is generally acknowledged that motivation is one of the key influences on language learning success. Motivation influences learners' autonomy, attention, effort, persistence, the frequency of using learning strategies, and their learning achievement, etc. However, at present, most of the Chinese college English teachers fail to pay enough attention to the students' motivations and the important motivational variables. Moreover, even some of them have realized the significance of learning motivation, and may have applied certain motivational strategies occasionally in class, very few of them have in their mind a systematic way of improving students' motivation.Foreign /second language motivation is affected by rather complicated external and internal factors. This thesis focuses on the cognitive approach to motivation where emphasis is placed upon ways in which individuals make sense of their learning experiences, and the constructivist view of motivation, which centers around the premise that each individual is motivated differently. The thesis aims at producing background information about some aspects of research into L2 motivation, illustrating the causes of the lack of learning motivation and proposing corresponding solutions to motivating learning which emphasizes active and responsible learning through interpersonal interaction.Based on previous researches on motivation in foreign/second language learning, the research collects data by means of questionnaire administered among 124 non-English majors and undergraduates who were randomly selected in Wuhan University of Technology and interviews with five English teachers who have been teaching College English for non-English majors for several years in that university. The survey, which involves both quantitative and qualitative researches, probes into Chinese non-English majors' main influential motivation variables and the result of the survey also provides evidence for the framework which intends to help teachers to develop systematic motivation strategies for non-English majors. In an attempt to promote learner motivation in the process of foreign language learning (FLL), the author carried out an empirical research in an ordinary class of non-English major for15 weeks by applying cooperative learning (CL) method--a learner-centeredapproach-- in college English teaching.The findings indicate that in CL environment, the relationships among learners are trusting and trustworthy, so learners can focus on how to accomplish the learning tasks without fear of making errors or being laughed at by others. In this democratic and friendly learning environment, the various features of CL are highly motivating, because they encourage such achievement-oriented behaviors as trying hard, attending class regularly, praising the effort of others, and receiving help from one's groupmates. The teacher's role is to facilitate the development of learners' language and communicative competence by providing a supportive language learning environment according to learners' needs and interests. CL will help to create a positive interdependence among learners. Peer support can be a powerful motivator for shy, insecure, or even uninterested learners. In CL approach, success is based on the whole group's achievement and individuals' efforts, and one's groupmates will reward it. CL involves task and reward system that better ensure that all members of the group will participate and do so at the level of their own proficiency. Resource, goal and reward interdependence contribute to motivation, and enjoyable activities encourage participation as well. The method, based on students' learning interest, life experience and their cognitive levels, creates more opport...