Dimensions Of College Students' Motivation For English Writing And Their Relations To English Writing Strategy

Writing is an indispensable component of college English learning. However, the present situation of college English writing teaching and learning in China is far from satisfactory. Therefore, many studies concerning college English writing have been carried out, but nearly none of them have explored the motivation for English writing. Considering the critical role motivation plays in language learning, it is necessary to explore this field.Recent studies of motivation have shifted from general learning motivation towards specific task motivation. Researches concerning specific motivation for English listening and English reading have already been carried out. In order to get a clear understanding about Chinese college students' motivation for English writing, this thesis investigated the dimensions of Chinese college students' motivation for English writing and their relations to English writing strategy. In particular, the following questions were discussed:a. Was Chinese college students' motivation for English writing a multidimensional structure?b. Could different groups of students with different motivational profiles be identified?c. What were the relations of dimensions of Chinese college students' motivation for English writing to the English writing strategies?d. Did students with different motivational profiles use English writing strategies differently?The study was carried out by means of two questionnaires. One questionnaire, called Motivation for English Writing Questionnaire, was used to assess motivation. The other one, called English Writing Strategy Questionnaire, was used to evaluate writing strategies. The two questionnaires were administrated to 201 students of Shaanxi Normal University and 179 valid ones were coded.The data obtained were analyzed with exploratory factor analysis, cluster analysis, correlation analysis, and independent sample t-test using SPSS (13.0).