A Study Of The Relationship Between Language Learning Motivation And Language Learning Strategies

This thesis intends to explore the relationship between language learning motivation and language learning strategies through a questionnaire survey that encompasses a wide range of participants: less-efficient/efficient learners and non-English/English majors. These participants are supposed to hold different types of motivation and thus adopt different learning strategies. SPSS 11.0 is used to analyze: (1) language learning motivation held by less-efficient learners and efficient learners/non-English majors and English majors respectively; (2) language learning strategies adopted by less-efficient learners and efficient learners/non-English and English majors respectively, and then (3) the correlation between language learning motivation and language learning strategies to check whether learners'preference for certain types of learning strategies is partially determined by their particular types of motivation.The part of Introduction deals with the research background, purposes, methodology and the limitation of the present study. Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 together establish a sound theoretical foundation for this study. Chapter 1 is a general survey of the research on language learning motivation, introducing the types of motivation and the relevant theories as well as other influential motivation theories. Chapter 2 is a general survey of the research on language learning strategies, presenting information about the definitions and classifications of language learning strategies and the limited amount of research on the relationship between language learning motivation and language learning strategies. Chapter 3 elaborates on the situations of the participants, instrument employed in this study, and the process of data collection and data analysis. Chapter 4 shows the results of data analysis firstly and then compares language learning motivation held and language learning strategies employed by efficient and less-efficient learns as well as English majors and non-English majors, and finally comes to a discussion about the relationship between language learning motivation and language learning strategies. The part of Conclusion, based on the review of the whole study, comprises some tentative suggestions proposed by the author, to English teachers and learners across China.