Empirical Investigation Of Non-English Major College Students' Motivational Variables And Teachers' Corresponding Classroom Management Strategies

Motivation is one of the most important aspects of learners' psychological factors and individual differences in learning a foreign language. It has significant influence on the whole process and outcome of the foreign language learning and teaching. Students in many universities in China often fail to reach their full potential as English language learners due to low motivation. The motivational problems prevent the language teaching and learning going successfully and effectively. However, the current researches on language learning motivation in China mainly focus on the importance of motivation, and few studies concern teachers' classroom management influence on learners' motivation and the effective classroom management strategies in English teaching and learning classroom, especially in college English classroom. Because of the existing motivational problems in English teaching and learning, and the present situation of motivation researches, this paper intends to explore some of the English language teaching variables influencing college non-English majors' motivation in the classroom, with the focus on teachers' role in promoting students' learning motivation, and seek for the management strategies for teachers to motivate the learners that are suitable to the present situation of college English classroom teaching.This paper presents the motivation theories and their implications in language teaching and foreign and domestic research achievements in classroom management studies. The scope of classroom management includes the management of classroom people and their behavior, management of classroom setting and management of classroom activities. As the subject of classroom management, teachers are supposed to adopt corresponding strategies to improve the whole classroom teaching and learning process. In the present English teaching and learning classroom in China, the teachers are challenged by some unmotivated or demotivated learners. Some Chinese college English teachers fail to pay enough attention to the students' motivations and the important motivational variables. Moreover, even if some have realized the significance of learning motivation, and have applied certain motivational strategies occasionally in class, few of them have in their mind a systematic way of improving students' motivation from classroom management strategies. However, more specific and scientific teacher responsibilities are proposed in the present situation of college English classroom teaching. College English teachers are required much more specific and scientific management efforts while teaching another language in a completely different linguistic and cultural background. A questionnaire survey and interviews were made with the aim of identifying the learners' motivation type and motivational variables, especially the variables related to teacher' behavior. Quantitative research method is used in the survey. The SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science for Windows) 11.5 analysis of the collected data shows that teachers' influence , students attitudes and the influence of classroom setting have a close relationship with the learners' motivation to learn. Based on the analysis of motivation theories and the findings of the author's survey and teaching practices, some strategies are put forward to manage classroom behavior, classroom time and activities, classroom physical environment and students' emotion so as to initiate, increase and sustain learners' motivation to learn in the college English language teaching classroom.