What Motivates Chinese Vocational Students To Learn English: A Case In A Guangdong Women Polytechnic College

Many factors affect L2 learning, SLA research views motivation as a key factor in L2 learning. Many studies have provided statistical evidence that individuals who are well motivated will learn another language faster and to a greater degree (e.g. Gardner 1985; Ellis 1994, Gass, 2001). Motivation is so important that the brightest learners are unlikely to persist long enough to attain any really useful language without sufficient of it (Dornyei, 2001). So the present research attempts to investigate on this important factor affecting on English learning, on the factors which will influence the learners' motivation.The present study adapted a quasi-experimental design with questionnaire based on Likert-scale is used to measure the types of the subjects' motivation to study English as a foreign language and analyze the factors which influence the motivation in English learning. Based on previous researches on motivation, the research collected data by means of questionnaire administered to 106 students in Guangdong Women's Polytechnic College, they are non-English majors. Small scale interview is used to collect the quality data for supporting.Results indicates that the instrumental motivation is predominant and motivation is effective along with other factors, such as attitudes, learning strategies, teacher's action and learning environment, etc. in L2 learning. For example, most of the learners in this study take positive attitude towards English learning but can not achieve high proficiency, because they can not use learning strategies systematically and efficiently, and the teacher's influence also plays an important role in foreign language learning. Besides the factors just mentioned above, practical value of a foreign language is another important factor found to be effective for L2 learning on the students.The study shows a significant finding that polytechnic or vocational college students can be strongly motivated by utilitarian value of learning a foreign language. Students with only instrumental motivation will not continue to learn English if it is not used in the future; students with both instrumental and integrative motivation will go on to learn English no matter how it would be in the future. The implication of the study is that the English teachers should take some measures to motivate students to learn English. Teachers should take advantage of the students' utilitarian value of learning English; teaching materials should be chosen according to what the students are majoring in. Other measures the teachers should take is to teach the students how to use good learning strategies; encourage students to use strategies and take advantages of the two powerful types of the learners' motivation, both integrative and instrumental, but not to change them, we may need to change teaching methods and materials.