Stimulating English-Learning Motivation Of Junior Middle School Students

It is well known 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. The pioneer work on motivation started from Wallence Lambert and Robert Gardner, whose work powerfully brought motivational issues to the attention of second language field. Gardner's social-educational theory and assessment model: Attitude and Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) (1985) greatly influences the later study. More recently, researchers have expanded the theories of motivation to wider aspects of non-L2 approaches like general psychology, educational psychology, cognitive developmental and sociocultural psychology, and moved this research forward. In addition to Gardner's socio-educational model, this thesis also reviews three other leading theories: expectancy-value theories, self-determination theory, and Dornyei's extended framework. These theories will form the theoretical basis of the motivational variables which influence Chinese junior middle school students'learning behavior.Second language learning (SLL) motivation consists of three components: motivation orientation, motivation intensity and motivation persistence. These three motivation components co-exist. Only by combining the student's learning purposes, the effort he makes and the time he maintains the effort together can we get a thorough idea of the student's learning motivation.SLL motivation is affected by rather complicated external and internal factors. The extent how students are motivated variously depends on individuals. But at present, most of the Chinese college English teachers fail to pay enough attention to the student's motivations and the important motivational variables. Moreover, even if 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.Given such consideration, and based on the former researches, this thesis probes into Chinese junior middle school students'motivation variables from cognitive, contextual and educational level. Here, only the major ones that influence Chinese junior middle school students'motivation are taken into consideration. From the cognitive perspective, the learner's attributions, anxiety, curiosity, self-efficacy, goal attainment, and satisfaction lead to the individual difference in learning motivation; whereas from the contextual perspective, the need of society, national and college language policy, and parental encouragement are all affecting the learner's motivation. However, from the educational level, the syllabus, teaching materials, learning tasks, teachers, are the main influential variables. Then a questionnaire is designed on the basis of these variables in details. The questionnaire, which I used to conduct a survey in six classes, serves as a way to assess students'motivation. The result of the survey also provides evidence for the framework which intends to help teachers to develop systematic motivation strategies for junior middle school students. The framework is practical since it covers the whole learning process, especially the stage of classroom learning where teachers exert the greatest influence.By understanding the motivation variables that activate students'learning behavior and having the knowledge of motivational strategies, teachers will then be in a better position in designing and conducting their instruction, improving their teaching skills, and helping the students promote positive learning motivations so that they can study English more efficiently.