| In order to enhance cultural and economic communication, English has become acompulsory course for the minority students in China. However, because minoritiesmostly concentrate in remote areas with closed information and backward culturaldevelopment, there exist a variety of difficulties among minority students in theirEnglish learning. English is their third language, influenced by distinctive features andcomplexities of English learning, more and more attention has been paid to students·saliently unsatisfactory English learning outcomes by many scholars and teachers inChina. For most minority students themselves, learning English well faces greaterchallenge, all of which can cause more anxiety in their learning process and it will bemore likely for them to have less motivation in learning English.A great many empirical studies have been conducted on the aspects of anxiety andmotivation, but researches mainly concentrate on college students rather than high andelementary school students who make up the majority of English learning in China. Upto now, only a very few studies have been carried out on minority college students.Accordingly, the present study is designed to explore the follow questions:(1) What is the general picture of anxiety and motivation of high school students ofBai nationality in learning English?(2) How are foreign language anxiety and motivation related to each other?(3) Is there any correlation between foreign language anxiety, motivation andachievements about high school students of Bai nationality? If so, to what extent arethey related? Is it positive or negative?(4) What are the potential sources of foreign language anxiety and motivation forhigh school students of Bai nationality?To fulfill these research objectives, this study adopted a combination of quantitativeand qualitative methodologies. A self-report survey questionnaire investigated the levelof English language anxiety and motivation of high school students of Bai nationality. The self-report questionnaire is comprised of three instruments: demographic survey,Horwitz, et al.(1986)·s Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scales (FLCAS) andEnglish Learning Motivation Scales. Students· mid-term scores were used to assesstheir English learning achievement. The data collected from questionnaire werecalculated in the SPSS13.0. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect qualitativedata from students with different levels of anxiety and motivation to furthercomplement the quantitative results. It hopes to put forward some strategies to reduceEnglish learning anxiety and stimulate motivation.Research findings indicate that1) Most of the learners have motivation to learnEnglish well, while at the same time they experience high level of learning anxiety.2)English classroom anxiety is significantly negatively related to English learningmotivation.3) English achievement has significantly negative correlation with Englishclassroom anxiety and it is positively and significantly correlated with motivation.4)Classroom communication, students-teacher interaction, language testing, cruel peercompetition, improper learning beliefs about language learning are the main sources oflanguage anxiety. Having interests and correct attribution of success and failure inlearning English could enhance their English learning motivation.The study concludes with some significant suggestions in the field of minorityEnglish teaching in China. It has contributed to complementing the diversity of Englishteaching and learning. English teachers in minority areas should endeavor to create afriendly and relaxed English learning atmosphere and put forward proper strategies toreduce students· English learning anxiety and enhance their motivation, and furtherincrease their confidence. It is sincerely hoped that the research would attract moreattention and emphasis from linguistic researchers and teachers engaged in ethnicminority. |
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