A Study On The Relationship Among English Learning Motivation, Learning Strategies And Learning Achievements In Vocational College

In the1970s, as the focus of foreign language teaching and learning research has been shifted from teachers and teaching to learners and learning, researchers began to show great interest in studying second language/foreign language learning process and individual differences. As for how language learning is affected by language learners’differences, eight individual differences have been generally acknowledged and mainly discussed. They are motivation, intelligence, aptitude, personality, age, sex, first language and learning strategies (Ellis,1999). As important individual differences affecting English learning process, motivation and strategies are receiving more and more attention from both researchers and language teachers. This study is conducted to explore the relationship among English learning motivation, English learning strategies and English achievements, which is meaningful and helpful to the teaching of vocational college English.This study was undertaken to find out the status quo of learning motivation and learning strategies of vocational college students; the impact of language proficiency difference on English learning motivation and strategies and the relationship among English learning motivation, learning strategies and learning achievements. The subjects were130non-English major students of freshmen from Wuhan Engineering Institute. Questionnaire and interview were the main instruments to collect data. The researcher adopted the format of questionnaire developed by Gao Yihong etc.(2003) and Oxford (1990) to investigate vocational students’motivation and learning strategies respectively. And the data were processed with SPSS, including descriptive statistics, independent t-test, and correlation analysis.Research results indicate that vocational college EFL students’motivation and learning strategy were all at medium degree in present study. As for3motivation types, vocational college students had situational and cultural motivation, but were more instrumentally motivated. With regard to learning strategies, vocational college students adopt compensation strategies and cognitive strategies most frequently. The least popular strategies for them are social strategies and meta-cognitive strategies. There was no significant difference in English learning motivation between high-scored students and low-scored students. In terms of learning strategies, except cognitive strategies, significant differences did not exist in the other five strategy categories between high-scored students and low-scored students. It also revealed that there existed positive and significant correlation between motivation and learning strategies; but English learning motivation showed no correlation with English achievements and English learning strategies showed no correlation with English achievements, either. English learning motivation could affect learning strategies directly, but couldn’t affect English achievements directly.Suggestions were recommended to vocational college English teaching as following:(1) English teachers should inspire vocational college students’ interest in English; provide appropriate learning strategies for students; guide students how to learn well and develop students’ independent learning skills; make attempts to create a good and harmonious teacher-students relationship and a relaxed classroom atmosphere;(2) vocational college students should build up self-confidence; develop a good learning habit; learn to attribute their performance correctly; promote a positive and correct English learning attitude.