The Study Of Non-english Major Postgraduates’ English Learning Motivation Based On Self-determination Theory

Along with China joining in WTO and the accelerated developing of economic globalization, English as the first international language, its position has been becoming more and more prominent in the communication of economy, culture and political cooperation. The importance of English has been focused by educator, employer and the public. English as a very important degree course of non-English major postgraduate, English class has the longest teaching time. Students and teachers spend a lot of time on it, but the reality is time consuming with low efficiency. Searching for the reasons, as the low or even lack of motivation has played a crucial role which hinders the progressing of non-English major postgraduates’ English learning. Corder points out that “given motivation, anyone can master a language”, which proves the importance to learn English. The article has presented the theory of foreign language academic motivation at home and abroad, and related research development, which finds that Self-determination Theory provides a relatively complete framework that organized a lot of foreign language learning motivations systematically. So the study on academic motivation is carried out in English learning of non-English major postgraduates on the basis of Self-determination Theory, however,considering that the questionnaires made according to the Self-determination Theory, are designed for normal learning motivation, and maybe not suitable for domestic students, so the author has revised and compiled questionnaires with the help of classical self-determination Theory questionnaires and the questionnaire designed by Gao Yihong and Wen Qiufang, adding the result of interview from 20 postgraduates. Getting preliminary questionnaire through designing the scale and serving the topics, then examining the reliability and validity to the preliminary questionnaire, I get the formal questionnaire at last, the Non-English Major Postgraduates’ English Learning Motivation Questionnaire.In this study, 282 non-English major postgraduates from Harbin Normal University as subjects, the paper utilizes the self-made of the Non-English Major Postgraduates English Learning Motivation Questionnaire as tool. Questionnaire investigation, literature research are research methods. English learning motivation of non-English major postgraduates, contains five dimensationalities. Respectively within the intrinsic motivation, integrated regulation, identified regulation, introjected regulation and external regulation. Non-English major postgraduates of the highest score in the English learning motivation is the intrinsic motivation, the second is identified regulation, respectively taken within external regulation, introjected regulation, and integrated regulation scored lowest. To non-English major postgraduates’ English learning motivation types, there exists a significant difference in gender, in the professional category, in the grade and in the English achievement, and identified regulation can extremely positively predict the English achievement.