A Study On Motivation Of English Low Achievers In Senior High School

The existence of low achievers is a normal phenomenon in the world especially in China. The problem of low achievers is a global problem, it would influence the goals of English teaching, obstacle students’ comprehensive development, and it also betrays the principle of quality education. With the popularity of English in China, the number of English low achievers surges day by day. First, according to the actual situation of the students, combining with previous experience of English teaching, the author gives the reference of English low achievers:the normal development of intelligence, language foundation is weak, relatively poor language proficiency, the average grade of English in more than three consecutive major exams below the average score. Foreign language learning is closely related to the affective factors, while motivation is deemed as the crucial factors in all of the affective elements in foreign language learning. Thus, the most significant thing for the educators is to make clear the motivational causes of English low achievers’ low-achievement in English learning. And the English New Curriculum Standard in senior high begins to put high value on students’ emotion, attitude in English learning. It also stresses that the students should have specific learning motivation and learning autonomy for the senior high students.Based on the previous research and theoretical support, the writer is inspired to firstly investigate the English low achievers’ motivation state, and furthermore tries to find out the ways to help the English low achievers foster their learning motivation, and build up their confidence. In order to learn about the English low achieves’ motivational factors in senior high school, a questionnaire is undergone in the two classes, which are taught by the author. Based on the motivational theories, the questionnaire is written from the perspective of goal orientation, self-efficacy, attribution, expectancy theory as well as teachers’ mediation, these factors are considered as the most important factors that influence students’ learning motivation. The result of the questionnaire shows that the majority of the students do realize the significance of English learning, but a most of them have low self-efficacy, poor English learning interests and behaves aimlessly in English study. To find out the effective approach of stimulating the English low achievers’ motivation, a teaching experiment was carried out in Chengdu No.3Middle School. Two classes take part in the experiment, each of the class has60students respectively, one class is the control class, the other is the experiment class. There are two tests, a pre-test and a post-test before and after the experiment. The author confines20English low achievers from each of the class, these students are intelligently normal, in line with the reference standards of English low achievers. During the experiment the writer takes many measures to stimulate the English low achievers’ motivation, cultivate the low achievers’ interests in the experimental class in their English learning. After a period of five months’ experimental teaching, a post-test is undergone. The experiment shows that it is a useful and high-effective approach to improve the students’ learning interest and achievement of English learning through stimulating the low achievers’ motivation. After the experiment, most of the low achievers in the experimental class feel more confident, their interests in English have improved, and have begun to try their best to learn English well. With the support of experiment research and theoretical basis, the author puts forward some corresponding suggestions for the English teachers to help these students to restore their confidence, foster the students’ learning motivation and make the students make progress in English learning.