Motivation In Interpreting Learning:a Comparative Study On 2012 And 2016 GSTI Students

In L2 acquisition,motivation has attracted close attention among researchers and educators,and has been proved important by a number of empirical experiments.As a branch of L2 acquisition,interpreting learning is also largely influenced by motivation.However,there is a scarcity of studies on interpreting learning motivatjion,let alone relevant comparative studies.By adopting the Self Determination Theory(SDT),this thesis looks into differences of motivation in interpreting learning in different period of time among China's postgraduate Translation and Interpretation(T&I)learners,and investigates the reasons behind the diffeeces.This study is based on Lin Wei's(2014)empirical study on interpreting learning motivation.Questionnaires were distributed among freshmen of GSTI in the year of 2012 and 2016 respectively.SPSS analyses show that "communication facilitation" is the strongest motivation for T&I learners,while "degree and certificate" is the weakest.Motivations of ":interest in interpreting","communication facilitation" and "personal development" display an increasing trend,while "competence development" a declining trend.Motivations of "external encouragement","degree and certificate"and "foreign language study" remain stable.The thesis explores the reasons behind these differences from 3 perspectives:needs for autonomy,needs for competence and needs for relatedness.Economy,technology and controlled teaching model affect the need for autonomy.Media coverage and learners' understanding towards interpreting profession change people's need for competence.Surrounding pressure and interpersonal interaction affect students' need for relatedness.These abovementioned facors result in the changes of students' motivation in interpreting learning.The study provides empirical evidence to the application of SDT in interpreting training,and sheds some light on comparative studies of motivation in interpreting learning.Based on these findings,pedagogical suggestions are offered for T&I learners at the graduate level in China.