A Study On ESP Learning Motivation Of Non-English Majors

Motivation is one of the crucial factors affecting language learning and has been abundantly explored in the field of English as foreign language teaching and learning.Research on foreign language learning began in 1950s.Canadian psychologist Gardner and his colleague Lambert carried out a series of research work.The study of foreign language learning motivation in our country began in the 1980s,but most of the research mainly aimed at non-English majors'English learning motivation.Few experts and scholars studied non-English majors' motivations of learning English for Special purpose.However,with the development of economy and technology,our country has more and more cooperation and exchanges with foreign countries in politics,economy,culture,science and technology.We urgently demand the talents equipped with both professional knowledge and corresponding English ability.In view of that,the writer of this thesis carried out a study on ESP learning motivation of non-English-major undergraduates through a questionnaire and an interview.200 non-English-major undergraduates from Xinjiang University of Finance and Economy participated in the research.The emphasis of the current research is on the investigation of the motivational types of ESP learning and the factors affecting the motivation thereof.The study yields the following results:First,there exist five types of ESP learning motivation among the students under investigation:individual development motivation,information medium motivation,learning situation motivation,intrinsic motivation,exam and going abroad motivation.Among these five motivations,the individual development motivation is the strongest one.Second,students of different gender,major and English proficiency vary in their motivation types.Third,through analyzing the answers of the interview,the writer found the students' ESP learning motivations are influenced by teachers,teaching methods,teaching materials and the learning environment.On the basis of the study,the writer puts forward some suggestions for ESP teachers on how to stimulate students' ESP learning motivation.