Research On The Correlation Between English Learning Motivation And English Reading Competence Among Junior High School Students

In second language acquisition,learners’ learning motivation is considered to be an important factor affecting their learming outcomes,while English reading plays a significant role in learmers9 acquisition of information.Throughout the literature at home and abroad,researches on English learning motivation and English reading have made great achievements.However,scholars at home or abroad rarely explore the correlation between the two,and few of them take junior high school students as research subjects.Therefore,based on previous empirical researches and Gardner’s instrumental motivation and integrative motivation,this thesis takes students from two classes of junior high school in Wuhan as research subjects,tries to explore whether the English learning motivation types held by them with different reading competence are consistent and the correlation between the two,and investigates the main factors affecting these two variables,hoping to put forward some suggestions for taking advantage of English learning motivation to improve junior high school students,English reading performance.This thesis aims to explore four research questions:1.Among junior high school students,which type of motivation is stronger,integrative motivation or instrumental motivation?2.What are the differences in the kinds of learning motivation among junior school students with different reading competence?3.What is the relationship between English learning motivation and English reading competence?4.What are the main factors that influence junior high school students’ learning motivation and their English reading competence?The participants of this study were 104 students from class 7 and class 9,grade 2.This study used questionnaires,reading test and semi-structured interviews to collect data.Analysis of the data was carried out by SPSS22.0.The main findings of the study are as follows:1.In terms of English learning motivation,students have stronger integrative motivation than instrumental motivation.2.Students with higher reading scores have a higher English learning motivation than students with lower reading seores.Comparing instrumental motivation with integrative motivation,there is little difference between these two in terms of the motivation intensity among students with lower scores,while students with higher scores have stronger integrative motivation than instrumental motivation.3.There is a linear correlation between students’ English learning motivation and English reading competence.They are positively related.4.The possible reasons for factors that influence students’ English learning motivation include classroom teaching,English language talent,effort and learning environment.Whereas,the factors that influence students5 English reading competence consist of vocabulary,reading habits,psychological factors and cultural background knowledge.According to the research findings,some implications are put forward to strengthen junior high school students’ English learning motivation in English reading.Including:teachers should stimulate junior high school students’ interests in English;guide students to set practical goals and encourage them to formulate positive English learning motivation;and figure out the attribution characteristics of students in English reading.