A Study Of The Relationships Among English Learning Motivation,Demotivation,Academic Buoyancy And Autonomous Learning Behavior Of Secondary School Students

Motivation is considered as one of the main factors that influence learner' s second language acquisition.Researchers have studied it in various aspects and from different perspectives.However,despite the massive findings in previous research,which can help us understand the nature of motivation,it is still found hard to maintain learners'motivation and prevent their demotivation.The recent introduction of the concept"academic buoyancy" adds a new angle for motivation studies,which,along with other factors,can help broaden the understanding of motivation and shed some light on EFL teaching and learning.The present study,therefore,is intended to investigate the relationship among motivation,demotivation,academic buoyancy and autonomous learning behavior.Specifically,it aims to answer the following three questions:(1)What are the characteristics of secondary school students' motivation,demotivation,academic buoyancy and autonomous learning behavior?(2)Are there gender and grade differences in motivation,demotivation,academic buoyancy and autonomous learning behavior?If yes,what are they?If no,why not?(3)What are the relationships among motivation,demotivation,academic buoyancy and autonomous learning behavior?In order to answer these questions,a total of 306 students from a rural school in Sichuan Province participated in the study.Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data.Quantitative data from the questionnaire survey were prescreened and double checked before processing and analyzing through SPSS 22.0.Descriptive statistics,One-Way ANOVA,independent samples t-test,correlation analysis,and multiple linear regression analysis were administrated for quantitative analysis.Qualitative data from semi-structured interviews were recorded and transcribed into written texts for analysis.The results are demonstrated as follows.Firstly,secondary school students have a high level of motivation,a medium level of academic buoyancy and autonomous learning behavior,and a low level of demotivation.Secondly,there are significant differences in motivation,demotivation and autonomous learning behavior between male and female students while no significant difference is found in academic buoyancy.Significant differences are found in motivation,demotivation,academic buoyancy and autonomous learning behavior between middle and high school students.Thirdly,motivation,demotivation and academic buoyancy can predict autonomous learning behavior.Academic buoyancy is also found to mediate the association between motivation and autonomous learning behavior and demotivation mediates the association between academic buoyancy and autonomous learning behavior.Qualitative data from interviews also support the above findings from quantitative analysisThe present study reveals the relationships among motivation,demotivation,academic buoyancy and autonomous learning behavior,which has both theoretical and practical implications.Theoretically,it offers a new perspective to maintain learners'motivation and prevent their demotivation.Practically,several suggestions are provided for teachers to motivate students in secondary schools.Limitations of the present study and suggestions for future studies are listed in the end.