A Correlation Study Of Perceptual Learning Style And Motivated L2 Behavior For Junior High School Students

In recent years,more and more emphasis has been placed on learners themselves according to the focus of foreign language education research,and more attention has been paid to the learners' dominant position and learners' individual differences.Perceptual learning style is one of the main factors that affect learners' individual differences,and has gradually become an important research issue.Second language learning motivation is an important variable that affects learners' individual differences and motivated behaviors.A great number of researchers have shown that second language learning motivation can improve learning outcome,while students' perceptual learning style preference can improve the level of students' motivated L2 behaviors.Based on the literature review at home and abroad,the author finds that the early studies in China mostly separated perceptual learning style from motivated L2 behavior.Most of these studies are concentrated on Colleges and senior high schools,and the research on junior high school students is rare.Moreover,there are few researches about the relationshipbetween perceptual learning style and motivated L2 behavior in China,especially in junior high school.Junior high school is an important stage of transition from primary school to senior high school.As an important period of transition from adolescence to youth,their physical and mental development has a strong plasticity.In this stage,they should not only master basic knowledge and skills,but also develop qualities for future development.Therefore,it is very important to pay attention to the individual differences and learning motivation of junior high school students in foreign language learning.On this basis,this paper takes learners' individual differences theory and perceptual learning style theory as the theoretical framework,using the combination of perceptual learning style preference questionnaire,motivated L2 behavior questionnaire and semi-structured interview,and explores the correlation between junior high school students' perceptual learning style and motivated L2 behavior,focusing on exploring which dimension of the perceptual learning style can arouse the students' motivated L2 behavior.This research aims to answer the following three questions:(1)What are the overall characteristics of junior high school students' perceptual learning styles in English learning? Are there any differences between different grades and genders?(2)What is the overall situation of junior high school students' motivated L2 behaviors? Arethere any differences between different grades and genders?(3)Is there any correlation between junior high school students' perceptual learning style and motivated L2 behavior? If so,what is the correlation between the six dimensions of perceptual learning style and students' motivated L2 behavior?In this study,231 junior high school students from Hohhot Experimental Middle School were taken as the research subjects,including two grades,Grade one and Grade two.Two questionnaires and one interview are applied in this research: the Perceptual Learning Style Preference Questionnaire by Reid and Motivated L2 Behavior Questionnaire by AL.Sheri and Kim to collect data.All collected questionnaires were analyzed by SPSS 25.0.Finally,based on the results of the questionnaire,8 students from two grades were randomly selected for semi-structured interviews to further support the results of the quantitative research and explore the reasons behind the current situation surveyed.The results are shown as follows:(1)Junior high school students prefer visual learning style and auditory learning style most.There is no significant gender difference in the dimensions of perceptual learning style,but there exists grade difference.Students in Grade 1 have the higher preference of kinesthetic learning style than Grade 2.While Grade2 students tend to more like visual learning style and individual learningstyle than grade 1 students.(2)Junior high school students have a high level of motivated L2 behavior when they learn English.There is no significant gender difference in motivated L2 behavior of junior high school students,but there is a grade difference.Students in Grade 1 have a higher level of motivated L2 behavior than Grade 2 students.(3)Pearson correlation analysis indicated that there is a positive and moderate correlation(r=0.487)between perceptual learning style and junior high school students' motivated L2 behavior.Motivated L2 behavior with a visual learning style has a significant positive and moderate correlation(r=0.450),auditory,kinesthetic and individual learning styles have a weak positive correlation with motivated L2 behavior.Then,regression analysis showed that some dimensions of perceptual learning style have predictive effects on the motivated L2 behavior.Based on the above findings,the author puts forward some suggestions on how junior high school English teachers should combine students' motivated L2 behavior and perceptual learning style tendency,pay attention to students' individual differences,so as to better stimulate foreign language learning motivation.Firstly,junior high school English teachers should use a variety of teaching methods to meet the needs of students with different learning styles,provide sufficient visual and auditory input for students,and cultivate juniorhigh school students' visual and auditory style tendency.Secondly,teachers should cultivate students' interest and confidence in English learning,give students positive psychological hints,and help students maintain a positive attitude towards learning,so as to promote the level of students' motivated L2 behavior.Finally,teachers should also consciously cultivate students' visual and kinesthetic learning style tendencies in cultivating students' motivated L2 behaviors.