UNIVERSIDAD TÉCNICA PARTICULAR DE LOJA
La Universidad Católica de Loja
ÁREA SOCIO HUMANÍSTICA
TÍTULO DE LICENCIADO EN CIENCIAS DE LA EDUCACIÓN
MENCIÓN INGLÉS
English language students and their motivation to learn the language
TRABAJO DE TITULACIÓN
AUTOR: Grimaldos Urrea, Soraida
DIRECTOR:
Lizaldes Espinoza, Mgtr.Orlando Vicente
CENTRO UNIVERSITARIO RIOBAMBA
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Aprobación del Director del Trabajo de Titulación
Magister.
Lizaldes Espinoza, Orlando Vicente
DOCENTE DE LA TITULACIÓN
De mi consideración:
El presente trabajo de titulación: English language students and their motivation to learn the language realizado por Grimaldos Urrea Soraida, ha sido orientado y revisado durante su ejecución, por lo tanto se aprueba la presentación del mismo.
Loja, Febrero de 2016
f)…………..
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Declaración de Autoría y Cesión de Derechos
¨Yo, Grimaldos Urrea Soraida declaro ser autora del presente trabajo de titulación: English language students and their motivation to learn the language, de la Titulación de Licenciado Ciencias de la Educación mención Inglés, siendo Lizaldes Espinoza Mgtr. Orlando Vicente director del presente trabajo; y eximo expresamente a la Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja y a sus representantes legales de posibles reclamos o acciones legales. Además certifico que las ideas, conceptos, procedimientos y resultados vertidos en el presente trabajo investigativo, son de mi exclusiva responsabilidad.
Adicionalmente, declaro conocer y aceptar la disposición del Art. 88 del Estatuto Orgánico de la Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja que en su parte pertinente textualmente dice: “Forman parte del patrimonio de la Universidad la propiedad intelectual de
investigaciones, trabajos científicos o técnicos y tesis de grado que se realicen a través, con el apoyo financiero, académico o institucional (operativo) de la Universidad”.
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Dedication
I dedicate this Project investigation to my Lord Jesus for his strength through all this process, to my loving husband who gave me his unconditional support through all the challenging moments and finally to my parents who were always motivating as circumstances got more difficult in these four years.
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Acknowledgements
Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to all my teachers during these four years who helped me finish all my studies and for my graduation to become a reality.
Besides my teachers, I would like to thank Lic. Patricia Ordonez (Secretary of the Foreign language department) for her patience and overall willingness to answer all my concerns regarding academic issues.
I thank my fellow classmates for the stimulating discussions, for the sleepless nights we were working together before deadlines, and for all the fun we have had in the last four years. Also I thank my friends and teachers in the following high school Instituto Educativo Riobamba for allowing me to complete my work experience and survey at their institute.
Last but not the least, I would like to thank my family: my dear husband for all his support and understanding in this process and to my mother for all her unconditional love and motivation not just through the project of investigation but throughout all of my life, my father for all his kind words, my parents in-law for their inspiration when I felt disheartened and, finally, my dear Lord who has always been there with me to guide and strengthen me.
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CONTENTS
Cover
Aprobación del Director del Trabajo de Fin de Titulación i
Declaración de Autoría y Cesión de Derechos ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgement iv
Contents v
Abstract 1
Resumen 2
Introduction 3
Chapter I: Literature Review 5
Chapter II: Method 23
Chapter III: Results and Discussion 24 Description, Analysis and Interpretation of Results 24
Conclusions 42
Recommendations 44
References 46
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ABSTRACT
This research paper was completed at a high school in the city of Riobamba, Ecuador. Surveys were administered to a total of 100 students from different grades. The purpose of this study was to obtain the views of high school English students about the elements that motivate or discourage them to learn English and also what aspects hinder them to learn. One of the main discoveries was the dislike in students when using the current English textbook. Other important discoveries that discouraged students from learning English were the teachers‟ attitude and role. Lastly, the teachers‟ management of the lesson lacked structure,
dynamics and goal-oriented tasks.
Therefore, the students expressed that they love to learn through fun games and encouraging activities that motivate them to learn. The teachers‟ attitudes were important for
them to feel encouraged at all times. Also, students expressed the desire of limiting the overuse of the textbook. This study was based on the surveys and all the observations that took place in their English lessons.
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RESUMEN
Este trabajo de investigación se realizó en un colegio en la ciudad de Riobamba, Ecuador, donde se administraron encuestas a un total de 100 alumnos de diferentes grados. El propósito de este estudio fue conocer la opinión de los estudiantes de inglés sobre los aspectos que los motiva o desmotiva al aprender inglés y qué elementos les dificulta aprender el idioma. Uno de los principales descubrimientos fue que los estudiantes no les gustan el uso del libro de texto actual de inglés. Otro factor que les desanimaba a aprender inglés fue la actitud y el rol de los profesores. Por último, el manejo de las clases carecía de estructura,
dinámicas y tareas orientadas a los objetivos.
Por lo tanto, los estudiantes expresaron que les encanta aprender a través de juegos y actividades divertidas las cuales les motive a aprender. Las actitudes de los profesores eran importantes para sentirse animados y apoyados en todo momento. Otro aspecto que los estudiantes expresaron fue que el libro de texto utilizado no debe ser sobre utilizado. Todo este estudio se basó en las encuestas y las observaciones que tuvieron lugar en las clases de inglés.
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INTRODUCTION
Many teachers, in an ESL/EFL context, have problems teaching and accomplishing certain teaching goals because of student attitudes, motivation levels and language anxiety. These underlying factors, often ignored, have a great impact on the student‟s learning. Taking into account that these three elements are intertwined, this study focuses on motivation as the main driven factor to explain the final result of their overall English learning.
The topic investigated was what motivates and hinders language students to learn English. Precisely, a lack of motivation is a major issue on school campuses today in Ecuador, as it will be discussed more profoundly in this research study. Motivation plays a major role in English learning because it helps students accomplish their goals and learn in a more effective way (Burns and Richards, 2012). Learning takes place when strategies are appropriately incorporated and properly introduced. Many strategies vary from the ones that help relieve anxiety levels, such as games (Garcia, 2009), to the ones that motivate, such as cooperative learning, which stimulates learning through peer encouragement (Herrel & Jordan, 2012).
The students´ lack of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation among Ecuadorian high schools can be explained in three ways: teachers do not set clear objectives; teachers do not incorporate appropriate strategies for encouragement; additionally, there is little feedback in learning activities. Because of this lack of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation among students in Ecuadorian high schools, the learning acquisition of language is inhibited. There is a significant increasing lack of motivation in Ecuadorian high schools, which in the end has affected the acquisition of English skills in students.
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topic. That is why this study becomes extremely valuable because it provides information about elements that motivate students, while giving conclusions and recommendations that could be implemented to overcome the problem. This research study will benefit English teachers and education authorities as it creates an overview of the „real‟ scenario and, at the
same time, it provides enough knowledge to be able to address the problem.
That is why it would be important to mention three of the five previous studied researched in which all had the same motive which was to find out what motivated or hindered their students. One of the studies done by Bahous, Bacha & Nabhani (Motivating students in the EFL classroom: A case study of perspectives, 2011) was important to include in this particular study for its case of learners difficulties due to their lack of enthusiasm in their lessons. Another study which is considered important was the one done by Vaezi (language learning Motivation among Iranian undergraduate Students, 2008) which emphasizes the need to find out to what extent the university students are instrumentally or integratively motivated and whether this motivation has changed and modified over the period of time at the university. Lastly, the study done by Tahaineh (Jordanian Undergraduates´ Motivation and Attitudes towards Learning English in EFL context, 2013) which was focused on whether students were more instrumentally or integratively motivated as well as their attitudes toward learning. Therefore, all of the studies mentioned above prove that there is a great need to investigate further how far motivation plays a role in learning English.
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CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW
Motivation is very important when considering ESL/EFL (English as a second language/English as a foreign language) learning because it is through enthusiasm which students learn effectively. Motivation has been studied through different aspects, the most important aspects concern topics related to strategies that motivate ESL/EFL learners, methods used in ESL/EFL classrooms (communicative language teaching, cooperative language learning, content based instruction, task-based language learning, translation method, and total physical response) and finally roles of the teacher. All of these components were analyzed by using external references from books and journals that make use of theories and empirical evidence concerning these areas. Motivation to learn English is a specifically significant topic to which many authors and scholars have debated and discussed over decades. Some scholars have focused on how motivation, and its specific elements such as intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, plays a vital role in learning English as a second or foreign language.
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comes from the inner self of a person, and can be represented as something a student enjoys or considers to be challenging. As Burns & Richards (2012) state, “intrinsic motivation means doing something as an end itself, for its own self-sustaining pleasurable rewards of enjoyment, interest, challenge, or skill and knowledge development”. Gu (2009) adds, “intrinsic motivation is an activity that will gradually decline if learners have to accomplish a
task for some extrinsic needs.” Intrinsic motivation is an internally driven type of motivation that is extremely valuable in education because it allows students to improve their learning and focus more on doing things well, which, in turn, creates a positive and effective environment for learning, “all research evidence indicates that „self-motivation, rather than
external motivation, is at the heart of creativity, responsibility, healthy behavior, and lasting change” (Burns & Richards, 2012). This type of motivation helps students feel a high sense
level of achievement and this allows them to make an influence on their competency skills all on their own (Torres, 2008). When a student loves to learn, it means that he is internally driven because his motivation comes from himself and does not necessarily need to receive external stimulators all the time to achieve their goal in the learning process (Harmer, 2007).
As we can see, both types of motivation are significant because they will help students discover new ways of learning while enjoying themselves in the process. Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation are both important, nonetheless, the latter has a bigger impact on the students‟ language learning development because it is internally driven. Along with motivation, there are many aspects to be considered that influence students‟ overall
encouragement which are: strategies, methods and what role a teacher uses to teach in certain circumstances. The first one that will be discussed is strategies.
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ESL/EFL classroom motivation. The first strategy that builds motivation in ESL/EFL learners is the use of „preview/review‟. This strategy is used to prepare students for the new topic. This is crucially significant when introducing a new theme because it creates a positive expectation in the students beforehand while it creates interest in them at the same time (Herrel & Jordan, 2012). Preview/review is a strategy used to give instruction first in the students‟ native
language and then in the foreign language, alleviating any anxiety that is produced by the language barrier (by using their own language). This is done by introducing material such as visuals, realia or gestures in their home language (Louise, B. 2013), then, giving the class in English to guarantee their understanding. The teacher may give an explanation in their home language if deemed necessary (Herrel & Jordan, 2012). In this way, the activity becomes highly motivating because students do not feel intimidated by the contents in English. Many studies have shown that this activity (preview/review) is highly effective because it allows the student to review and reinforce content knowledge in their own native language so that, as the lesson develops, they can find it easier to understand what they are supposed to do. Kendall (2006) states that this activity integrates learning another language to the students‟ native language, assimilating the lesson systematically.
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each specific situation, learning from their mistakes or simply listening to their classmates‟
ideas (Ferlazzo, 2012). Cooperative learning is basically motivating students to work together in groups to complete cooperative tasks so that they will develop their communication abilities; when students work in groups, challenging each other‟s critical thinking skills and finding solutions to any learning difficulties (Gonzalez, 2013).
Another strategy in ESL/EFL is free voluntary reading, which encourages students and exposes the students to a large number of easy reading books such as in extensive reading. If students enjoy reading they will be excited in reading more and therefore anxiety is minimized (Herrel & Jordan, 2012). Reading activities elevate the “level of student interest in reading while increasing literacy skills at the same time” (Ferlazzo, 2012). It is vitally
important for the student to find adequate reading books that they like and enjoy enough to find reading a source of pleasure, and in this case it is something they find fun and engaging (Gallagher, 2008) while benefiting from the development of a wide variety of reading skills.
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learning (new incoming knowledge). It allows them to experience real vocabulary in real contexts and learn to use the new words effectively (Herrel & Jordan, 2012).
Another effective strategy is Total Physical Response (TPR), described as a fun and very motivating strategy. Students use physical activity to learn because language is presented through commands that require students to actively participate in listening, action and comprehension. Students learn by responding to commands through physical activity (Murray, 2011). During the „silent period‟, students can participate just by listening and doing
the actions required. By giving instructions and modeling each step for the students to follow, the teachers build confidence in students resulting in efficient learning (Vasquez, Hansen & Smith, 2013). TPR activities can be accompanied by pictures, images, simple oral drills and suitable signals (Murray & Christison, 2011). An example of a TPR game is „Simon says‟ where the teacher or a student says, “Simon says stand up”, so the students have to follow this
and do the action. What total Physical Response does in the learner is that it provides a thorough understanding of vocabulary and instructions using simple activities where they use their senses. These types of activities play a vital role in students‟ memory because they facilitate acquisition in a natural and fun way (Gore, 2010).
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The most popular and effective method is the communicative language teaching approach. In this particular approach, the student is exposed to many communicative social contexts as they learn and develop their skills correctly. It is absolutely necessary to create a moment where there is an information gap that the students are encouraged to participate and „fill in‟ the „missing information‟ to complete a given task. This method is used to encourage
students to participate in activities by „doing‟ while they learn in a meaningful way, acquiring communicative skills (Ariza, Morales, Yahya & Sainuddin. 2011). The aim is to improve students` fluency rather than accuracy while understanding the conversations they engage in. It is important to note that there are some different perspectives in CLT, some applied linguists consider the form and meaning, others consider just the meaning to be important (Cummins, J., & Davison). According to Ariza & Morales (2011), the aim in this method is for the student to become competent in using English language efficiently in many social settings. This method has two guided principles: first, not to just focus on patterns of grammar and vocabulary but to maintain their focus on the functions of language; second, it is ultimately important to maintain students‟ exposure to English as much as possible (Harmer,
2011).
Consequently, Task-based learning is an approach that developed from Communication language teaching. In this approach, the students may interact with each other as much as possible inside the classroom so that they can also use it outside of the classroom, concentrating on the students` communicative needs. Task based learning was introduced as a result of communicative language teaching in the 1970s. In those years, approaches began to arise due to the use of communication as the primary source to learning a foreign language. Many scholars believed it necessary to consider the learner‟s needs to inspire them to speak
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task or on language forms and functions. When a student performs a task, the teacher begins to ask and discuss the various parts of vocabulary involved in the activity (Richards and Rodgers, 2014). Examples of task-based activities are: real-life task such as obtaining information about timetables or making a presentation (Harmer, 2011)
Another main method used in English language teaching that involves task-based activities is the Content based instructional method. Content-based instruction is a method in which the topic or subject is the main focus that leads the student to acquire linguistic competence. The aim is to gain academic skills focusing on the subjects they normally have in their schools such as science, history or geography for example. Students learn English while they engage in tasks that are related to these subjects (Carrasquillo, 2013). The main objective of content-based instruction is to fulfill relating subjects, therefore, students learn English through these specific contents. (Richards and Rodgers, 2014). There can be partial or total involvement by having some classes focus on certain themes or on the use of content for language preparation (Lyster, 2007). Content-based Instruction can be considered to be similar in its form to task-based learning by bearing in mind the type of tasks that are introduced to students (Larsen-Freeman, 2000). Therefore, when we consider the content-based instructional method, we have to take into account that it is a means of developing linguistic ability in students and that its main focus is on content area subjects.
One of the most effective and inspiring approaches is the cooperative language learning method. It allows students to complete tasks within a group and interact with one another for successful learning. By social interaction, learning and communication is enhanced because many opportunities for verbal conversations are exchanged, “it is
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2006). It is important to note that this approach involves students taking responsibility for their classmate‟s learning goals by assisting each other wherever possible. Murdoch and Wilson (2004) mention that this approach involves students working together in a small group to achieve specific goals. They also state that working in groups is more than just being together in a small group, the aim in cooperative learning is the interaction with everyone in the group. So, to base English language teaching on this type of approach, working in groups would be the priority and aim for learning the target language.
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concludes that students whether adults or children learn through early comprehension of words and commands before oral production takes place.
Last of all, the method in which all the ones above (communicative language teaching, cooperative language learning, content-based instruction, task-based learning and total physical response) had been developed from was the Translation method. The methods mentioned above all were developed after the creation of the Translation method out of the need to communicate in language classrooms. There was a movement called the „Reform
movement‟ that started out with new ways to improve language teaching, creating many
methods and approaches until the present day (Richards and Rodgers, 2001). According to Hall (2011), this particular method came from classical languages and was known as the „Prussian Method‟. This approach was used to teach students how to learn a language through
the translation of texts. The students learn how to apply grammar rules in order to translate certain texts. The process is presented, rules are studied and practice is encouraged through translation exercises where accuracy was assumed as very important (Nagaraj, 2008). Richards & Rodgers (2001) mentioned that one of the main features of this method was to study the grammar to be able to read literature of that language. The grammar translation method was popular in the 19th century with its stress on accuracy and burden of learning though structure and translation. It was developed in England and Germany. In those days, Germany was considered to be at its peak with respect to education and was seen as an example to follow. At the same time England, was going through an important era of development in middle-class education where the system introduced was called „public examinations‟. The aim of this particular system was a way of introducing order in the
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After introducing motivation, strategies that help students stay encouraged and methods to impact their learning objectives, there is a need to discuss the roles of the teacher in an ESL/EFL classroom. The first type is the controller. Teachers dictate what the students must do, they are in control of what the students do, speak, and behave and also what activities and forms they will use in the lesson. Control helps with the objectives, outcomes, timing and order of the activities, but it is important to know how much control is good to implement the different parts of the class (Brown, 2000). Some teachers manage to lead very well and use their knowledge mainly to impart awareness and guide students to learn appropriately. However, other teachers are not good at being controllers, and, on the contrary, they create negativity and ineffectiveness (Harmer, 2007). The teacher as a director engages students to participate in rehearsals of any sort and guides them through real life situations in the English classroom and lets them have their own experiences by experimenting and improvising, therefore giving freedom to each student. These teachers also help students keep their minds and expectations focused in their goals (Brown, 2000). When the teacher is organized with all contents and activities of the class, the teacher then can go ahead and be a director, basically letting the students‟ creativity go beyond their usual efforts. This is when
studying English becomes meaningful to a student, when his intrinsic motivation comes from his desire to explore new experiences and in turn, finding a true meaning for his or her learning process (Berlin, 2012).
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prompter must be sensitive and should motivate students when helping them to understand something (Harmer, 2007).
Alternatively, when teachers serve as facilitators, they guide and help rather than sit back and let them complete the tasks on their own. The idea here is to remove any obstacles that students otherwise would not know how to manage, letting them find their own success through their own available tools. This kind of teacher encourages intrinsic motivation in the students so they can experience different social contexts on their own such as using situations realistically rather than always telling them about what language is and so forth (Brown, 2000).
A teacher as a resource is different from all the other roles in the classroom. The teacher becomes an available resource so that students can ask questions freely. The goal is for the student to feel that they can trust and confide in their teacher for their learning. Hence, Teachers as a resource will depend on the students´ English level. The objective is that students ultimately gain initiative and independence at their own level (Brown, 2000). When students are engaging in group activity work in which they can develop their skills, a teacher as a resource comes in handy to answer questions and serve as a guide. Sometimes students need their space to look for information, discuss about a certain topic among their classmates and this is the time when the teacher should remain at a distance. On some occasions, students will usually go to the teacher for a question, ask a definition of a word or need extra explanation for an activity.
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for the students seeing their teacher also play the same games or participate with them. It also gives them a chance to share moments with the teacher. However, there could be a downfall such as the teacher becoming the dominant person in the group activity because teachers know more about the English language than students (Harmer, 2007).
Lastly, as a tutor, teachers act as the prompter and as a resource at the same time in small or large groups. A tutor guides the students in areas where they have most difficulty, such as in long projects, process writing, talks or debate preparation (Harmer, 2007). It is vital that the teacher goes around the classroom checking on students` needs. Students need to feel help and support when they are working on their tasks. It is of great importance that the teacher does not impose when students are working because it interferes with their autonomy. To finish, it is important to introduce previous studies in order to have a clearer view of all the aspects mentioned.
The following papers are of five profound research studies that discuss a variety of elements concerning ESL/EFL motivation. The first study is by Bahous, Bacha, and Nabhani (Motivating students in the EFL classroom: A case study of perspectives, 2011), who talk about motivational perspectives; second, Gayoum (Enhancing Motivation in the EFL Classrooms is the Solution. A Case Study of Secondary Schools of the Gezira State, Sudan, 2011) studies enhancing motivation in the EFL classroom; third, Vaezi (Language Learning Motivation among Iranian Undergraduate Students, 2008) refers to the motivation among undergraduate students; fourth, Kim (The Dynamics of L2 and L2 Learning Motivation: A Qualitative Case Study of Korean ESL Students, 2009) studies the dynamics of learning motivation; finally, Tahaineh and Daana (Jordanian Undergraduates‟ Motivation and
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In the first study titled, “Motivating Students in the EFL Classroom: A Case Study of
Perspectives” (Bahous, Bacha, and Nabhani, 2011), the purpose was to examine the students`
intentions and opinions of the difficulties that delay students from learning in an encouraging way. The subjects who participated were students of various English language courses and English language teachers at an American affiliated university in Lebanon. Six students were chosen randomly from the five English courses available and were interviewed separately. The instrument used in this study was the interview. Most of students had complained that the teachers repeated the goals and outcomes in the course with an exaggerated emphasis on essay assignments. The results found in this study were highly significant because some students had the belief that being in an English course would help them improve in other subjects at the university. The majority of students agreed for English to continue being a compulsory subject but seven students said that these courses should not be an obligation but an option. One of the main concerns, among the students, were the comments related to the amount of time dedicated to writing instead of incorporating different language skills. Furthermore, the data collected from the interviews of this particular study showed that there was no speaking element whatsoever in the course. Bahous, Bacha and Nabhani (2011), using the studies El-Dib (2004), Yang and Lau (2003), Lightbown and Spada (1993), Davis (2003), Ghaith (2003) and Morell (2004), confirms that students prefer interactive and engaging classes to increase their learning.
In the study „Motivating Students in the EFL Classroom: Case Study of Perspectives‟,
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curriculum and syllabus. Both teachers and students agreed that more emphasis be made in other skill areas such as listening and speaking. The teachers supported the writing strategies, although they admitted that there was an overall lack of motivation and that more could be modified in the course to encourage positive approaches in Learning English. The recommendations stated that more attention should be given to the students‟ needs and therefore an implementation of different and more diverse ways of teaching are necessary to enable motivation.
Moreover, it is suggested that scaffolding techniques be incorporated to help students learn writing in a more didactic way.
Another way to help students‟ writing according to the authors‟ advice was to assist
the students in organizing their own goals and learning for writing and allowing them to take advantage in using what they write as language that can be used inside and outside of the classroom.
The data collected for this study showed that motivation comes from the necessity of the students to feel in control over their own learning and the incorporation of other skills. Within this investigation, some limitations were found: the students developed a sense of maturity in the language which therefore produced self-motivation skills (this change happens if the English program is modified and motivation is the main component). However two problems arose: the usual materials that students were introduced to in the ESL/EFL classroom were uninteresting; and, students were familiar with grammar rules in general but did not know how to transfer this to meaningful skills for their writing activities.
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get more insight to find a solution to the worst possible case scenario of motivation in Sudanese classrooms. The main objectives of this study were: to identify the real meaning behind motivation and to exploit the efficacy of motivation within the teaching and learning environment, to illustrate that activities are central in the learning environment as strong motivating mechanisms, to introduce and make known the qualities of good English teachers, and, use efficient ways to expand the information already available on campus. This particular study was done in Sudan with Sudanese secondary students who were asked to participate in direct observations and guided interviews.
What the researcher found in the data was that the motivation levels were low due to the lack of interest that the teacher had when giving the lessons because they did not vary the activities and they did not pay attention to the students‟ needs. It was claimed that the teachers did not use a variety of games, debates or put the students in groups or pairs. There were some aspects that were not adopted in EFL learning: students‟ manners and performance is never
monitored; the schedule times and techniques were not effective; and, student communication was not efficient. The main recommendations made were: the teacher should have a thorough plan and have appropriate materials for their lessons; secondary school teachers of the Gezira State should have thorough knowledge in English more than their own students; lastly, implement fun activities for the students to learn and enjoy in their classes. The researcher goes on to conclude that if the teacher has variety in their classes, it will not only be an encouraging place for students to be in but also they will learn and benefit from every stage of the lesson.
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English language. The relevant questions of the research were “to what extent the university students of Iran are instrumentally or integratively oriented towards English language learning?” and, “have students‟ motivation of learning English changed after entering
university or not?” (Vaezi, 2008:54). The participants were forty-one females and thirty-two
males for a questionnaire with open-ended questions and thirteen items to quantify their individual motive to English learning. The researcher states that there was more instrumental than integrative motivation because of the students` identity related to religious and sociocultural contexts. Iran is a country where the English language has been greatly left aside, only a few natives are allowed to teach English, and students had little access to English. The study shows that for Iranian students complying with their instrumental and integrative aims are of great significance to them. It was recommended that: teachers emphasize more on culture-driven topics to get familiarized with the American culture, gaining skills to communicate in English for their own use abroad; teachers encourage students in the use of English and its importance to advance in their career and examinations. Some limitations were identified such as the students not having the opportunity to be in contact with enough listening and speaking activities and also that school teachers were not proficient in the English language.
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in the interviews because they wanted to learn English for social purposes, such as being able to find a job, making this motivation extrinsically driven. The majority of students were motivated because of their need for employment. The author‟s conclusions are very strong in
stating that there was some inconsistency in some of the students‟ responses due to the fact that there were no clear goals in why they were learning English. In considering this, it is obvious to say that their motives did not help develop their levels of motivation. Some of the recommendations were that more theory should be invested to improve methods of correlations in interviews and that more research be done on pedagogical effectiveness.
Lastly, Tahaineh (Jordanian Undergraduates‟ Motivation and Attitudes towards
Learning English in EFL Context, 2013) studies motivations and attitudes towards Learning English in Jordanian Undergraduates. In this study, the objective was to measure two main variables: instrumental and integrative motivation of EFL female undergraduate students. The researcher randomly chose one hundred and eighty-four students at the Al Balqa‟ Applied University-Princess Alia University College-Amman in Jordan. The instrument used was a questionnaire that was thoroughly examined descriptively and inferentially. The results of this study showed that the majority of students were instrumentally driven to learn English. Some students‟ behaviors were fairly positive when they viewed themselves socializing with people
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CHAPTER II: METHOD
An eight-question survey was administered to 100 students at a particular high school in the city of Riobamba, Ecuador. The surveys were given to twenty students from four different grades: ninth grade, tenth grade, first and second grade of high school1. Students from the ages of 13 to 19 years old were required to answer eight different open and closed ended questions. Twenty minutes were given so that the students were able to complete the survey.
On different days, all the grades were also observed on different times to be able to record important information for this research. Therefore, the techniques used for this research were the survey, observation, and note taking. The survey was given to each student, those particular classes were observed on different days, and, at the same time note taking took place. The instruments used were the questionnaires and the observation sheets.
After the observations were finished and the surveys were collected, the answers were counted and calculated to tabulate in bar graphs accompanied with consistent analysis. For the tabulation of results, the amount of students were considered; the reasons for their answers; and, possible trends and tendencies in their responses.
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CHAPTER III: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Description, Analysis, and Interpretation of Results
In this section, the survey and observation results will be described, analyzed and interpreted to see if there is any correlation, resemblance or differences in the results that can prove whether or not students are motivated.
A survey was conducted in which 100 students from a high school participated and were asked 8 open and closed ended questions. At approximately the same time as the surveys were conducted, the observations were made.
What do you think motivates students to learn English?
Graph 1. Do you like to learn English? Why?
Source: Surveys at Instituto Educativo Riobamba Author: Soraida GrimaldosSource
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only a minority of students from all grades said that they do not like learning English. In their reasons why they like to learn English, the majority answered that it was because they may want to travel to a foreign country in the future and for that reason they know that they will need it. This answer shows that they are instrumentally motivated (Vaezi, 2008) as they know the will use English in their future.
The fact that the survey shows that most students like learning English does not alone prove that they are motivated or that this is entirely true. What was observed in the classes was totally different. Most students did not show they liked English at all. They seemed very uninterested due to their lack of attention to the teacher and their inactive participation to most activities. However, there is an interesting contrast here because even though most students had expressed through the survey that they did, in fact, like learning English, some students showed the opposite in the class observed because of various reasons that will be discussed in the following paragraphs.
In some classes where some students did not seem to enjoy learning English, it was observed that it was because of the use of the textbook. Not only did the students look unhappy but also the teachers. The teacher‟s expressions and overall body language was as if they were tired of having to use the textbook (perhaps they are obliged to use it and comply with the syllabus.) Additionally, when the students were working in their textbooks they looked rather bored and reacted negatively with disruptive behavior.
It is important for not only students to be motivated but also for the teachers to be motivated as well so they can transmit this through their teaching. It is primarily the teacher‟s
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It was also noticed in the observations that the students were talking amongst themselves showing no attention whatsoever to the teacher‟s instructions. Even though many
reflected this pattern of behavior in nearly all of the classes, it still does not necessarily mean they dislike the English language entirely, it could just mean that there are other factors, which influence them in a negative way. Many students may „like‟ learning English but they may not show this in the class because of certain issues such as uncertainty of grammatical structures, vocabulary or anything related to the study of English, which in turn lowers their self-esteem to the point where they react as if they did not like English (Miyahara, 2015).
What do you think motivates students to learn English?
Graph 2. Do you feel motivated to learn English in the classroom? Why?
Source: Surveys at Intituto Educativo Riobamba
Author: Soraida Grimaldos
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students are motivated to learn English in the classrooms. Students‟ reason why they feel
motivated to learn English in the classroom was mainly because their teacher was nice to them. Those who had responded negatively (which was a minority) said that they wanted the classes to be more fun and engaging.
However, the observations showed the contrary. Students seemed to be bored and uninterested. Most students did not seem to look motivated while learning; the students were bored and did not cooperate with the teacher or with the activities presented in their textbooks. Some students had behavioral issues that made impossible to create a peaceful environment. Other times, teachers yelled at the students strongly when the class got out of control.
Many students might have expressed in the survey that they were motivated, but the observation results showed the contrary. This contradiction between the students‟ answers and what was observed opens the space for other options: students may have felt pressure to answer in favor of the teacher due to retaliations; the students really feel motivated, and their attitudes are a response to other type of problems; students may have wanted to look good by answering positively; they sympathized with the teacher on a personal level. It is not clear why this contradiction occurs, but it is clear that in the classroom observations, students were not motivated to learn.
Consequently, many students were not extrinsically motivated because their outside sources such as using the textbook repeatedly, the teacher‟s method to introduce the topic was
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direction and do not know why they are learning in the first place (Burns & Richards, 2012). Also, teachers did not use interesting strategies, as it is suggested by Herrel & Jordan (2012), to always introduce new topics.
What do you think motivates students to learn English?
Graph 3. Do you like your teacher’s way of teaching English? Why?
Author: Soraida Grimaldos Urrea
Source: Surveys at Instituto Educativo Riobamba
84% per cent of students liked their teacher‟s way of teaching English and 16% did not. Yet again, we see the same pattern repeating itself; the results from the surveys can be contrasted with the results in the observations.
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survey because of fear that their teacher will see their responses or because they did not want to be looked upon as bad students.
In these observations, it was seen that in many cases the students did not seem to enjoy the teacher‟s way of teaching (the teacher was just getting students to repeat pronunciation
and complete exercises in their books), and boredom being one of the evident signs of their lack of enthusiasm. Some of the teachers‟ methods in the lessons lacked dynamics and were
difficult to identify perhaps because some of these lessons lacked structure. Some teachers were going from one activity to the next without linking it to the objectives. When the students lack direction and a clear aim for their study, they tend to lose enthusiasm in class. Burns & Richards (2012) based on the investigation made by Deci (1995), states that “in order for extrinsic motivators to work there must be a clear understanding of the expected goals and outcomes. He continued to assert that if the connections between them are missing, the end product will be a lack of motivation” (2012: 17). This statement clarifies that the
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What do you think motivates students to learn English?
Graph 4. Do the following aspects help you to learn English?
Author: Soraida Grimaldos Urrea
Source: Surveys at Instituto Educativo Riobamba
It can be evidenced that all the items received high scores as being the aspects, which help students to learn English. In all the options, the quantity that answered affirmative was higher than the quantity that answered negatively. The option that received the highest affirmative percentage was „improve your English level‟ with a 93%. The option that received the lowest affirmative percentage was „book‟ with a 67%. Therefore, according to this
question in the survey, 93% of students voted „yes‟ to „improve your English level‟ as the one that helps them to learn English. What can be understood in this case is that students believe that the need for improvement motivates and helps them to learn more effectively.
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learn more effectively (even though this was not included in the observation sheet as something to consider). There was more evidence in the „type of activity‟ as being the one that most students seemed to react to while being engaged in fun and enjoyable tasks. When the types of activities were changed in some classes, their attitudes changed as well (some were positive or negative depending on the activity). For instance, in one class the teacher started off with a TPR game which left the students engaged well enough to start a reading activity, “Free voluntary reading” that is used to motivate students to learn English (Herrel &
Jordan, 2012). On other occasions, students looked very uninterested but, when the teacher introduced an exciting TPR game, the students looked happier and learning took place. It is important to mention that the more varied the activities, the more learning that will take place (Gayoum, 2011).
Students may have chosen the aspect „improve English level‟ perhaps because they initially felt this at the beginning of the class (as an intrinsically motivated element). Another reason for this selection was that students wanted to impress their teacher. They also may have answered in a rush because in some classes it was almost recess time. Therefore, by the results obtained in the observations it is clear to say that the type of activities introduced in some of the classes were more helpful than the fact that they wanted to improve their English level. Some activities, such as when TPR was introduced in classes, seemed to motivate them more than any other aspect, thus reducing the level of impact of the „improve your English
level‟ to a minimum.
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What do you think motivates students to learn English?
Graph 5. Do the following activities motivate you to learn English?
Source: Surveys at Instituto Educativo Riobamba Author: Soraida Grimaldos Urrea
As can be seen in graph 5, the highest rated activity in which students considered the one that motivates them most was „games‟ with an 83%. The activity which was least popular was „writing of paragraphs and essays‟ with a 37% per cent. This means that the majority of
students are more motivated with games than by any other activity.
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and motivation. However, in some of the classes observed, the teachers that did not include games did not effectively introduce any other source of motivational strategy for the students.
Students chose that „games‟ was the element that motivates them the most to learn English. The author Gladys Garcia Fernandez (2009) used the comment made by Lee Su Kim who is an author of the book titled „Creative games for learning class‟, says that games should
be incorporated into the lessons not just as an initial motivator at the beginning of the class or to fill in time teachers have left but also as part of the structural lesson plan. In addition, students learn more when they are in an anxiety-free environment.
The two columns, „activities using songs‟ and „dialogues‟ had the approximately the
same amount of popularity among students, 80% for „activities using songs‟ and „dialogues‟ with an 81%. According to the survey, students have the same preference towards „activities using songs‟ and „dialogues‟ in motivating students to learn English.
Consequently, it was observed that one class used a song and another class used a short dialogue from the book. The teacher that used a song failed to motivate the students probably because the teacher used a children‟s song to teach grammar to young teenagers, who did not enjoy the activity. This is an important factor when teaching through songs and dialogues: to choose the correct song for their age and need, choose an appropriate dialogue for their English level and that it links to the topic of choice. A good option would be to use popular pop and rock music from the 70s, 80s and 90s, this would be perfect to use for any literacy ESL/EFL class. With the kind of music they are familiar with and can enjoy, they can enhance their learning (Grunert, 2009).
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shows that most students enjoy learning through dialogues and that the teacher presented it appropriately.
Lastly, the activity which students felt least motivated in learning English was „writing
of paragraphs and essays‟. It is clear that the students have not had a good experience with
this activity. Though for many students this can be a tedious task in an English class, there are ways of motivating students to like it. For writing paragraphs, teachers may want to incorporate cloze activities for them to do at the very beginning of a writing class (which can be fairly engaging) or assemble jumbled texts and as they gradually improve on these simple tasks which they will enjoy as they slowly incorporate the mechanics of writing. Some students may feel overwhelmed at first with the more difficult tasks of writing because they may not feel capable, but this is where the teacher can guide them along and persuade them that writing can be motivating and fun (Jeremy Harmer, 2004).
What do you think motivates students to learn English?
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Graph 6. What is your teacher’s attitude in class?
Source: Surveys at Instituto Educativo Riobamba Author: Soraida Grimaldos Urrea
Graph 6 clearly shows that students like their teacher‟s attitude toward teaching, 91% of students expressed that their teacher shows willingness to teach. On the other hand, 89% chose that students considered their teachers friendly. The activity that got a low score was „Promotes interpersonal relationships‟, with a 60%. Even though it was voted by more than 50 per cent of students, it scored the lowest, which means that this factor is the one, according to the survey, that students see that the teacher lacks to foster.
In the observations, about half of the teachers showed a willingness to teach. These teachers that did not seem willing to teach were the ones that depended strongly on the textbook to give the class and did not seem happy teaching (this could be observed through the expressions on their face and body language). Because of this, students with this type of teachers behaved badly. The teacher‟s attitude towards teaching was sensed by the students and that may have been the reason why they began to misbehave.
One of the reasons for the lack of enthusiasm to teach could have been that the teacher may have been tired that day, or, the teacher could have been feeling unwell physically or emotionally, or, simply, they were affected by the researcher‟s presence. In some of these classes that were observed, some (not all) teachers seemed to have a negative attitude.
An aspect of the survey, which received low results, was the „Promotes interpersonal relationships‟. In the classes that were observed, about half of those lessons there was no
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find this part important and just try and comply with the school‟s academic requirements and
regulations (Given, 2007). When a teacher shows enthusiasm while teaching, their students also feel this spirited personality and begin to participate and feel motivated, the students know and get a sense of who teachers are and how they present themselves from the very first class (Harmer, 2007).
What do you think motivates students to learn English?
Graph 7. What is the role of your teacher in class?
Source: Surveys at Instituto Educativo Riobamba Author: Soraida Grimaldos Urrea
In graph 7, it can be observed that in the four categories the students voted the highest for „Verifies that you have understood the instructions‟ with an 89%, followed by the category „Is aware of the activities you do in class‟ with an 88%, the category „Guides you when you
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with an 82%. The above categories show evidence that the students feel that the teacher´s guidance is transcendental for them in their learning process.
In the observations made, most teachers were not aware of the activities that the students were engaged in because the students at times were not paying attention and were even completing homework from other subjects. Although, the students seem to express the opposite, it is possible that they misunderstood the question. This behavior also shows that there was a lack of motivation. It could have been because in some instances the teachers lacked spontaneity and energy to introduce the new topic. It is crucial for the teacher in these situations to find a way to get the students on track and interested again. Teachers did not seem to care about the fact that some students were working on other tasks. The student needs to feel support and encouragement, if they perceive these characteristics from their teacher, they are easily motivated (Harmer, 2007).
Another important observation was the fact that, even when some teachers wanted to guide students with their difficulties, this seemed somehow impossible in nearly all classes because there were too many students with many different queries and there was no time available to give everyone an answer. Students could have given a positive response to this aspect in the survey because they see that teachers do what they can.
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is the facilitator, students are encouraged to learn on their own but not only this; the teacher helps them with an explanation of their uncertainties (Brown, 2000).
What do you think motivates students to learn English?
Graph 8. Aspects that hinder your English learning
Source: Surveys at Instituto Educativo Riobamba Author: Soraida Grimaldos Urrea
In the above graph, it is important to note that this particular question was different to the rest of questions printed on the survey. In this question, 100 students were asked to choose which of the aspects they considered hindered them to learn English. Students could have chosen more than one option or none at all.
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„methodology used‟ with a 10%. According to this survey, what hinders students on learning
English is the complexity of the topic and the aspect that least hinders them is the methodology used by their teacher.
The students may feel that it is the complexity of the topic that hinders them in general but really it could actually be a set of elements that do.
It was observed that the students disliked working with the textbook a lot, they complained when they had to open their books and work on an activity in their workbooks. However, when the teacher used another activity that was not in their books, they looked much happier (although this did not happen in some of the classes observed). This situation shows that they would rather do a different activity that is not in the book (provided that the activity is fun and engaging), hence, the book being rather boring or difficult for them to use. The reason may be because the book has too much information on each page and is very confusing. The author of „Language and Curriculum Design‟ John Macalister (2010) used the
suggestions of two investigators to state “there has been considerable debate on the role of course books in a language course. Prabhu (1989) suggests that because teaching must be matched to the learners‟ current knowledge, course books will not be effective because they
are not in touch with the state of this knowledge. Allwright (2002) also sees textbooks as removing learners from negotiating the curriculum design process. These points underline the importance of having a flexible approach to the use of a course book by the teacher and of choosing a course book which allows for flexibility. Therefore, this is an important aspect of learning a language to take into careful consideration.
Furthermore, just as „complexity of the topic‟ received a high score in the survey, on
the contrary, „methodology of the teacher‟ got a low score showing that this aspect was the
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opposite of this. It could be seen that many of the teachers had no sense of direction with the way the class was developed considering the objectives and activities. There was no clear method shown because the classes had no structure or direction. Furthermore, in some of the classes the grammar –translation method was used with a little or no communication at all. Some teachers would just translate everything they said to the students, translate the content in their books and instructions. Therefore, it is not coherent to say that the students‟ responses were totally true because the methods used by the teachers seemed ineffective. The students were discouraged because of this along with many other reasons that have already been discussed (textbook, teacher´s attitude and strategy use).
On the other hand, another observance made was that other teachers spoke in English all the time and in the four different levels investigated, nearly all of the students failed to understand the teacher‟s instructions (perhaps this could be a reason for the other teachers to
choose to speak in Spanish all the time). This is clear evidence that many of the teachers were using content-based instruction, which often involves teaching thoroughly in English; however, the teacher‟s still have to incorporate body language and different strategies to help
them understand (Richards & Rodgers, 2014).
Another aspect that was observed was the amount of students and how this affected their learning. Some classes were no less than 40 students. This had a great impact on some students‟ learning. In some classes many students‟ behavior was negative; students were
talking too much, interrupting all the time and were sometimes so loud that the teacher could not even be heard. In the survey, this aspect got a score of 16 per cent which means that 16 students thought that „the number of students‟ affected their learning negatively. When
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CONCLUSIONS
This research clearly demonstrates that students may, in fact, like English but may also show signs of discontentment because they are not motivated to learn in their classes. By the results in the observations, it can be concluded that students are discouraged due to the overuse of their textbooks because they are practically obliged to see English as an academic means only and not a source of communication.
Furthermore, the students´ overall lack of enthusiasm in general to engage in activities even though the survey showed the contrary demonstrates that there is a high incidence of discouragement. Additionally, in this specific case, the lack of stimulation in the activities (where sometimes the only activities came from the book) was the cause of their lack of encouragement.
This research suggests that the majority of students do not like the way their teacher imparts English content, with mainly all the students showing demotivation in the classes (when they were observed). It is important to note that students do not enjoy the classes at all because there is no clear structure, order or fun ways in which the lesson develops.
This research also implies that the students find the „type of activity‟ really motivating. In some classes, students effectively engaged in activities every time there was a change in the „type of activity‟. Therefore, considering this; students reacted well to TPR activities and games in which they participated actively and were a lot more enthusiastic.
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Lastly, students do not understand certain topics when their teacher explains it to them and refer to the textbook as complicated and boring. Therefore, it can be concluded that the teachers‟ method was not clearly established in the lessons given nor is the teacher‟s role
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RECOMMENDATIONS
One of the main problems found in this investigation was the lack of interest in the students when the teacher worked with the current textbook. A Solution to this problem could be to replace the textbook (although in this sense the schools have to go by the Ministry of Educations‟ regulations), or, a simpler way of doing this is adapting the textbook to the
circumstances and necessities of the students. A way to accomplish this would be to focus on an activity from the book and slightly modify the way of teaching the topic.
Another problem that arose was the method that the teachers had been using. These methods were not clear or consistent with what the students‟ needs were. The students‟ needs are to always experience gratitude, enthusiasm when learning, and, accomplish educational objectives. In this case, TPR activities should be introduced in almost all the classes to motivate learning.
Teachers should also be more careful in setting their goals and objectives clearly so that students understand what they will be achieving. Moreover, the teachers should be consistent and flexible with the activities, choosing the right activity for the appropriate age group and level, rotating the activities and making the overall learning experience as fun as possible.
One important aspect seen in this study was the lack of technological equipment. Materials and infrastructure affect students‟ motivation. Thus, in the future this particular aspect could be included in a study to make the overall perspective of motivation more profound and comprehensive.
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should be helping students in their motivation levels by inviting a guest speaker or expert come in and observe the classes and give them feedback.
It could also be recommended for future studies to consider the teachers‟ points of
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