THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

DU MINH TAM

FACTORS AFFECTING GRADE 11 STUDENTS'

MOTIVATION IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT QUE VO 1 HIGH
SCHOOL

Những yếu tố ảnh hưởng đến hứng thú học Tiếng Anh của học
sinh lớp 11 tại trường THPT Quế Võ số 1

M.A THESIS

Field: English Linguistics

Code: 8220201

THAI NGUYEN – 2019

 THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

DU MINH TAM

FACTORS AFFECTING GRADE 11 STUDENTS'

MOTIVATION IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT QUE VO 1 HIGH
SCHOOL

Những yếu tố ảnh hưởng đến hứng thú học Tiếng Anh của học
sinh lớp 11 tại trường THPT Quế Võ số 1

M.A THESIS
(APPLICATION ORIENTATION)

Field: English Linguistics

Code: 8220201
Supervisor: Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy

THAI NGUYEN – 2019

 DECLARATION

Du Minh Tam, hereby certify that my M.A thesis entitled "Factors affecting
Grade 11 Students' Motivation in Learning English at Que Vo 1 High School" is
the result of my own research in the fulfillment of the requirement for Degree of
Master of Arts at the Faculty of Post Graduate Studies – School of Foreign Languages,
Thai Nguyen University. I commit that this thesis has not been submitted anywhere for
any degree.

Thai Nguyen, 2019

Du Minh Tam
Xác nhận của GV hướng dẫn

TS. Nguyễn Thị Thu Thủy

i
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my

supervisor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, for her invaluable inspiration, assistance,
guidance and encouragement during the time I have tried to complete this thesis. She
has been willing to give help and advice whenever I expect.
I wish to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to all lectures and
the staff of the Faculty of Post Graduate Studies – School of Foreign Languages, Thai
Nguyen University for their interesting and helpful lectures and suggestions for the
topic of my study.
I am in debt of many authors’ works and ideas, which enhance me to complete
my study with convincing evidences.
My appreciation and gratitude are also extended for the teachers and students of
grade 11 at Que Vo 1 High School, who participated in doing the survey and
responding to my interviews.
Last but not least, I wish to express special thanks to my beloved ones for their
everlasting, care and encouragement.

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 ABSTRACT

This thesis investigated the role of motivation and factors affecting grade 11
students’ motivation in learning English at Que Vo 1 high school. Factors related to
teachers, parents, classroom features and environment were examined. Additionally,
the researcher wanted to gain an understanding of teachers’ viewpoints regarding
student motivation and observe motivated students’ behaviors. Participants were 160
students of grade 11 at Que Vo 1 high school. The participants took part in a survey
which consisted of several statements related with the mentioned factors. The
theoretical part explains the key terms of motivation and introduces a brief overview
of the major motivation theories to provide background information important for
understanding the principal concepts of motivation in second language acquisition.
The practical part presents the results and explanation of the findings of the
questionnaire survey conducted at Que Vo 1 high school. The results of the study
indicated that students' motivation is significantly impacted by three factors: parent
involvement, teacher involvement and classroom features or learning environment.
Having this information is helpful because it will enable school administrators and
teachers to develop strategies to aim at the factors that have been found to have the
most significant impact on students' motivation in learning English. If schools combine
the strategies used by teachers, focus on increasing parental involvement, and make
sure that the learning environment enables students to feel safe, comfortable and
stimulated, it is likely that administrators would see increases in student learning
motivation.

iii
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION...................................................................................................... ........i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT....................................................................................... ........ii
ABSTRACT............................................................................................................ ...... iii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 1
1.1. Rationale............................................................................................................. . 1
1.2. Aims of the study................................................................................ ............ 2
1.3. The research questions ......................................................................................... 3
1.4. Scope of the study ................................................................................................ 3
1.5. The significance of this study ............................................................................... 4
1.6. Design of the thesis ............................................................................................. 4
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................... 6
2.1. Theoretical background...................................................................................... 6
2.1.1. Definitions of Motivation...................................................................... 6
2.1.2. Sources of Motivation............................................................................ 7
2.1.2.1. Internal sources of motivation............................................................. 7
2.1.2.2. External sources of motivation................................................................ 9
2.2. Review of previous studies................................................................................ 10
2.3. Motivation in second language acquisition................................................... 12
2.3.1. The importance of motivation in foreign and.......................................... 12
second language learning
2.3.2. Types of motivation in second language learning...................................... 13
2.3.2.1. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation......................................................... 13
2.3.2.2. Integrative and instrumental motivation.............................................. 15
2.3.2.3. Positive and negative motivation........................................................ 16
2.3.2.4. Social motivation............................................................................... 16
2.3.3. Factors affecting students’ motivation in learning English.................... 17

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 2.3.3.1 Teachers............................................................................................ 17
Feedback ............................................................................................................
Grades ................................................................................................................
Teachers’ attitudes .............................................................................................
2.3.3.2. Parental factors................................................................................... 20
2.3.3.3. Classroom features or environmental factors.................................... 21
2.4. Summary........................................................................................................... 22
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY..................................................... 23
3.1. Research design................................................................................................. 23
3.2. The setting of the study.................................................................................... 24
3.3. Data collection.................................................................................................. 25
3.3.1. Questionnaire design .................................................................................. 25
3.3.2. Interview...................................................................................................... 27
3.4. Data analysis.................................................................................................... 27
3.5. Summary............................................................................................................. 28
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION....................................................... 29
4.1. Research questions revisited........................................................................... 30
4.2. Findings.............................................................................................................. 30
4.3. Discussion.......................................................................................................... 37
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS............................ 39
5.1. Summary of the study.................................................................................... 39
5.2. Recommendations........................................................................................... 40
5.3. Limitations....................................................................................................... 41
5.4. Suggestions for further study......................................................................... 41
REFERENCES .................................................................................................. 42
APPENDICES....................................................................................................... I

v
 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1. Rationale

In the process of the integration and development, Vietnamese education in

general and foreign language education in particular are facing with an increasing
demand for English-speaking people who are expected to be competent to
communicate verbally with the outside world and to access technology. This
demand highlights the important role of English in the education and training sector
and national development. English is now not seen as an effective medium of
international communication but a golden key to access science, technology and
many other sectors as well.

Ministry of Education and Training and the Bac Ninh Department of

Education and Training have selected "Improving the quality of English teaching at
all levels" is one of the nine key tasks in the past years and there have been many
advocates to improve the quality of teaching and learning English. Que Vo 1 High
School has also made great efforts and results in enhancing the capacity and
methodology of teaching English. However, the implementation of innovation in
teaching English in schools is not high, the quality of teaching English is limited.

The factors that determine the effectiveness of teaching and learning English
are syllabuses, teaching methods, teaching materials, evaluations procedures,
teacher training and learner learning. Thus, apart from innovating teaching methods,
adapting new textbooks, designing syllabuses, observing classes to share opinions,
organizing workshops, etc. the most important thing supporting the improvement of
the quality of the teaching and learning English is to motivate learners to learn.

Research findings have shown that motivation to learn a language is an

important aspect of successful learning and the connection between motivation and
learning success is well tested. If learners are highly motivated, they can be
successful in learning, and perceived success in achieving learning goals can help to
sustain their existing motivation.

1
 The learner-centered paradigm in the teaching and learning English also puts
great emphasis on the question of learners’ motivation in terms of enhancing their
sense of competence and self-work. If learners are encouraged and given more time
to work on their own they will probably feel secured and make progress in learning.
Although I feel certain advantage over the teachers of other school subjects as our
students are aware of the importance of the language knowledge and English is
generally considered one of the most useful courses in our school, I still struggle to
motivate my students every day. I realize that motivation holds an important
position in language learning and knowledge, how to motivate learners is crucial for
language teachers but to work with motivation is not an easy task. There are many
factors that can influence the motivation from within a person and also external
forces affecting the individuals’ motivation.

I have experienced the teaching career for sixteen years. In the school year
2018-2019 I have taught grade 11 students and I have noticed that they lack much
learning motivation. Therefore I made the decision to explore the factors that
determine students' motivation to learn English. Nevertheless, the main aim of my
thesis is to identify the most powerful factors influencing the motivation.
Furthermore, I have found that there have never been any researches on factors
affecting students’ motivation in learning English at the selected school.

1.2. Aims of the study

As mentioned in above, the main objective of this research is to provide an

investigation on the factors influencing grade 11 students’ motivation in learning
English at Que Vo 1 High School, and based on that, to propose the
recommendations for enhancing English-learning motivation of these students.

In order to achieve the above aim, this research needs to fulfill the tasks as
followings:

- To investigate the current states of grade 11 students’ English-learning

motivation in Que Vo 1 High School

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 - To determine the factors and their impacts on grade 11 students’ learning
motivation in this school
- To provide suggestions and recommendations on improving the English-
learning motivation of grade 11 students in Que Vo High School

1.3. The research questions

With the given aims of the study, the study seeks to answer the following
research question:

- What are the factors that affect grade 11 students’ motivation in learning
English at Que Vo 1 High School?

1.4. Scope of the study

Learners’ success or failure in language learning can be affected by many

factors which are closely related. Among these factors, motivation seems to be a
highly complex one that needs to be systematically studied. Accordingly, this study
focuses on grade 11 students’ motivation in learning English to improve the quality
of teaching and learning English at Que Vo 1 High School. In terms of time scope,
this research was conducted in the second semester of the school year 2018-2019
and some applications for motivating grade 11 students to learn English are
proposed for the next years. In terms of space scope, it was made among the 11 th
students at Que Vo 1 High School, which is located in Pho Moi Town, Que Vo
District, Bac Ninh Province. According to the principal’s approval, there were four
classes selected in this study including 11A1, 11A2, 11A3 and 11A4 with total 160
students. In terms of content scope, this study was designed to cover the followings:

 Firstly, grade 11 students’ reasons for learning English

 Second, grade 11 students’ interests, expectations in learning English and
teachers’ teaching methods.
 And then, this study also moves to make some implications for stimulating
grade 11 students to learn English

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1.5. The significance of this study

The significance of this study is expressed in its contribution to the innovation

of teaching methods for the students in grade 11 at Que Vo 1 High School in
particular and Vietnam public schools in general. It is also expected that the
research findings in this study can help the English teachers as well as the
administrators in Que Vo 1 High School in evaluating the students’ motivation in
learning English, the factors influencing their learning motivation as well as
understanding the students’ perspective on the aspects of the current teaching
method. And based on that, the recommendations given in this study will support
for the English teachers in designing their teaching methods and programs, through
adding other activities to enhance their students’ English learning motivation and
interest. The author also hopes that this paper will serve as a useful source of
reference for other researchers and English teachers whose studies relate to the
same topic.

1.6. Design of the thesis

The thesis consists of five chapters as follows:

Chapter 1 - Introduction provides a general introduction of the study with the

specific reference to the rationale, the aims, the objectives, the methods, the
significance and the design of the thesis.

Chapter 2- Literature review aims to critically examine the theoretical

background for the thesis with the focus on the main points: different psychological
views on motivation in language learning; an overview of motivation in foreign and
second language learning; kinds of motivation and the importance of motivation in
foreign and second language learning; factors affecting motivation and
characteristics of motivated learners in foreign and second language learning.

Chapter 3 - Methodology presents the methodology underlying the research,

including the background information of the subjects of the study, the instruments
used to collect data, and the procedures of data collection. Along with this, the

4
teaching and learning English at Que Vo 1 high school is described. Also, a detailed
description of data analysis is presented; and some explanations and interpretations
of the findings of the study are explored in this chapter.

Chapter 4 - Findings and discussion. In this chapter, by using SPSS software

to process data tables, the research would like to draw out the main findings through
identifying the features of explanatory - the considered factors and their effects to
the students’ motivation in learning English. In addition, this part seeks to compare
and contrast the above findings with what the literature would have predicted.

Chapter 5– Conclusion and Recommendations is the conclusion of the study,

providing the summary of the major findings and some implications for motivating
students to learn English. Some possible suggestions for further research are also
discussed in this chapter.

5
 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter presents review of some previous studies related to student motivation in
language learning. It deals with studying the theoretical background of motivation,
considering the definition of motivation, sources of motivation and types of motivation.
It mainly focuses on the factors affecting students’ motivation in learning English.
2.1. Theoretical background
2.1.1. Definitions of Motivation

Motivation is one of the most frequently used terms across many fields of
study. The term motivation originates from the Latin word “moveo-movere”, which
means “to move” in English. Hence, it is understood as forces that move our
behaviors in a certain way. Accordingly, the word “motivation” has many
interpretations and includes such notions as longing, push, volition, wish, pressure,
interest, aim, purpose, etc. Scholars have not found an exact meaning to this day,
thus there are a variety of definitions for the term “motivation”.

According to Williams & Burden (1997, p. 120), motivation is defined as “a

state of cognitive and emotional arousal, a state which leads to a conscious decision
to act and gives rise to a period of sustained intellectual and/or physical effort”. In
this view, motivation is not relevant only to the initial stages of the action – arousal
of the interest and its transformation into decision to get involved in an activity – as
the state of arousal needs to be maintained and determination to complete the action
must be present.

In the same view, Gardner (1985, p. 50) extends this idea by stating that:
“...motivation involves four aspects, a goal, effortful behavior, a desire to attain the
goal and favorable attitudes toward the activity in question.... the goal is a stimulus
which gives rise to motivation, individual differences in motivation itself are
reflected in the latter three aspects...”

From the above definitions, it is highlighted that motivation is characterized

by its two main components: a goal sought by the individual and individual effort

6
used to achieve that goal. Nevertheless, our behaviors can be stimulated by different
agents; not only internal such as interest, curiosity, desire but also external ones
such as rewards, other people or socio-cultural influence. Moreover, there is usually
not only one agent that decides the way we act but series of them. In addition, these
determining factors often interact with each other and sometimes they are even not
in direct connection with the desired goal.

In the scope of this study, motivation can be defined as a goal directed

behavior which is made active by one or more factors of internal or external
character. In order to achieve this goal, the activated motivation must be maintained
and fueled by inner and/ or outer impetus.

2.1.2. Sources of Motivation

Sources of motivation refer to location where behavior is motivated. There are

different approaches to distinguish sources of motivation and their components. In
this regard, Deckers (2010, p.1) provided the distinction to the sources of
motivation which are very logical and coherent. He distinguishes two elementary
sources of motivation; internal that can be either biological (e.g. hunger) or
psychological (e.g. interest), and also external sources such as incentives and goals.
Deckers explains that incentives and goals pull an individual toward a specific
result and internal motivations push an individual into action.

2.1.2.1. Internal sources of motivation

Sources of internal motivation include all possible inner signals to act

including biological and psychological condition, emotional reactions and other
intrinsic factors. Biological attributes that motivate behaviors are linked to what the
body needs in order to survive. For example, if a person perceives the feeling of
thirst, it motivates them to have something to drink. Psychological attributes refer
to motives that are connected with satisfying our psychological needs. Deckers
(2010) believes that the most important psychological factors that influence human
behaviors are the need to belong and value system of an individual.

7
 Deckers (2010, p. 2) states that internal sources of motivation developed over
time through common human history. Nevertheless, some of them (e.g. attitudes,
values) might evolve from the individual personal life experience. Here are the
internal sources of motivation considered as the most important for the motivation
of an individual.

Needs

The term needs is important to be described in detail as the process of

motivation starts with an unsatisfied need. Needs can be characterized as something
we need for an effective and fruitful life, something that is fundamental for survival
and development of an individual.

Needs is generally classified into two categories: the first category comprises
labels such as innate, physiological or primary needs. These needs are important for
survival of man and include food, water, sleep, oxygen, sex, clothing, shelter etc.
The second category is formed by needs that are labeled as secondary or acquired
(e.g. intellectual and spiritual needs). These needs are generated over time and
develop as person grows up and receives education. Every person has their own
individual composition of needs, which is constantly evolved and creates a unique
complex. Its structure is influenced by age, gender, education, occupation etc.

Attitudes

Our attitudes usually arise during the process of satisfying our needs. Positive
attitudes are connected to the specified objects of the need as well as to the devices
that help us to satisfy the certain need. On the contrary, the relationship to the
people or objects that prevent us from satisfying the need leads to the development
of negative attitudes. Gardner (1985, p. 51) explains that attitudes are together with
desire - the most important determinants of motivational intensity, which refers to
the degree of effort the individual expends to achieve a goal. Certainly, if an
individual shows a positive attitude toward the activity, they are more likely to
achieve the specified goal.

8
 Values

Values can be summarized as something not only necessary and useful for our
life but also something we respect, admire, honor and love. Values correspond with
standards and ideals primarily moral, social and artistic. Feather (1992, p. 110)
states that values are one kind of motives that encourage the individuals to do the
activity they think should be done. Individuals’ values affect the attractiveness of
various goal objects, and consequently, the motivation to achieve these goals.

Therefore, values take an important place in the motivational structure of an

individual and their behavior. Without a doubt, the intensity of motivation to
achieve a goal is higher if there is high value attributed to the goal object.

Interests

Interest is another very important part of the motivational structure of an

individual. It is a mental state that considers focus on an object of the interest that
can be a thing, event, or an activity. It is a long-term positive relation of the
individual to this specific field of activities or things.

2.1.2.2. External sources of motivation

According to Deckers (2010, p. 2), “external or environmental sources are

events and situations that are available from the environment and are referred to as
incentives and goals.” It means that these sources of motivation do not come from
within a person but from the outside world. It can be a benefit such as receiving a
good grade or a punishment such as extra homework. The reward produces feeling
of contentment and delight that the activity itself might not produce. External
sources are taken advantage of through an entire range of human activities. Here are
some external sources of motivation stated by Deckers (2010)

Incentives

Incentives are social motivations, outcomes or actions that can stimulate a

certain reaction. Therefore, incentives can be described as motivational mechanisms
which are stimuli of outer character. Positive incentives ensure satisfying

9
individual’s need and are provided to meet the person’s requirements. They involve
the prediction of positive results. For example, a teacher praises a student for
homework well done. Other positive incentives in the school environment could be
acknowledgement, award, token, etc. In contrast, negative incentives are managed
to eliminate a person´s unwanted behaviour and thus achieve desired results.
Negative incentive could include condemn or penalty.

Goals

Goal can be characterized as something that an individual wants to achieve;

the end state hence goal decides human behaviour. According to Deckers, (2010 p.
2), “the goal of the motive is the incentive.” It means that if a person feels hungry
their motive is to satisfy their basic need for food. The food in this example
represents the incentive and goal of the motivated behaviour is to become satisfied.

Nevertheless, Deckers’ theory shows a certain insufficiency at this point

considering he strictly labels goals as external source of motivation.

2.2. Review of previous studies

Over the years there have been innumerable studies on motivation in foreign and
second language learning (L2). In these studies, researchers have attempted to explain what
is meant by motivation.

Keller (1984) (quoted in Ellis, 1994) sees “interest” as one of the major
components of motivation, defining it as “a positive response to a stimulus based on
existing cognitive structures in such a way that learners’ curiosity is aroused and
sustained”.

However, most of studies on motivation in foreign and second language learning

have been influenced by the work of Gardner (1985), who defines motivation as consisting
of effort, plus desire to achieve the goal of learning, plus favorable attitude towards
learning the language.

Unquestionably, motivation, as Gardner remarks, is such a highly complex

construct that it involves four aspects: a goal, effortful behaviour, a desire to attain the goal,

10
and favorable attitudes towards learning the language. Gardner (1985) also makes the
difference between the orientation and motivation as well as the distinction between
integrative and instrumental orientation in motivation. In his words, an orientation
represents reasons for studying the language whereas motivation refers to the actual effort
which learners put into their learning. An integrative orientation occurs when the learner
wishes to identify with the culture of the target language. An instrumental orientation
occurs when motivation arises from external goals, such as passing the exams, financial
rewards, or getting the job and so on.

Another theory on motivation can be seen from Littlewood’s perspective (1998,

p.53) that “in second language learning as in every other field of human learning,
motivation is the crucial force which determines whether a learner embarks on a task at all,
how much energy he devotes to it, and how long he perseveres. It is a complex
phenomenon and includes many components: the individual’s drive, need for achievement
and success, curiosity, desire for stimulation and new experience, and so on”.

Apparently, Littlewood, not only highlighting the important role of motivation in

second language learning but also emphasizing the “highly complex construct” of
motivation, claimed that if a learner is motivated he probably decide to undertake a
particular task with certain amount of energy and time needed for it.

Furthermore, McKay and Tom (1999, p.2) point out that the need and drive to
communicate with others in a new language provide strong motivation for most learners.

This is more or less similar to Lightbown and Spada’s (1999, p.56) definition of
motivation in second language learning that “motivation in second language learning is a
complex phenomenon which can be defined in terms of two factors: learners’
communicative needs and their attitudes towards the second community”.

They also add that “if learners need to speak the second language in a wide range of
social situations or to fulfill professional ambitions, they will perceive the communicative
value of the second language and will therefore be motivated to acquire proficiency in it.

11
Likewise, if learners have favorable attitudes towards the speakers of the language, they
will desire more contact with them”.

However, it is not the case with the learning of French in Britain or the learning of
English in Vietnam, where French or English has no established functions inside the
learner’s community, but will be mainly used for communicating with the outsiders, the
learner is less likely to be drawn towards the language learning. This is because the learner
does not perceive a clear communicative need for it. Similarly, if the learner’s only reason
for learning the second language is external pressure his general attitudes towards learning
may be negative, as a consequence, there may be strong internal barriers against learning.

Obviously, motivation is an extremely difficult concept to define because it

involves many interrelated factors, among which learners’ interests, drive, desire, effort,
attitudes serve as the basis for motivation.

2.3. Motivation in second language acquisition

2.3.1. The importance of motivation in foreign and second language

learning

Learners’ motivation can change overtime and have effect on their language
learning. Different studies have found that motivation is strongly connected to success in
language learning.

It is the integrative motivation which is important to lead to learners’ achievement in

learning French in Canada or English in the USA, whereas an instrumental orientation may
play an important part in deciding learners’ success in learning English in the Philippines
(Gardner and Lambert, 1972) or Bombay (Lukmani, 1972), or in Japan (Niitsuma, 1992).

Gardner (1985) sums up “… it seems clear that achievement in a second language

learning is influenced by attitudinal/motivational characteristics. Supposing that
achievement in a second language learning is promoted by an integrative motive is not
tantamount to saying that this is the only cause or predictor”.

However, many research findings show that successful learning can enhance
motivation, and the relationship between learning achievement and motivation is an

12
interactive one. As Gardner and Smythe (1981) claim that the high correlation between
motivation and successful learning confirms the decisive importance of motivation in the
classroom whether learners arrive with it or whether they acquire it through classroom
experience.

2.3.2. Types of motivation in second language learning

There are several motivational subsystems distinguished, including the

intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, integrative and instrumental motivation, positive
and negative motivation as well as social motivation. They are types of motivation
that are generally acknowledged in L2 learning motivational theories.

2.3.2.1. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

Harter (1981) distinguishes five separate dimensions forming motivation in

the classroom environment, each of which is determined by and intrinsic and
extrinsic pole:

Intrinsic Extrinsic
preference for challenge vs preference for easy work
curiosity/interest vs pleasing teacher/getting grades
independent mastery vs dependence on teacher in figuring out the
problems
independent judgement vs reliance on teacher’s judgement about
what to do
internal criteria for success vs external criteria for success

Intrinsic motivation

Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that comes from inside an individual

rather than from any external or outside rewards, such as money or grades. The
motivation comes from the pleasure one gets from the task itself or from the
sense of satisfaction in completing a task.

An intrinsically motivated person will work on a math equation, for

example, because it is enjoyable. Or an intrinsically motivated person will work

13
on a solution to a problem because the challenge of finding a solution is to
provide a sense of pleasure. In neither case does the person work on the task
because there is some reward involved, such as a prize, a payment, or in the case of
students, a grade.

An intrinsically motivated student is already eager and prepared to learn

English; he does not need his teacher to tell him that English is important or a
universal language. He is innerly ready for learning English.

Extrinsic motivation

Extrinsic motivation refers to our tendency to perform activities for

known external rewards, whether they be tangible (e.g., money) or psychological
(e.g., praise) in nature

Extrinsic motivation refers to behavior that is driven by external rewards

such as money, fame, grades, and praise. This type of motivation arises from
outside the individual, as opposed to intrinsic motivation, which originates inside of
the individual.

A student can be extrinsically motivated to learn English when he makes

efforts in learning but for the sake of exam only or for pleasing his parents or
teacher. In reality, he is not innerly motivated to learn English but rather pushed by
external factors.

This hypothesis might be very helpful for teachers who try to find out why
students sometimes feel motivated and perform well and in several other situations
they lose their motivation completely. For example, a student whose main goal is to
speak English well to be able to communicate with people from other countries
would be most likely highly motivated at global level. They would enjoy learning
the language generally, watching films, listening to music etc., but when they are
supposed to learn a certain grammatical rule to obtain a good mark at school, their
motivation might decrease as their situation level motivation is not activated by a
reward in the form of a good mark or knowledge of the rule. On the other hand, this

14
hypothesis can also explain why some students are able to perform very well in the
tests and exams but their ability to communicate is rather poor.

2.3.2.2. Integrative and instrumental motivation

Gardner and Lambert (1972) developed a theory that it is necessary to

distinguish between integrative and instrumental motivation as each of them has a
different source and represent different reasons for studying a language. An
instrumental motivation includes a complex of factors connected to motivation
arising from external goals such as getting a job, reading a letter from a pen friend,
or being promoted. Integrative motivation refers to a certain wish or desire of a
language learner to identify with the culture of speakers of that language. Students
try to acquire the language because they want to able to understand and
communicate in the foreign language and thus to attain the ability to interact with
people of different countries as well as to gain the knowledge of their culture.

Integrative motivation, described by Dornyei (2005, p. 68), is a detailed

construct based on a practical research that consists of three main elements, each of
which is further divided into several subcomponents:

 Integrativeness, which subsumes integrative orientation, interest in foreign

languages, and attitudes toward the L2 community
 Attitudes toward the learning situation, which comprises attitudes toward the
language teacher and L2 course
 Motivation, that is, effort, desire, and attitude toward learning

As both of the types of motivation are very specific, their promotion can be
hardly applicable by the teacher in a classroom learning situation. Therefore, it is
supposed that the construct of instrumental and integrative motivation stands
beyond the control of the classroom teaching/learning region. There are only few
ways how teacher can promote these two kinds of motivational factors at school
such as supporting positive attitude towards the community speaking the language,
encouraging the students to become aware of the specific customs, habits and

15
culture background of the foreign country and explaining how important is to know
the language for their future career.

2.3.2.3. Positive and negative motivation

Prince (2013, p.1) in her article explains that Applied Behaviour Analysis
recognizes two types of motivation: positive and negative.

Positive motivation is energized by presenting a motivating/reinforcing

stimulus to the person after the desired behaviour is performed, making the
behaviour more likely to reoccur in the future. Positive motivation can be described
as an attempt to gain something. It forms the internal interest and it is related to a
reward, which is just the one wished for. Good example of positive motivation
could be when a student is praised for writing their homework carefully or when is
given money for good results at school at the end of the school year.

Negative motivation occurs when a certain stimulus (usually an aversive

stimulus) is removed after a particular behaviour is exhibited. The likelihood of the
particular behaviour occurring again in the future is increased because of
removing/avoiding the negative consequence, e.g. psychic stress. If there is no
possibility to get rid of the unpleasant impetus, it is referred to as a
punishment; another eventuality of motivation.

2.3.2.4. Social motivation

Another kind of motivation is social motivation. Social motivation is related to an

incentive or drive resulting from a sociocultural influence that initiates behaviour
toward a particular goal. An individual acts as a representative of a certain group.
Feelings of responsibility, commitment to fulfill tasks and duty to achieve goals are
samples of this type of motivation. Dunning (2010) explains that social motivation
has a great impact on lives of people as the intensity of the social motives is equal to
the biological needs although they are learnt, acquired, and secondary.

16
2.3.3. Factors affecting students’ motivation in learning English

As mentioned above, learners’ motivation is a highly complex phenomenon

involving many interrelated factors, some of which belong to the learners themselves while
the others can result from the influences of teachers, parents and classroom features or
learning environment

2.3.3.1. Teachers

There is no doubt that the teacher’s performance can have a great influence on
the student’s motivation and thus achievement. As it was mentioned earlier, teacher
plays an important part in many aspects and some conclusions can be drawn from
the introduced research.

It should be emphasized that helping students to generate intrinsic motivation

should be one of the fundamental duties of the teacher who is responsible for the
choice of schoolwork, teaching method, and organization of the classes. Thus, all of
the elements of the teaching/learning process should be considered with regard to
personal needs, preferences and capabilities of the students. It is also the teacher’s
task to promote positive attitude toward the English language as a subject as well as
toward the people who speak the language considering that the student who has
established a positive attitude towards the learned subject is more likely to achieve
their learning goals. Moreover, setting the learning goals should be a collective task
of the students and the teacher, who should play the role of an advisor. Also,
students’ participation in deciding the strategies how to attain these goals is one of
the means how to stimulate motivation. If the activity is presented by the teacher, it
is necessary for the students to become aware of the importance and usefulness of
the activity, which is also the teacher’s assignment. Furthermore, the teacher should
introduce such tasks that they assume to be not only beneficial for attaining the
learning goal but also interesting and enjoyable to energies the students’ will to
learn. In addition, most of the motivation theories presented previously stressed the
importance of self-confidence and self-esteem of the students as predictors of
strength of the effort to learn expended on the succeeding tasks. Therefore, it is

17
essential for the teachers to continuously employ such activities and responses that
possess the capacity to build the students’ belief in their own competence.

Nevertheless, Williams & Burden (1997, p. 69) also point out that except the
way which the teacher presents the subject there is another very important aspect
that influences the student´s motivation; the teacher’s personality. All learners tend
to be affected by their personal feelings about their educators, and therefore, their
perceptions of their teachers and of the interactions that arise between them and
their teachers will influence their motivation to learn. Unquestionably, teacher
personalities, namely, sensitivity, encouragement, sympathy, enthusiasm and so on,
are always highly appreciated by learners, but beyond that a good rapport between
the teacher and learners is considered significant for learners to cooperate well with
the teacher. Wubbel and Levy (1991) emphasizes that “teachers who demonstrated
more relationship, as well as friendly and understanding behaviour in their
interaction with learners were found to foster greater learner achievement and more
positive attitudes towards their subjects. Teachers who showed more uncertain,
dissatisfied, and admonishing behaviour produce the reverse effect”.

Dornyei (2001), except the above-mentioned motivational factors, stresses the

importance of teacher’s enthusiasm as teachers who are really enthusiastic for their
subject can affect their students’ attitude to learning it. English teachers that exhibit
their passion for the language, underline advantages of mastering it, utilize a lot of
authentic material, appreciate the culture of the English-speaking countries and
enjoy talking about them certainly influence their students so that they could see the
value of learning the language.

Feedback

Further aspect of the teacher´s role in motivation is feedback that should

follow every task and performance as its inseparable part of a learning process.
Feedback can be provided by way of praise, by any related action or comment, or
by silence. Dornyei (2001, p.123) comments: “When there is no feedback, it is easy

18
for goals – even important goals – to lose salience and priority, and eventually end
up ‘on the shelf' "

Williams & Burden (1997) point out that feedback to learners should be rather
informational than controlling to increase their motivation towards particular tasks.
They further explain that: “If feedback actually provides information to learners that
enable them to identify specific aspects of their performance that are acceptable and
capable of improvement by some specified means, it should prove both motivating
and helpful to them to move into the zone of next development. If on the other
hand, the feedback fails to provide this kind of information, it could have entirely
the opposite effect.”

Positive feedback if accompanied by student’s autonomy, can support feelings

of competence and thus stimulate intrinsic motivation. On the contrary, negative
feedback can diminish intrinsic motivation as students perceive it as a controller of
their behaviour. Therefore, it comes to conclusion that the teacher should preferably
employ positive feedback based on the individual achievement of each student. The
feedback needs to be specific and not overused.

Grades

Teachers use grades for two main purposes; to motivate students and to
provide feedback about their advance and achievement. For the feedback to be
effective, the grades should be accompanied by the explanation of what is needed to
be improved if it is not obvious from the way of testing. According to the author´s
judgement, grades are powerful motivators; they motivate students to work harder
both from positive as well as negative viewpoint as the students often value their
own self-worth according to them. Receiving high grades motivates students to
persist in such successful activity and sometimes to try even harder. On the other
hand, getting low grades can make the learners realize that they need to make more
effort to improve the knowledge.

19
 Teachers’ attitudes

Students’ learning motivation is directly affected by the teacher and the

teaching techniques that are supported with appropriate guidance and advice.
Learners appreciate the distinctive paths offered to them to follow for better
understanding and learning. Appropriate guidance or advice to students and fully-
developed learning strategies support the flow of knowledge from the teacher to the
learner. Motivation acts as a driving force that encourages the learner to learn,
initiate the learners to adopt appropriate skills as well as facilitate them to use for
gaining knowledge.

Furthermore, teachers and their teaching methods also affect students’

motivation. Students’ interest in school and wish for learning are affected by such
factors as teachers, instructors, school circumstances, and their friends in classroom.
But when compared, teachers are seen to be the most important factor due to the
fact that they have important role in the students’ learning. Teachers’ feedback
influences students’ learning motivation when they realize that s/he follows their
individual development (Trong Tuan, 2012).

Teachers should motivate students towards the topic of the day just at the
opening stages of the lessons. Moreover, teachers should vary the activities, tasks
and materials because students are reassumed by the existence of classroom routines
that they can depend on. Thus, varying the activities, tasks and materials can help to
avoid demotivation and increase students’ interest level (Trong Tuan, 2012).

2.3.3.2. Parental factors

Learning begins in the family. Therefore, the parents, a noteworthy social-

relevant element impacting kids' inspiration and the accomplishment, have gotten
considerable consideration in general education (Butler, 2014). Concentrating on
parental inclusion in kids’ learning, Cheung and Pomerantz (2012) estimated that
the kids’ parent-related motivation or what they called parent-oriented motivation
would clarify the positive after effects of parental involvement and its part in

20
understudies' scholastic engagement and accomplishment at secondary school level.
Above all, Cheung and Pomerantz's information demonstrated that parent-oriented
inspiration was a novel sort of inspiration, unmistakable from extraneous and
inherent inspirations and that it exceptionally clarified the beneficial outcomes of
parental contribution on the students' accomplishment (Butler, 2014).

Parents are usually the child’s first and most long-lasting teachers. At the beginning
they teach their child very simple things such as first words, colours, shapes,
rhymes etc. The parents’ attitude toward the learning is the one that the children
undergo first even if the parents might be not aware of it. This first involvement in
the learning process can influence how the child will perceive the need of learning
in the future. Gardner (1985, p. 108) points out that not only the parents’ attitude
towards the usefulness of learning the target language can affect the learner,
but also the way the parents view the language speaking community can have a
great impact on the motivate ion of the child to learn the language.
Pape (1999) claims that parents who are involved in their child’s school life have
a strong impact on the child’s recognition of learning and willingness to learn
that can last a lifetime. Parental involvement supports greater academic
motivation, improves academic performance and school behaviour. The author
stresses the significance of parental involvement and recommends that to
increase it schools should become more parent-friendly, creating a welcoming
environment for parents throughout friendly teaching staff. Parents should also
be part of the decision making process of the school. Moreover Pape advises home
visits as an effective mean to build parents trust.
2.3.3.3. Classroom features or environmental factors

Motivating students as well as teachers is not an easy job. It really requires

effort. Apart from parental and student-related factors, classroom features or
environmental factors also affect students’ motivation. These factors are not related
to the teacher but to the environmental conditions such as classroom size, order of
desks, demographic factors, situations, technological learning tools in the

21
classroom, climate, weather conditions, etc. Knowing and trying to find solutions
for these problems will provide friendlier and more motivated environment for both
learners and teachers.

Students learn new information in their classroom with their friends. That’s
why we cannot deny the effect of the peers in the learning process. Like the parental
factor; students’ peers also affect students’ attitudes toward the language learning
outcomes since students may like learning the language when their peers like it.
Furthermore, students’ previous learning experiences influence their present
learning outcomes. When they were successful learners before, they would tend to
learn the way of success for their later life. In addition, the knowledge from their
past learning experiences is considered as the knowledgeable background from
which they are able to continue studying at present and in the future. Students who
have successful learning background can study well at present.

2.4. Summary

In brief, in this chapter, the researcher has tried to give an overview of the
relevant literature in the concern of the study. This chapter has dealt with the definition
of motivation as well as sources of motivation, types of motivation. Moreover, it helps
the teachers and students understand more deeply the factors affecting student
motivation in learning English.

22
 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter presents research design and the context of the study. It also
provides information about the participants taking part in the study, the detailed
description of data collection instruments and data analysis procedure.

3.1. Research design

This study aims to research and investigate the factors influencing grade 11
students’ motivation in learning English at Que Vo 1 High School. The process of
this research is conducted through building a theoretical framework, sourced from
the relevant literature on the dependent variable, the independent variable, and the
previous research, to examine empirical information. Elghrabawy (2012) in her
study stated that the deduction approach should be used in this case because this
thesis employs valid theories and tests hypotheses to analyze data. With the
deduction approach, the theoretical perspective which is based on motivational
theories mentioned in the previous chapter can be applied to solve the research
questions. (Dakhelalla, 2014).

The study collects primary data by conducting a survey among the grade 11
students including 4 classes as mentioned in above about their English-learning
motivation and perspectives on the influencing factors. The questionnaire includes
multiple-choice questions and uses a Likert scale (called summated rating scale) to
identify the students’ perception on factors contributing to their motivation in
learning English at the school. This quantitative research using statistical methods
starts with the collection of data, based on the hypothesis and theories, and then
continues with verification, validation, and recording before the analysis can be
conducted.

3.2. The setting of the study

3.2.1. The school

The study was conducted at Que Vo 1 high school, which is located in the
center of Que Vo district, Bac Ninh province. It ranks the first in the district and is

23
one of two hundred schools having the highest percentage of students who overcome
the entrance university exams in Vietnam. The school has obtained national standard
since 2012 with spacious and modernly equipped buildings.
The school has 45 classes with a number of 30 to 50 students in each class.
The facility of the school is relatively good in comparison with the others in
the locality. The teaching aids for teaching English is relatively adequate: there is two
language laboratory in school but the number of cassettes is not sufficient for all
classes.
3.2.2. The curriculum and text book
First and foremost, the curriculum is not suitable to the level of students. All of
the students have learnt English at secondary schools before they enter the school.
Still, they find it hard to catch up with the knowledge the teachers want to cover. Last
but not least, the curriculum is not equivalent to the test design. The curriculum
focuses on 4 language skills: reading, speaking, listening, writing and grammar part,
pronunciation with language focus; however, the achievement tests designed only
focus on grammar exercises and reading comprehension.
In terms of the textbook English 11- basic curriculum, contents of the textbook
are accurate and in accordance with Vietnam's realities and are arranged in a certain
theme, including 16 units and 6 reviews. The lessons are distributed and arranged in
appropriate sequence with each unit corresponding to a particular topic and following
language skills (reading, speaking, listening, and writing) and language.
In terms of style and presentation, the textbook partially supported the teachers
and students to innovative methods of teaching and learning foreign languages in
school. The textbook has a scientific presentation and good illustration.

3.3. Data collection

3.3.1. Questionnaire design

A questionnaire, according to Greenfield (1996, p.121) should be short and

easily understood. This will ensure that the right answers are elicited for the
questions posed. However, he argues that it is better to design a questionnaire that

24
has more pages that have a clear and user-friendly design than the one with fewer
pages that have crowded and unfriendly layout. It is also stated that it is not always
easy to design a questionnaire that is simple. The simplicity of the questionnaire is
determined by the nature of research problem at hand.

The following are the guidelines suggested by Melville and Goddard (1996,
p.43) for the structuring of a good questionnaire. A good questionnaire has to have
clear and comprehensible questions, and contain mainly closed questions with a
four-point scale to avoid middle-of-the-road responses and suitable questions in
relation to the research. Moreover, it needs to be concise and should not take much
time to complete. In addition, the questionnaire should provide respondents with
unambiguous instructions and asks only those questions that are pertinent to the
research. And last but not least, it must ensure to acquire all the necessary data
wanted by the researcher, including objective questions that do not recommend
answers.

The questionnaire consisted of both qualitative and quantitative data questions

and statements. Statements were formed according to the research questions. We
extracted some probable related factors from the research questions. The questions
and statements were formed using these extracted probable factors. The
questionnaire was divided into three sections and each research question was
analyzed in each section. In the first part of the questionnaire, there were Likert-
scale questions and the second part consisted of open-ended questions. Quantitative
statements were very useful to analyze the data and create charts from it. To be able
to get information easily, we divided the first part into 3 titles as Classroom Effect,
Parental Factors and Teacher’s Factors. As it could be understood from their
names, the Classroom Effect part dealt with the classroom materials and
environmental features. The Parental Factors part had some statements about the
learners’ parents and how they helped them to enhance their motivation. In the
Attitudes of Teacher part, statements focused on teachers’ ability to use teaching

25
methods and teachers’ behaviours towards the learners to help them to become
motivated learners.

All of the sections had 8 statements and they were given to the participants to
mark one of the responses ranging from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree”. .
With the help of these 24 statements, we got our data practically in a short time.

The questionnaire was designed to collect some information about their

problems or learn more about their parental background knowledge. This
questionnaire would be appropriate to use to learn and identify which problems
students face or how their parental situations affect their motivation.

Procedure

The research provided valuable data that helped to learn the answers of the
research questions. The questionnaire was applied to 160 students in their free
time at school. The students were given unlimited time to respond to the questions.
A total of 160 questionnaires have been returned from the applicants and all
of them were used in the analysis.

First, the results of each factor’s statement were analyzed on an

individual basis. Afterwards, we calculated the percentages and ratio of each
item in the factors in order to find out the aspect and which items had influence
on students’ motivation. In addition, data were analyzed statistically to find the
significance of each motivational factor, and afterwards, 3 separate charts (see
Table 1, 2, and 3) were prepared accordingly.

The questionnaire was created by taking into account the validity and
reliability issues. In the questionnaire, each aspect had similar and adequate
representation in questions. All of the items were written under the related factors
and unrelated items were eliminated from the questionnaire in order to increase
validity. The statements were made clear to understand and were put in a
form that was testable.

26
 In this study we assumed that all participants had responded to the questions in
an honest and candid manner. Moreover, we assured that all participants had a
sincere interest in participating in our research. Also, it was assumed that all
participants were similarly experienced in English learning.

3.3.2. Interview
- Purpose: The interview was conducted at the end of the research with the aim of
gaining more insights factors affecting grade 11 students' motivation in learning
English.
- Structure of interview: This interview included 3 open-ended questions relating to
factors affecting grade 11 students' motivation in learning English.
- Participants: The researcher selected 16 students from class 11A1, 11A2, 11A3,
11A4 to ask questions. This number of students could provide enough information
for making inference.
- Procedure: Each student was interviewed in about 5 minutes and the interview was
recorded by the researcher’s mobile phone

3.4. Data analysis

The research is done by qualitative and quantitative methods.

Data analysis, along with data collection, creates a central part of any research
process.

The process of data analysis has become easy to manage nowadays, due to the
availability of more advanced computer software technologies. In this research, the
author selected the Statistical Package for Social sciences (SPSS Version 20 for
Windows) for data analysis. Through using SPSS software, the data would be
analyzed by calculating the correlation coefficient to identify the relations between
each motivational factor and the overall satisfaction level.

This interpretation would make sense to the further recommendations in the

last chapter. Besides, Microsoft Excel software version 2010 was also applied to
organize the results obtained from the questionnaire and interview. During the small

27
size of the sample, the author counted manually, then categorized answers and
finally employed division function of Microsoft Excel to identify the percentage.
With Microsoft Excel, the researcher can also draw some figures based on the
results to better illustrate the results.

The video recordings were viewed and transcribed to gather data. The data
were useful to discover the factors affecting grade 11 students' motivation in their
English learning. The students’ questionnaires and interviews were analyzed for the
qualitative analysis. These sources of data reflected the factors influencing students'
motivation.

3.5. Summary

In a word, the researcher gives an overall description of student participants

in this chapter. Besides, the setting of the study, including the school, the
curriculum and the textbook are also incorporated. Moreover, chapter 3 presents
data collection instruments and data analysis procedure in details.

28
 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS

4.1. Research questions revisited

The purpose of the study was to investigate and identify the factors affecting grade
11 students’ motivation in learning English at Que Vo 1 High School. The
researcher chose to conduct a mixed method analysis to complete the research
study.

4.2. Findings

The results derived from this study are represented in the tables below. All
numbers are indicated in percentages and frequencies. The statements of
questionnaire are given with their percentages such as statement 1, statement
2, etc. Statements are written in the questionnaire in numerical order. There are 3
tables below. Table 1 shows parental factors’ data percentages. Table 2 presents
teacher factors’ data with their percentages. Table 3 shows percentages of
statements about classroom factors.

According to the findings, the students were aware of their environment

in their learning. They had enough knowledge to shape their learning
environments and manage their motivation. In this questionnaire it was tried to find
out their problems while concentrating on learning a foreign language, especially
English.

PARENTAL FACTORS

SD: Strongly disagree D: Disagree

A: Agree SA: Strongly agree

St = statement

29
PARENTAL FACTORS

Statements SD D A SA

% % % %

1. My parents insist I should devote more time to 0 12 18 70

my English studies.

2. My parents encourage me to practice my English 13 10 20 57

as much as possible.

3. My parents help me when I have difficulty 45 12 15 28

doing my homework.

4. My parents know English. 17 33 17 33

5. My parents have stressed the importance of 10 5 17 68

English when I finish school.

6. I usually go abroad to visit my relatives. 50 20 0 30

7. My parents show considerable interest in 22 15 25 38

anything to do with my English class.

8. My parents feel that I should continue studying 5 8 12 75

English.

30
Table 1: Parental factors

According to the questionnaire results, 70 percent of the participants

(112/160) were more motivated because their parents think that they should
devote more time to their English studies but 12 percent of the participants
(19/160) disagree with this statement. Also, 78 percent of the participants’
motivation was affected positively when their parents encourage them to
practice English as much as possible. 45 percent of the participants (72/160) were
not more motivated when parents help them when they have difficulty in doing
homework. Parents’ knowledge about English was motivating for 33 percent
of the participants (53/160) but it was not motivating for 17 percent of them
(27/160). More than half of the participants (68 percent, 109/160) were more
motivated because their parents stressed the importance of English when they
graduated from the school. 38 percent of the participants (61/160) were more
motivated because their parents showed considerable interest in anything to do with
English class. 22 percent of the participants (35/160) strongly disagreed with this
statement. 75 percent of the participants (120/160) strongly agreed that parents’

31
feeling that they should continue studying English because it was motivating
for them. Only 5 percent of participants’ motivation was not affected by this
parental behaviour.

TEACHER'S FACTORS

Statements SD D A SA

% % % %

1. Teacher creates realistic learner beliefs. 0 0 12 88

2. Teacher gives clear information why students are 0 0 37 63

involved in an activity and goal of it.

3. Teacher is in maximum eye-contact with the 7 10 25 58

students.

4. Teacher stops at every single error and treats it 75 25 0 0

when students make a mistake.

5. Teacher performs in a friendly manner in the 3 0 9 88

classroom.

6. Teacher uses realia or authentic materials 0 0 25 75

7. Teacher gives positive feedback when students 0 0 15 85

accomplish something.

8. Teacher punishes students in order to keep 80 10 10 0

discipline.

32
Table 2: Teacher's factors

Almost all of the participants (88 percent) were more motivated when
teacher created realistic learner beliefs. Also, 63 percent of students (101/160)
strongly agreed that their motivation were improved when teachers give clear
information why they are involved in an activity and about its goal. Findings
also show that 83 percent of the participants (133/160) agreed in general that
teacher’s maximum eye-contact was motivating for them. Only 7 percent of the
participants (11/160) strongly disagreed with this statement. Also data shows that
100 percent of participant students were not motivated when teacher stopped
at every single error when students made a mistake. Most of the participant
students (88 percent, 141/160) strongly agreed with that they were more motivated
when teacher performed in a friendly manner in the classroom. Only 5 participants
strongly disagreed with that. When teacher used realias or authentic materials,
75 percent of the participants (120/160) were more motivated. Also, 85 percent
of the participants (136/160) were more motivated when teacher gave positive
feedback when students accomplished something. Only 10 percent of the

33
participants (16/160) agreed that it was motivating when teacher punished
students in order to keep discipline. 144 participants (90%) disagreed with this
statement.

CLASSROOM FACTORS

Statements SD D A SA

% % % %

1. My motivation is interrupted by the friends when 12 15 60 13

they talk.

2. I want to work with my friends. 18 30 32 20

3. Pictures and materials in the classroom are helpful 0 12 25 63

to learn better.

4. The classroom’s brightness affects my learning. 13 20 42 25

5. I am afraid to talk in front of the others. 12 18 20 50

6. I want to work individually. 38 15 15 32

7. I can easily ask questions to my friends when I 0 0 65 35

need help.

8. Positive classroom climate helps me in 6 6 55 33

understanding the content of the lecture being
communicated.

34
Table 3: Classroom factors

Most of the learners’ motivations were interrupted by their friends when they
talked (table 3). 60 percent of the participants (96/160) agreed they were interrupted
by their friends. 32 percent of the learners (51/160) wanted to work with their
friends together. 63 percent of the participants (101/160) chose strongly agree
option that pictures and materials in the classroom are helpful to learn better. None
of our participants chose strongly disagree choice. 42 percent of students
(67/160) thought that classrooms’ brightness affected their learning. 50 percent
of the learners strongly agreed that they were afraid of talking in front of the
others. 38 percent of the learners strongly disagreed to work individually, they
would like to study with their friends. Furthermore, 35 percent of the
participants (56/160) strongly agreed that they could ask questions to their friends
when they needed help and also 88 percent of learners (141/160) thought that
positive classroom climate helped them in understanding the content of the lecture
being communicated.

35
 In the interview, participants were asked to say how teachers, parents and
classroom factors affect their motivation in learning English.
Related to the classroom factors, the participants stated that they were motivated
when students in classroom were interested in and eager to learn English. In
addition, they are motivated when their friends speak much in English during
lesson. Furthermore, they are more motivated when there are many students who
know English very well. On the other hand, the participants claim that they are
demotivated by their friends’ jokes when they speak English during lesson. Also,
they are influenced negatively when the attendance at lesson is low in class. Small-
size-classes, dirty scratched desks and crowded classes are other factors that
demotivate participants.
In the section of Teachers’ factors, the participants stated that they were motivated
if teacher is a near-native speaker English and self-assured. Teacher’s knowledge
about English language and its culture were also motivating for the participants.
Some of the participants stated that it is motivating if teacher is well-dressed.
Conversely, the participants were demotivated when teacher behaves in aggressive
manner during lesson. Another factor that made the participants demotivated is
shyness and lack of confidence of teacher during lesson. Additionally, the
participants were demotivated when teacher does not know something related
to the topic when asked. The participants were also demotivated when teacher is
boring, does not give break time, puts much pressure on students and has a lack of
teaching skills.
As the parental factors, the participants expressed that they would be more
motivated if they could watch English films with their parents together. Also, they
would be more motivated if their parents liked speaking in English and speak with
them. On the other hand, the participants were demotivated when their parents put
on much pressure on them about learning English. Additionally, they were
demotivated when their parents did not give moral and material support.

36
4.3. Discussion

The primary purpose of this thesis was to identify the factors affecting grade
11 students' motivation while learning English. A lot of research has been done to
find out these factors. The present study has established connections between
students’ motivation and parental factors. When it comes to the teacher’s
factors, we realized that there was remarkable interconnection between students’
motivation and teachers’ strategies.

Results of this study revealed that there are key strategies, behaviours
and factors that affect learner’s motivation directly. The present study shows
that parental factors play an important role in learning English and almost all of
the students are more motivated when their parents support and encourage them
to learn English. Most of the students are more motivated when their parents stress
the importance of English in entire life and give moral and material support while
they learn English. Parents are role models for attitudes and behaviour that could
assist in future success, as well as the development of English interests and
activities.

For the teacher’s factors, approximately 90% of the participating students

admitted that they are more motivated when teachers create realistic learner
aims and give clear information related to why they are involved in an
activity and its goal. Teachers’ friendly behaviour during lessons is one of the best
strategies to increase students’ motivation. Moreover, most of the students also
regard as motivating if the teacher employs varied teaching resources, if they
promote positive attitude towards the language and maintain caring, supportive
atmosphere in the classroom.

On the other hand, regarding the in-classroom factors, most students

seem to be more motivated when they work with their friends. Another
important finding is that many of the participants are demotivated when the class is
crowded, noisy and has heating problems.

37
 All aspect considered, it should be pointed out that the teacher’s role in
motivating the students to learn is crucial and there are many elements that
teachers can employ in the teaching/learning process to promote the motivation.

The current study showed that there are strategies and behaviours that
motivate students and improve positive attitudes towards English learning. The
findings will help teachers and parents by showing some good behaviours and
strategies that can increase students’ motivation.

38
 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1. Summary of the study

The goal of the thesis was to identify factors affecting grade 11 students'
motivation in learning English. The study also aimed at being a guide for the
teacher candidates to be able to understand their learners’ personal or
environmental problems and help them to create more motivating
environments.

The findings of the study provided some useful and specific information about
some parental, environmental and teacher-related factors that learners faced in a
learning environment. These problems affected their motivation. The study
demonstrated that the attitude of the teacher also impacted on their
concentrations, because teachers are the main people who can give them clear
information. That is why teachers should be clear and consistent while speaking. It
was important to use different learning strategies for their learners because
there were different kinds of learners and everyone had different understanding
ability. Teachers should understand learners and use the most suitable learning
methods for them. In addition to teacher's factors, parental issues had important role
in the learner’s language learning. Parents should give them enough support to help
them become motivated learners. The more positive their parents’ point of view to
the new language learning was, the more the learners tended to learn a new
language in a motivated environment. Moreover, environmental factors had an
effect on students’ learning motivation, as well. The learning environment
especially classrooms should be light, clean and the materials the learners will use
should be usable. According to our questionnaire, learners were afraid of talking in
front of the other friends in case they would make mistakes. This was the one of the
most problematic situations many of the learners faced. Both the teachers and
other learners should be careful with their statements about their friends
because even a small misunderstanding can cause serious problems in their
friends learning process.

39
 Further researches might contribute by finding more related effects on
learners’ motivation. This study also can be helpful for related research in
this field. In addition, this study will be a guide for the new teachers to understand
their learners and challenges they face during learning a language.

5.2. Recommendations

Basing on the findings drawn from the research instruments, the researcher would
like to suggest some recommendations about this research:

- Teachers should motivate the students by establishing environment of affection,

coordination and participation.

- Teachers should enhance the learning goals among the students by emphasizing on
their positive feedback.

- Teachers should be friendly enough to students and foster a close relationship with
them.

- Teachers should be flexible in using teaching aids, authentic materials and

motivational strategies, namely positive comments; compliments during the lessons
to get students highly involved in the lessons and encourage them to learn.

- Teachers should assist the students to understand their talents so that the students
can be motivated towards good academic achievements.

- Teachers, in addition to improving their level and teaching skills, also research
other skills such as good communication skills, and research methods of
communication so that students will be motivated to learn English. In particular,
teachers need to develop positive approaches to motivate students to learn.

40
- Not only teachers but parents should also participate for removing the
educational limitations of their children. Students need guidance and motivation in
order to enhance their educational performance.
- Teachers and parents should let students have opportunities to share their own
point of view then they will find some intellectual relief and motivation to work.
- Each teacher contacts parents about positive student behaviors instead of only
contacting them when negative behaviors occur. This will aid in building positive
and close relationship between home and school.
- Classroom environment should support the assessment criterion for the purpose of
student’s evaluation.

5.3. Limitations

Although the research has reached its aims, there were some unavoidable
limitations. First, the students whom we reached to ask to take our questionnaire
were not truly a random sample. Second, the research was conducted only on a
limited number of participants in one high school in Que Vo district which made the
use of advanced statistical methods impossible thus the results of the study can only
indicate the potential application of the findings to broad population. Furthermore,
the instrument which was employed for the purpose of this study was a
questionnaire. Certain disadvantage of this method are that the participants may not
be co-operative enough to assess all the statements precisely and may complete the
questionnaire without due consideration. Therefore, the study should have
involved more participants in different high schools to generalize the results
for larger groups.

5.4. Suggestions for further study

Due to shortage of time and lack of resources the researcher cannot study the
whole picture of the factors affecting students' motivation in learning English at the
school. Correspondingly, some proposals for further studies concerning this matter
can be added as follows:

41
 - A study on how socioeconomic status and demographics may impact
student academic motivation and student achievement.
- A more in-depth study on strategies to enhance students’ motivation in
learning English

42
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 APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS

Dear students,
You are required to do the questionnaire about motivation below. You should put a
remark (X) to the box which describes your opinion in accordance with degree
of agreement with a statement: 1 (Strongly disagree), 2 (Disagree), 3(Agree), 4
(Strongly agree). Thank you for your cooperation.
PARENTAL FACTORS

Statements Degrees (%) 1 2 3 4

1. My parents insist I should devote more time to my

English studies.

2. My parents encourage me to practice my English as

much as possible.

3. My parents help me when I have a difficulty to do

my homework.

4. My parents know English.

5. My parents have stressed the importance of English

when I finish school.

6. I usually go abroad to visit my relatives.

7. My parents show considerable interest in anything to

do with my English class.

8. My parents feel that I should continue studying English.

I
TEACHER'S FACTORS

(I am more motivated when…)

Statements Degrees (%) 1 2 3 4

1. Teacher creates realistic learner beliefs.

2. Teacher gives clear information why students are

involved in an activity and goal of it.

3. Teacher is in maximum eye-contact with the

students.

4. Teacher stops at every single error and treats it

when students make a mistake.

5. Teacher performs in a friendly manner in the

classroom.

6. Teacher uses realia or authentic materials

7. Teacher gives positive feedback when students

accomplish something.

8. Teacher punishes students in order to keep

discipline.

II
CLASSROOM FACTORS

Statements Degrees (%) 1 2 3 4

1. My motivation is interrupted by the friends when

they talk.

2. I want to work with my friends.

3. Pictures and materials in the classroom are helpful

to learn better.

4. The classroom’s brightness affects my learning.

5. I am afraid to talk in front of the others.

6. I want to work individually.

7. I can easily ask questions to my friends

when I need help.

8. Positive classroom climate helps me in

understanding the content of the lecture being
communicated.

III
APPENDIX 2
CÂU HỎI PHỎNG VẤN

Bảng câu hỏi này được soạn ra nhằm cung cấp thông tin cho nghiên cứu của tôi
về "Những yếu tố ảnh hưởng đến hứng thú học Tiếng Anh của học sinh lớp 11 tại
trường THPT Quế Võ số 1." Tôi ghi nhận sự hỗ trợ của các em cho việc trả lời những
câu hỏi phỏng vấn sau đây. Tôi cam đoan những thông tin mà các em cung cấp chỉ
được sử dụng cho mục đích nghiên cứu của tôi.
Cảm ơn sự hợp tác của các em!
- Thầy cô giáo có ảnh hưởng như thế nào đối với hứng thú học môn Tiếng Anh của
em?
- Bố mẹ có ảnh hưởng như thế nào đối với hứng thú học môn Tiếng Anh của em?
- Môi trường lớp học có ảnh hưởng như thế nào đối với hứng thú học môn Tiếng Anh
của em?

IV