初中生的学习动机与自我效能感(2)
6.References 14
7.Appendix. 15
1.Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
In recent years, as the international communication and cooperation increase. Learning English is becoming the basic demand of talents in the 21st century. Chinese begin to pay more attention to learning English. To a great extent, learning English is closely related to learning motivation, and only when the learners positively want to learn and make best use of reasonable methods, can they get approving results. Are there any different English learning motivations between different students? If there are, what are the differences?
Skehan once said, “Given motivation, anyone can learn a language”. If the teachers are asked to point out which is the most powerful element of the students’ language learning, most of them would possibly choose: the motivation. It seems that the learning will occur when someone wants to learn. Motivation is not a recent subject of extensive investigation in applied linguistics. And recently, another element has attracted general attention, that is, self-efficacy. But in China, most of the studies have focused on the university students, and very few on the middle school students, especially the junior ones. In this research, the influence of gender, grade, family source, and English proficiency, the influence of teachers are considered. It is hoped that this study can serve as a guide for motivating the junior school students to be willing to learn English.
From existing research, we find that most of them pay more attention to the university students’ English learning motivation, seldom were the research concerned with middle school students, so we cannot directly use these results to analyze the middle school students’ English learning motivation and self -efficacy.
1.2 Purpose and Significance of the Study
A. Providing the theoretical reference for cultivating the learning motivation
In the early researches, the scholars were interested in the study of the classification of the English learning motivation, and describing and establishing the theoretical model. But as to the research of its pedagogical significance was not relevantly enough. This research begins with studying the status of junior school students’ English learning motivation, understanding its causes, and analyzing the relevant influential factors, which play a guidance role for educators on how to influence the learners’ English learning motivation. This research is also helpful for our exploring the ways and strategies of exciting the students’ English learning motivation, and finding the reasons of their losing learning motivation and then changing the situation of the isolating of the cognitive and motivation (effective) in the classroom.
B. Helping widen the scale of research subject and providing the implication for the teaching practice
As to the research subject, most of the researchers have paid more attention to the English major or non-English major college students, many involved in the postgraduates and vocational students. As to the researches of junior school students’ English learning motivation, the researches only explored learning motivation in general or the low-achievers’ English learning motivation but they were not from a wider point of view. This research will discuss the influential factors of the junior school students’ English learning motivation in general and in terms of different grades, genders, family sources and English proficiency, which can help school and parents know the status of the students’ learning motivation better, find out the influential factors, and then use the more suitable education and teaching methods.
C. Widening and deepening the theoretical research of Self-efficacy in English learning
Because of the influence of traditional educational thoughts, the role of self-efficacy in the teaching practice was ignored for a long time. But learners’ self-efficacy plays a great role for the learning results. According to the reality of our country, this research has investigated and researched under a single linguistic environment, and provided a different point of view to the influential factors of self-efficacy in English learning. That is to say, this study has researched the junior students’ influential factors of self-efficacy in English learning from different directions.