学习者的动机对外语学习的影响毕业论文

【标题】学习者的动机对外语学习的影响 【作者】陈 敏 【关键词】影响；动机；外语学习；教师；学生 【指导老师】王 露 【专业】英语 【正文】. IntroductionIn the process of learning a language, some learners are more successful while others, even given the same opportunity, fail in language learning. This phenomenon confuses educators, so researchers begin to take individual differences to account for some of the variance in the level of proficiency attained by language learners, and the focus has turned from how to teach to how to learn. Researches show that the determining effect on learning results originates from the learner. With the development of modern cognitive psychology, western researchers of foreign language learning have focused their research on the methods of learning. Actually learning is a complex cognitive process, during which the teachers play an external part, while the learners play an internal part. As language teachers, what they can do is to teach students how to learn, and to create a favorable environment of learning for them. In recent years, in the field of foreign language teaching, more emphasis has been put on the research of the learners. Many experts agreed that the learner plays an important role in the process of learning.Language leaning is a rather complex psychological process and a common human cognitive activity as well. The process of language learning is affected by many elements such as motivation, interest, personality and emotion etc. Motivation is an important aspect of affective variables. The initial pioneering experiment by Gardner and Lambert find that foreign language achievement is related not only to language aptitude but also to motivation. Since then, the concept of motivation has become a central focus of a great deal of foreign language acquisition theories, and numerous studies have been carried out to investigate motivation. The results show that motivation plays a primary role in foreign language learning. And many studies have shown that motivation can be an important factor in learning a language successfully. Motivation determines the extent of active, personal involvement in foreign language learning. Conversely, unmotivated students are insufficiently involved and therefore unable to develop their potential foreign language skills. According to Dornyei(1994),“motivation provides the primary impetus to initiate the second language and later the driving force to sustain the long and often tedious learning process.”1 The stronger motivation and the more positive learning attitudes learners have the more effort and more progress they will make.Motivation is extremely important for language learning, and it is crucial to understand what motivations students have and what arouses the motivations. It is also important in a practical sense for the teachers to stimulate students motivations. This paper mainly wants to draw foreign language teachers attention so as to care more about the students learning motivation, and assist them to learn foreign language as well as they can. Literature Review of MotivationMotivation is an integrative component of affective factors of language learners, so scholars have advanced abundant theories of motivation. Although there has been no consensus regarding the definitions and classifications of motivation, all agree that motivation plays a decisive role in language learning. Motivation is a key to learning. In order to have a better understanding of motivation, it is important to clear about some basic knowledge of motivation.A. Definitions of MotivationThe concept of motivation has passed through a number of different interpretations as theories of psychology have changed. The psychologists define“motivation” as the tendency which arouses and maintains the individual to act and leads the action to a certain goal. Brown in his book, Principles of Language Learning and Teaching, says that motivation is commonly thought of as an inner drive, impulse, emotion, or desire that drives one to a particular action, or in more technical terms, motivation refers to“the choices people make as to what experiences or goals they will approach or avoid, and the degree of effort they will exert in that respect.”(Keller, 1983)2According to Gardners socio-educational model, Gardner(1985) gives the definition of motivation as“the combination of effort plus desire to achieve the goal of learning the language plus favorable attitudes toward learning the language.”3 So his definition includes three components:(a) effort expended to achieve a goal;(b) a desire to learn the language;(c) satisfaction with the task of learning the language.Ellis(1994) holds that“motivation refers to the effort which learners put into learning a second language as a result of their need or desire to learn it.”4Williams and Burden(2000) define motivation as a state of cognitive and emotional arousal, which leads to conscious decision to act, and which gives rise to a period of sustained intellectual and/or physical effort in order to attain a previously set goal(s).5Learning motivation is“the extent to which you make choices about(a) goals to pursue and(b) the effort you will devote to that pursuit”.(Brown, 1994)6Although the definitions proposed by different scholars are diverse and complex, the core of motivation can be seen as including four elements: effort, desire, attitude, and goal.B. Intrinsic Motivation and Extrinsic MotivationIn the field of classification of motivation, different scholars have different views. And in this paper the often-cited group of motivation is to be discussed, namely intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation.The most powerful dimension of the whole motivation construct in general is the degree to which learners are intrinsically or extrinsically motivated to succeed in a task. Deci and Ryans classification is very powerful in motivation studies. Deci and Ryan argue that intrinsic motivation is potentially a central motivator of the educational process. According to Deci(1975), intrinsic motivation involves the activities with no apparent reward except the activity itself, and extrinsic motivation relates to some anticipation of a reward from outside and beyond the self.7 Intrinsically motivated learners generally want to gain feelings of competence and self-determination from the activity itself, but extrinsically motivated learners aim at obtaining some external rewards, such as money, grades, praises. That is, intrinsic motivation refers to motivation to engage in an activity for its own sake. People who are intrinsically motivated work on tasks because they find them enjoyable. Extrinsic motivation refers to motivation to engage in an activity as a means to an end. People who are extrinsically motivated work on tasks because they believe that participation will result in desirable outcomes such as a reward, teachers praise, or avoidance of punishment.Intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation, to certain extent, compete with each other. Under some circumstances, offering extrinsic rewards for a task actually undermines intrinsic motivation. The research of Deci shows that the rewarded students lose interest in the task when the reward is withdrawn. However, some recent researches on intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation show that under some conditionsif the learners are sufficiently self-determined and internalized, extrinsic rewards can be combined with, or even lead to intrinsic motivation(Dornyei, 1994).8 Although extrinsic goals are often considered as undermining intrinsic motivation, as long as they are properly set, which means the goals are difficult but achievable, and feedbacks about the goals are given, they can serve as motivators in foreign language learning. The Influence of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation on Foreign Language LearningNo matter how the motivation is divided, the influence of motivation on foreign language learning is acknowledged by all the researchers in this field. In this part, on the basis of the above classification of motivation, this paper tends to analyze the influence of learners motivation on foreign language learning mainly according to Deci and Ryans classification. All the two kinds of learning motivations, namely intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation, are influence foreign language learning greatly.In the first place, learners learning motivation can be influenced by many factors such as learners interest, learners attitude, teaching materials, teaching methods and so on. These factors can be divided into internal factors and external factors. Both the two kinds of factors influence learning motivation greatly. Generally speaking, internal factors influence learning motivation much more greatly than external factors. But in some situations, the external factors can transfer to internal factors. Therefore, it is crucial to know about both internal factors and external factors which influence learning motivation. In the second place, generally speaking, learners internal factors lead to his intrinsic motivation toward foreign language learning, and learners external factors lead to his extrinsic motivation toward foreign language learning. And in some situations, learners extrinsic motivation toward foreign language learning can transfer to his intrinsic motivation toward foreign language learning. Therefore, both learners favorable intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation toward foreign language learning are good for their foreign language learning.The following two parts will discuss learners intrinsic motivation how to influence his foreign language learning and learners extrinsic motivation how to influence his foreign language learning.A. The Influence of Intrinsic MotivationSometimes people do something because the act of doing it is enjoyable in itself. When the experience of doing something generates interest and enjoyment, and the reason for performing the activity lies within the activity itself, then the motivation is likely to be intrinsic. Learners with intrinsic motivation are generally believed to relate to long-term success in language learning. Intrinsically motivated learners study because they want to understand the content and they view learning as worthwhile in itself. If a person performs behavior for its own sake rather than for rewards or outcomes the behavior might produce, then this person is intrinsically motivated. People are intrinsically motivated not because accomplishing the activity brings a reward, but because doing the activity itself is a reward. Once the learners have intrinsic interest on the foreign language, their motivation will last for a long time and they will make more efforts to achieve success in foreign language learning.The following parts will discuss learners internal factors how to affect his intrinsic motivation, at the same time, his intrinsic motivation how to influence his foreign language learning.1. The Influence of Learners InterestIt is always believed that interest is the best teacher. Interest can be seen as a kind of intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is a forceful motivator in the learning process. Only if an individual has the will to learn, can he or she achieve the goal. Interest influences motivational behavior most both directly and indirectly. The increasing researches on motivation have shown the advantage of intrinsic motivation over extrinsic motivation, especially in the long run. Generally speaking, foreign language high school students who are interested in continuing their study beyond the college entrance requirement are positively and intrinsically motivated to succeed. In contrast, those who are only in the classes to fulfill entrance requirements exhibit low motivation and weaker performance. Interest plays such an important role that interest in one language can lead to positive attitude and then make the students more willing to learn that language well.2. The Influence of Learners AttitudeAlthough attitudes have no direct influence on learning, they affect the development of motivation in a direct way. Learners with positive attitude toward foreign language and foreign culture are more likely to engage themselves in learning activities, more interested in learning tasks, and exert more effort. Then learners have intrinsic motivation toward foreign language learning. The closer the learners to the target culture, the more successfully they acquire the language. From this intrinsic motivation can they enhance to a great extent. Instead of giving up a task when some difficulties appear, they would rather look for ways to solve the problem. So learners with positive attitude are constantly stimulated to a higher level of intrinsic motivation. And this intrinsic motivation is favorable to their foreign language learning.3. The Influence of Learners AchievementThe effect of success is to increase the expectancy of success on future frames. A previous experience of being punished or criticized may cause an individual to avoid failure by choosing tasks so easy that one cannot fail, or tasks that are so hard that there is no shame in failure. If learners can pride in learning, they are likely to try the new task with higher motivation and more positive attitude. But if learners always fail to pass the exam or make little improvement, they will probably lose heart or even make no efforts any longer. Then their intrinsic motivation toward foreign language will disappear. Therefore, learners intrinsic motivation is strongly affected by their achievement. On the contrary, if the learners have an intrinsic motivation towards foreign language, their achievement may make it easier for the learners to foster a favorable attitude toward foreign language learning, and then they will more likely to learn it well.4. The Influence of Learners Self-confidenceSelf-confidence is the psychological foundation of ones success. No one can achieve success without some degree of self-confidence which shows ones own concept and acceptance of oneself. Confident learners believe in their ability to obtain a specific goal. They are active and willing in class activities, face tasks with positive emotions, have little anxiety or fear in front of the class, and persevere in solving problems. They often tend to set a high goal which is achieved through their effort with confidence. High achievement is a driving force of self-confidence, as high achievement can prove ones ability to some degree. So generally, learners with high achievement are supposed to be more confident of themselves. Generally, learners with a high level of confidence tend to be more successful and possess positive intrinsic motivation toward foreign language learning. And learners with this kind of intrinsic motivation will learn foreign language well.B. The Influence of Extrinsic MotivationSometimes people engage in an activity not because they are particularly interested in the activity itself, but because performing it will help them to obtain something else that they want. When the only reason for performing an act is to gain something outside the activity itself, such as passing an exam, or obtaining financial rewards, the motivation is likely to be extrinsic. Learners with extrinsic motivation are generally believed to relate to short-term success in language learning. Extrinsically motivated learners may study hard for a test because they believe studying will lead to high test scores. Extrinsic rewards are encouraged by outside force, which comes from the desire to get a reward or avoid punishment and it focuses on something external to the learning activity itself. Therefore, learners extrinsic motivation also influences foreign language greatly.The following parts will discuss learners external factors how to affect his extrinsic motivation, at the same time, his extrinsic motivation how to influence his foreign language learning.1. The Influence of Personal DevelopmentForeign language, especially English now is the first important and useful language in various fields. Almost the most advanced knowledge has presswork of the English version. Learning English well enables students to have more access to the latest information. Besides, in the present Chinese society, English has been given unmatched privilege over other foreign languages. The demand of English proficient staff, such as translator and interpreter is quite large. Therefore, learners personal development will influence their language learning motivation extrinsically. In order to be good for their future individual development, this extrinsic motivation will stimulate them to learn foreign language well.2. The Influence of TeachersThe teacher plays an important motivational role. The teacher is the instructor of the class, so his or her words and deeds have great effect on the students. Many students hope their teacher can be humorous, active, knowledgeable, amiable and ready to help. If the teacher is not satisfying, the feeling of discontent and boredom may generate in the students mind, which will cause opponent attitudes toward the teacher. Then the students may behave passively in class, leading to the decrease of the learning motivation. On the other hand, the teachers attitude toward the students has a role to play as well. Verbal persuasion is one source for all individuals judgment of his or her competence, especially that from teacher and parents, so teachers can praise students verbally in class, for example,“Welldone!” Students can gain learning power from the encouragement of the teacher, while they will lose heart out of the teachers criticism and rebuke. Therefore, teachers influence learners foreign language learning extrinsically, and learners with this kind of extrinsic motivation will likely to learn foreign language.3. The Influence of Teaching MaterialsTeaching materials are crucial and essential whichever teaching way is adopted. Nuttall(1982) holds that in choosing teaching materials three principles should be abided by, namely readability, suitability and exploitability.9 Readability means the difficulty level of the materials should be suitable for the learner. Suitability indicates the content of the materials should be absorbing and authentic. Exploitability denotes the materials can lead students to explore more self-regulated study methods and strategies. This kind of teaching materials can be of great help to students. Since China does not has the environment of using English as a second language, students have to gain most information from books, so the teaching materials must be close to the English culture and place a lot of emphasis on the proper application of language to practice. A well-organized textbook can energize the students, while a boring and unauthentic one will decrease their motivation. Therefore, the teaching materials influence learners learning motivation extrinsically. A set of good teaching materials can stimulate learners favorable extrinsic motivation toward foreign language learning. And learners with this kind of learning motivation will likely to learn foreign language well.4. The Influence of Teaching MethodsTeaching methods also influence the students learning motivation very much. Various teaching methods have been introduced to our country, such as grammar-translation method, audio-lingual approach, and communicative approach popular nowadays. However, no consensus has been reached about which method is the best, for different students prefer different methods and different learning situations require different methods. But be sure of one point that if students show interest and believe one teaching method is helpful, they will be greatly motivated. If not so, they will not be largely