Motivation To Learn In The EFL Classroom

As the research center of English teaching changes from language knowledge to language learners, the research on individual differences has become one of the focuses. In the analysis of learners' emotional elements, motivation to learn is a key subject. Motivation to learn deals with the impulse to learning, and it is the element that can be used to analyze learners' effort. Therefore, motivation to learn is very important in English learning.Motivation to learn is closely connected with learning outcomes and performances in English learning. Motivation to learn, which was often ignored, has been paid more attention to in English classroom. People have come to realize that motivation to learn plays a key role in English learning. For an English teacher, only when they know learners' motivation to learn will they adopt suitable strategies.Motivation to learn is made up of two parts, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Motivation to learn that stems from factors such as interest or curiosity is called intrinsic motivation. In contrast, when learners do something in order to earn a grade or reward, avoid punishment, or out of other reason that has very little to do with the task itself, learners experience extrinsic motivation. This paper attempts to analyze the necessity of the combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in the EFL classroom from three perspectives, namely, behavioral, humanistic and cognitive.This dissertation comprises six chapters.Chapter One serves as an introduction, which includes the significance of motivation to learn in English learning, and the organization of the dissertation.Chapter Two deals with the theoretical basis of motivation to learn. First, it defines the term "motivation to learn", and then it introduces the three perspectives of motivation theory, that is, behavioral, humanistic and cognitive. Behaviorism suggests that motivation to learn results from using reinforcers effectively, so it emphasizes the importance of extrinsic motivation in English learning. Humanistic views of motivation to learn focus on the learner as a whole person. Classroom climate and teacher-learner relationships are central to this view. Cognitive views of motivation to learn emphasize that people have an inner need for order and predictability. Therefore, cognitive and humanistic perspectives emphasize the importance of intrinsic motivation in English learning.Chapter Three deals with intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. First it introduces what is intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and then it is involved in that a classroom is a setting, including intrinsic and extrinsic, although most scholars criticize the use of extrinsic motivation. And last it discusses the main factors that influences intrinsicand extrinsic motivation, that is, anxiety, curiosity, attribution about success and failure, learned helplessness, and self-efficacy.Chapter Four deals with the application of intrinsic motivation in the EFL classroom from cognitive perspective. It discusses from learners' perception of control, attribution about success and failure, self-efficacy and curiosity.Chapter Five deals with the application of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in the EFL classroom from humanistic and behavioral perspectives. It discusses from positive relationships, classroom climate, and rewards.Chapter six is the conclusion of the whole dissertation. It emphasizes the incorporation of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in the EFL classroom.