An Investigation Of Learner Demotivation In Vocational College English Learning

Motivation is one determinant factor that affects second language learning achievement. It is rather easy to notice the fact that certain students' motivation declines or even fades out in the process of English learning. To find out the specific factors that demotivate students is of great importance in our efforts to maintain and enhance their motivation to learn. The present study is an investigation of learner demotivation in English learning in vocational colleges. The aim of this study is to inspect the seriousness of the problem of demotivation, explore the primary sources of demotivation, examine the different levels of impact of different demotives, study the gender differences in perceived sources of demotivation, and research into factors that re-motivate students. This study provides some implications for English teaching and learning in vocational colleges in our country.Based upon previous studies on demotivation, the present study employed open-ended questionnaires to collect data. The subjects of this study were 279 freshmen and sophomores of non-English majors coming from a vocational college in Zhejiang Province. First they were asked to complete an open-ended questionnaire with several prompts. Then, the researcher carried out a descriptive analysis of the data and set up a framework of categories of demotivating factors. After that the researcher interviewed 9 highly demotivated students to gain more detailed information about how their motivation was negatively influenced by demotivating factors. To ensure the triangulation of the study, the researcher also interviewed 8 teachers to investigate their views on demotivation. The study indicated:1) Learner demotivation was a quite common and serious problem in vocational college English teaching.2) Four primary categories of demotivation were identified: the learning environment, the learner, the teacher and the learning materials (from high to low in proportion).3) Students who had overcome demotivation and those who had not shared a similar distribution pattern of demotives they had experienced, in spite of a slight distinction in quantity.4) There was a slight distinction in quantity of demotives between boys and girls. But they shared a similar distribution pattern of demotives on the whole, with the exception of several visible differences. 5) With regard to how they would eliminate the negative impacts of demotives, the students who participated in the study also gave their opinions and suggestions: students who had already overcome demotivation tended to focus on one's personal duties and responsibilities, but those who had not tended to emphasize changes in external environments.Based these findings, this study discussed its implications for English teaching and learning in vocational colleges and made some suggestions for further research.