Promoting The Learning Motivation Of Senior High School Students In Studying English By The Task-based Teaching Method

In recent years, more and more scholars'researches found that the learning motivation played a very important role in the success of English learners. The learning motivation influences not only the learners'language input and the learning strategies they use, but also their performance in language output and their perseverance to study English. Up to now, researchers and experts have made great efforts to study the learning motivation from different perspectives and the achievements they have done indeed helped better understand the nature of learning motivation. However, most subjects of the scholars'researches were undergraduates, and there were not many studies focusing on the middle school students.This study is a 12-week empirical research on 84 first-grade students from senior high school. Before the research experiment, the students were required to take a pre-proficiency test. The result showed that they had problems in the aspects of vocabulary and grammar. After the pre-questionnaires were completed among the students and a pre-interview was made, the researcher found that they had comparatively strong superficial or external learning motivation such as passing the examination, having a further study in the university and going abroad. But they were lack of interest-deep or internal learning motivation in learning English.Based on the pedagogical theories of Nunan(1989), Breen(1987) and Willis(1996), classroom teaching procedures were designed in the experimental class, in which grammar tasks and vocabulary tasks were designed to promote the students'internal learning motivation. After the teaching experiment, the students were required to take a post-proficiency test. The result of the post-proficiency test showed that 21.4% of the students improved their grades. After the post-questionnaires were completed among the students and a post-interview was made, the researcher found that most of students showed an interest in English grammar learning and vocabulary learning. Meanwhile, they had a more active performance and their internal learning motivation was promoted.The research has positive significance for improving the effectiveness of the senior high school English teaching and helping senior high school teachers promote students'learning motivation. On the other hand, it has great significance for guiding students to find an effective method of learning English grammar and vocabulary and improving their learning efficiency.