A Study On The Main Causes For The Junior Middle School English Underachievers And Transformable Countermeasures

As we all know, it is a very difficult task for the English teachers to upgrade Junior Middle School English Underachievers (JEUs). In order to investigate the main causes of the JEUs and find out the transformable countermeasures, the researcher makes the first survey among 330 junior middle school students who are selected randomly from No 3 Middle School of Weifang, No 5 Middle School of Weifang and No 6 Middle School of Weifang. Then, another three questionnaires are carried out among 180 JEUs who are selected from No 3 Middle School according to their English levels. And then the researcher divides the JEUs randomly into two classes. One is the experimental class and the other is the contrastive one. The researcher is designated as the English teacher in charge of the two classes.The results of the investigations indicate that there are a number of factors that potentially influence the learners' achievements. Motivation, strategies and attitudes are the major causes of the JEUs. It is remarkable that motivation comes out with the highest percentage and seems to be much more important than the other factors.The research reflects that the type of motivation common among the JEUs is instrumental motivation rather than integrative motivation. Motivation is a very important factor in English Foreign Language Learning (EFLL). Without motivation, successful learning does not take place. With instrumental motivation the purpose of language acquisition is more utilitarian. Analyzed logically, instrumental motivation is less endurable than integrative motivation. Those who are highly motivated will not regard the passing of the exam as the learning goal. Instead, they will see to it that they will master and use the English as a foreign language (EFL). The JEUs have to learn English because of the stress of the exams. However, as their interests are not strong enough to support a long and active learning, they have experienced more defeat than success, and thus a down-spiraling effect has been produced.The results show that most of JEUs have negative attitudes tendency towards English learning. Attitudes do not have direct influence on learning, but they can affect motivation. Our attitudes toward foreign culture influence how we experience learning process, and they have an impact on the level of EFL proficiency and are influenced by this success. Generally speaking, positive attitudes can be expected to enhance learning and negative attitudes to impede learning. Those who take hostile attitudes toward the English language and English learning will find English extremely difficult to learn, which will definitely affect their learning motivation and outcomes.The results also indicate that among the six strategies, it is the affective strategies. social strategies and communicative strategies that influence the low-proficiency of the JEUs. Affective strategies are the most important factors. The JEUs do much worse in controlling their affective factors and thus cannot adjust their psychological and emotional situations for the purpose of language learning. These learners are less self-confident and they cannot overcome anxiety, furthermore, they do not often evaluate their progress in foreign language learning.Based on the statistical analyses, a comparative experiment is administered between the two classes. Because students underachieve for so many different reasons, no one-intervention strategy can possibly reverse these behaviors in all underachieving students. A lot of measures were taken in the experimental class while traditional teaching way in the contrastive class. In order to enhance the motivation, the researcher begins to cultivate the JEUs' interest, arouse their enthusiasm for learning and create the basic motivational conditions, which involve setting the scene for the use of motivational strategies. The researcher also tries to maintain and protect their motivation, which corresponds to the action phase and encourages positive self-assessment.At the same time, the researcher tries to cultivate the JEUs' positive attitudes towards English learning and help them to be more familiar with English speaking countries,the English people and their culture. Therefore, they will change their attitudes into more positive ones towards the foreign language and the people. The researcher also makes great efforts to emphasize the purpose of English learning and the sense of achievements and reinforce the JEUs' knowledge about the English people and their culture. The more the JEUs feel that they are gaining from learning the language, the more motivated they are likely to be.Meanwhile, the researcher starts to advance the JEUs' learning strategies. Lectures are given to keep JEUs informed of the literature of learning strategies so as to help them establish strategy-training concept. Meta-cognitive strategies training and social/affective strategies training are also carried out so as to discover the utmost capacity of the students, enhanc e their positive emotions and give each of them a feeling of achievement in attaining some goals.Through planned actions, the JEUs in experimental class have made considerable progress, which testifies that the JEUs can be successful in English learning.This thesis consists of five parts. In Chapter One, the development of the study about underachievers is reviewed concisely. Five questions are put forward: Question 1: What is the main cause of the JUEs? Question 2: What type of motivation affects the JEUs more strongly? Question 3: What are the JEUs' attitudes toward English? Question 4: What type of learning strategies do the JUEs employ? Questions: How to upgrade the JEUs? In Chapter Two, the rationales are presented: Attribution Theory and learner characteristics that influence EFLL. Chapter Three is the methodology, including participants, instruments and procedures. In Chapter Four, analyses of the main causes for the JEUs are presented to answer the questions 1, 2, 3, 4 raised in Chapter One and the hypothesis that JEUs can become achievable English learners is put forward in the end. Chapter Five is the comparative action to test and verify the hypothesis that JEUs can become achievable learners in English learning. In this chapter, time, participants, procedures, countermeasures, results and implications are presented. The countermeasures include: enhancing the motivation, cultivatingpositive attitude towards English and advancing the learning strategies. In the conclusion, the researcher draws that the JEUs can reverse their underachievement in English learning if the English teachers take proper countermeasures.