The Relationship Between Students’ English Learning Achievements And Their Motivations And Family Backgrounds:a Study With Middle Schoolers In Hainan Minority Areas

Motivation is one of the most important factors that influence students’ English learning achievements. From the perspective of sociolinguistics English learning motivation is affected by important social factors such as family and school. In light of the motivation theories by Robert Gardner, Wallace Lambert, and Zoltan Dornyei, this paper studies English learning motivation of middle school students in Hainan minority areas. It observes student English learning from family economic conditions, parents’educational background, profession, and attitudes toward their children’s English learning. It will help parents and teachers encourage and guide students extend efforts to learn English, and improve their achievements in learning.This study conducts a questionnaire survey and a documentary study to collect data. The survey is conducted with225students and their parents form two representative junior high schools in Hainan minority areas for information of students’English learning motivation and family backgrounds. Students’academic records are consulted for information of their English scores. Data are analyzed with the SPSS program.Six of the ten hypotheses are accepted; two are rejected; two are partially accepted and partially rejected. The findings are as follows. There are three major types of motivations found in the research:integrative motivation, instrumental motivation, and situational motivation. Students with higher motivations achieve higher in learning English. Moreover, students’ motivation intensity is at an intermediate level. Parents’educational levels are positively related with their children’s integrative and instrumental motivations and higher examination scores. Parents’ professions have a correlation with their children’s English achievement. There is no significant relationship between family economic condition and student’s English learning achievement, nor between family economic condition and their English learning motivation. Students’ integrative motivation is associated with parent’s English ability; parents’interest in English influences children’s English achievement. If parents pay more attention to students’ English learning and communicate more often with English teacher, their children tend to achieve higher scores with higher instrumental motivation. With better home English learning environment, students tend to be more motivated and can achieve higher scores in English. There is a significant relationship between students’English learning achievement and parents’ supervision over students’English homework, between integrative motivation and parents’ involvement in watching TV English programs. English is one of the most important subjects that parents expect their children to learn. Based on the above findings, three suggestions are proposed. First, Students and parents in this minority area must be helped to improve their understanding of the importance of learning English. The communication between school and parents should be reinforced. School and the community must cooperate to help parents create an ideal English learning environment for their children at home.