Study On The Influence Of Multimedia Teaching On Students’English Learning Demotivation

Full and unobstructed communication is the aim of any communication activities.(Gao Yunqi, et al.,1992) Educational communication is no exception. Educational communication is an information communication activity, in which educators, based on specific target and requirement, choose proper information content and transmit knowledge and skills, thoughts, conceptions to specific educatees through media channels (Nan Guonong&Li Yunlin,2005). Keeping the communication channels open and unobstructed is essential to effective educational communication.However, in educational communication activities, obstructed transmission of educational information happens a lot. Researcher Wang Lei (2009) once indicated in her study of utilizing teacher immediacy as an approach to student demotivation that, the effect of nonverbal immediacy behaviors is not significant enough compared with that of verbal immediacy behaviors. One of the possible reasons may be the use of multimedia. Teaches are confined to the platform, which to some extent hinders the common interaction and communication between teachers and students. This result makes the author start thinking that, whether the use of multimedia in college English class, to some extent, may block the effective educational communication channels between teachers and students, thus bringing about students’ English learning demotivation?At the same time, English learning demotivation exists widely in college. Research on any factor that may lead to it is essential. At present, factors like teacher, teaching content, curriculum design, learning materials, teaching environment etc., have been tested and verified. But multimedia teaching has not been explored so far.In order to test and verify the hypothesis, mainly based on the educational communication theories, including basic elements of educational communication, communication channels, communication psychologies of teachers and students, interaction types between teachers and students, functions of classroom teaching and interferences in educational communication, a survey research was carried out in non-English major students who retook English course after having failed to pass the examination in three classes in SWPU (Southwest Petroleum University). Both quantitative and qualitative methods were adopted. Firstly, by Gardner’s Scale of Motivational Intensity (Questionnaire One), students in three classes were all confirmed to be demotivated students, who were suitable for being the research subjects. Next,139 students’ questionnaires (Questionnaire Two) on the influence of multimedia teaching on their English learning enthusiasm and desire, which were designed on the basis of the educational communication channels, were collected, and6of the students were semi-structured interviewed to examine the following two issues:(1) whether the multimedia teaching in college English class exerts an influence on students’English learning demotivation;(2) if such an influence exists, how it exerts its influence.All the collected data were processed by software Statistics Package for Social Science version18.0(SPSS18.0). A descriptive analysis was conducted to collect: subjects’ basic information; the mean, mode, maximum and minimum value of subjects’ motivational intensity; the mean, skewness, kurtosis of items and percentages of five options in Questionnaire Two. After analyzing and discussing the situations and problems reflected by the data, combined with the qualitative analysis of semi-structured interview results, the major findings are concluded as follows:1. Over50%subjects choose "influence" and "strongly influence" on the situations about multimedia teaching in English class. Combined with the semi-structured interview results, it can be seen that the influence of multimedia teaching in college English class on students’ English learning demotivation indeed exists.2. Multimedia teaching in college English class exerts an influence on students’ English learning demotivation in student-teacher channel, student-media channel, student-student channel and educational environment etc. They are specifically reflected in relationships between teachers and students, students and students, and the interferences caused by multimedia itself.Based on the results above, combing with the current application situation of multimedia teaching in college English class, the present study presented some implications for teachers on how to strengthen students’ English learning demotivation by appropriately using multimedia. In addition, limitations of the study were listed so as to provide some suggestions for further study in this filed.