A Research On The English Learning Motivation Of The English Major Students

In L2 (foreign language and second language) study, learning motivation is one of the most dynamic factors among all individual factors affecting students’L2 learning, and it has always. been an important topic for foreign language teaching and research. Currently, domestic scholars have absorbed much experience of foreign research in the field of motivation, and have conducted a lot of researches on the factors affecting students’English learning motivation. But most of the researches are mainly aimed at non-English majors’English learning motivation; the focus on English major students’ English learning motivation is obvious scarce.In recent years, it is found that many English teachers think English major students are less motivated and inactive in English class activities; hence, it is a problem which is worthy further exploring. Inspired by the previous studies and based on the theories related to learning motivation, the present research, by taking 145 sophomores of English major students from Guangxi Normal University as the subjects and taking questionnaire and interview as the research instruments, tries to discuss the following two questions:(1) What types of English learning motivation do English major students tend to have? How about their intensity? (2) What are the main variables that influence English major students’English learning motivation?According to the analyses of questionnaire data and the interview information, the conclusions can be drawn out as follows:Firstly, there are five types of potential motivation that the English major students mainly possess in English learning, including intrinsic interest, individual development, learning situation, immediate achievement and going abroad, and the motivation of individual development is the highest among them; the motivation of intrinsic interest comes in the second place; and the motivation of going abroad is the lowest one. The main characteristics of English major students’motivation have highlighted instrumentally and culturally. To most of them, learning English is not only for individual development in future, but also for their interest of English and its culture. However, their motivational intensity remains on a medium level.Secondly, the main factors influencing English major students’English learning motivation can be grouped into two categories:internal factors and external factors. Internal factors include learners’interest and attitude, goals and attribution. External factors are composed of social context, learning environment (including teaching material, teaching facilities and learning atmosphere) and significant others (including teachers and learning groups).Based on the findings of the research, five pedagogical suggestions are put forward for the purposes of further stimulating and maintaining English major students’English learning motivation, so as to further improve their learning efficiency. First, it tries to further cultivate students’learning interest through choosing the teaching materials related to students’daily life closely; teachers not only teach students language knowledge and skills, but also emphasize the importance of the target language’s culture; second, it is to further create harmonious learning atmosphere through building nice relationship between teacher and students through engaging in cooperative learning and organizing variety of activities in English class, and applying modern teaching facilities in teaching. Third, teachers should help students set proper learning goals. Fourth, it is to help students make correct learning attribution.