A Study On High School Students’ Motivations Of English Learning

The motivation of learning has a significant impact on the effect of English learning. Various theoretical and practice-oriented researches both home and abroad have revealed the importance of motivation from different levels. In China, students usually start to learn English in high school or elementary school. During this period of learning, students are more easily to be shaped and motivation more often determines whether students can lay a good foundation in English or not. Yet until now there are far from enough researches available on the motivations of foreign languages learning of high school students or elementary school students. In this case study, the author aims to probe into the motivations of English learning of high school students, hoping to figure out the main types and various factors that influence students’ motivations.Questionnaires are applied as main means of study. Nearly 1000 students from Dafeng High School participated in the survey. And major conclusions are obtained as the following: practical values such as preparing for the examination,entering university and finding a good job occupy the most important position in various motivations. Rewards and punishments are relatively not so important as high school students are gradually getting more independent. Average students are most easily influenced by others, while inferior students are least likely to be influenced by others and most likely to be affected by rewards and punishments. With their age increase, the influence from others, practical values, intrinsic interest, task motivation and sense of accomplishment are all showing corresponding decreasing trend. New students are more malleable than older students, girls are more likely to take an interest in language learning and enjoy the process of learning. In most cases, rural students show a stronger motivation than urban students in English learning, indicating that students from rural areas bear more pressure from their teachers and families.Based on the main results obtained from the survey, this thesis puts forward some practical strategies for high school English teachers to help them stimulate students’ motivations in terms of different grades, ages, genders and regions.