An Investigation On The English Learning Interest Of Junior Middle School Students

English in junior middle school plays a crucial role in the English educational system in China. On the one hand, the method and manner of English teaching and learning in junior middle school are different from that in primary school, and both the difficulty and intensity in learning increase. Therefore, students in the beginning period in junior middle school need time for adjustment and adaption, in the course of which some students might lose their interest in learning English. On the other hand, students in junior middle school start to experience their developmental phase of adolescent life. They have a wide range of interest, but their interest is temporary and superficial. Therefore, how to make them adapt to the English teaching in junior middle school and form sustainable interest in English learning has become an important issue. In this research project, the researcher investigates the current situation of junior middle school students’interest in English learning and the primary factors that affect their interest. The result of the research will help English teachers to consider effective teaching strategies when dealing with the issue of students’ interest in learning English. Three schools of different types were investigated. In each school, one class in each of the three grades was randomly chosen, and altogether 401 students were questioned as respondents of the questionnaire.The researcher made a thorough review of the relevant literature home and abroad and formulated a tentative framework for the research. She interviewed 10 English teachers,10 students and their parents and carried out open-ended questionnaires to 10 teachers and 20 students and their parents, so as to make some changes and ensure the feasibility and reliability of the framework. The literature review and the interview resulted ultimately in the seven dimensions for perceiving the interest of English learning interest, i.e. novelty, challenge, attention demand, sense of delight, exploration intention, desire and function cognition.27 factors were also sorted out as factors that affect the development of English learning interest. On the basis of these, two questionnaires were designed to examine the current situation of English learning interest and the influential factors.The results of the study show:(1) Generally speaking, junior middle school students’ interest in learning English needs to be encouraged. Only 40.4% of students show interest in English learning and 16.6% have moderate interest while 43% lack interest. (2) The seven dimensions demonstrate uneven development. Function cognition has been brought into full play while novelty does not show any significance. The sequential order of dimensions from the most developed interest to the most underdeveloped is:function cognition, attention demand, desire, exploration intention, sense of delight and novelty. (3) English learning interest shows disparities in grade, gender, school types and age. Students in grade seven have the highest interest, followed by the ninth grade students, while students in grade eight have the lowest interest. Girls are more interested in English than boys. Students from cities are more interested in English than those from suburbs, and students in a good school have more interest than those in a comparatively inferior school. As for the dimensions of desire and attention demand, no difference has been detected in the three different schools investigated. With the increase of age, students’ English learning interest decreases except for students aged 12. (4) The influential factors survey suggests that the effect of individual factors on interest in English leaning is stronger than learning activity and environment. Among the individual factors, the top five of the most influential factors are self-efficacy, learning habit, personality, learning attitude and learning strategy, which have a direct impact on the interest of junior middle school students in their English learning.In accordance with the results of the research, the author of the thesis puts forward of some suggestions for English teachers in junior middle schools. They should be aware of their students’ self-efficacy and help them develop good habits and positive attitude, and learn effective learning strategies. They should also have a good understanding of the psychological and mental development of their students so as to help their students shape their personality.