A Comparative Study Of English Learning Motivation Of Left-behind And Non-left-behind Children In A Rural Primary School

This study compares left-behind children(LB)and non-left-behind children’s(NLB)motivation for English learning in a rural primary school.In this study,LB are classified into double left-behind children(DLB)and single left-behind children(SLB).As is known to all,motivation has a remarkable impact on primary school students’ English learning.However,not much has been explored on this topic,especially on LB.Therefore,it is of great importance to identify the situation and differences in English learning motivation between LB and NLB in rural primary schools.Besides,by comparing LB and NLB’s English learning motivation’s correlation with learner and social factors,we can find solutions to enhancing the motivation of English learning in rural primary schools.This thesis intends to address the following five research questions:(1)How does left-behind children’s English learning motivation develop across the grades in rural primary schools?(2)How does non-left-behind children’s English learning motivation develop across the grades in rural primary schools?(3)What are the similarities and differences in English learning motivation between left-behind and non-left-behind children?(4)To what extent do learner factors correlate with left-behind and non-left-behind children’s English learning motivation?(5)To what extent do social factors correlate with left-behind and non-left-behind children’s English learning motivation?The subjects of the present study were 771 students from Grade 3 to Grade 6 from Tianquanhu Primary School in Huai,an.The research instruments included a set of questionnaires and an English proficiency test.The questionnaires included three sections:English learning motivation,learner factors and social factors.The data collected were then statistically analyzed via Excel 2003 and SPSS 22.0.The dynamic pattern of the English learning motivation from Grade 3 to Grade 6 were generated via One-way ANOVA,the similarities and differences of the English learning motivations between LB and NLB groups were generated via Independent Sample T-test,and the correlations between the subjects’ English learning motivations and their learner and social factors were carried out via Pearson Correlation analysis.The results of the data analysis are as follows1)LB’s English learning motivation decreases gradually from Grade 3 to Grade 6 Significant differences exist between Grade 3 and 4,and between Grade 5 and 6.Among seven motivation categories,LB’self-development,academic,achievement,integrative and instrumental motivation all decrease from Grade 3 to Grade 6.Patriotic and social trend motivation are slightly different.They decrease from Grade 3 to Grade 4,then increase from Grade 4 to Grade 5,finally decrease in Grade 6 again.There are statistically significant differences among four grades in seven motivation categories.For DLB and SLB,their English learning motivation decreases across the four grades,too.DLB’s English learning motivation has significant differences between Grade 3 and 4,and between Grade 5 and 6.On the other hand,SLB’s English learning motivation has a significant difference between Grade 4 and 6.2)NLB’s English learning motivation decreases gradually from Grade 3 to Grade 6.There are indeed significant differences among different grades,particularly between Grade 5 and Grade 6.Moreover,among NLB’ seven motivation categories,five motivation categories(self-development,academic,achievement,integrative and social trend motivation)decrease from Grade 3 to Grade 6 like the overall pattern.Patriotic motivation almost remains the same across the grades and instrumental motivation grows a little from Grade 3 and Grade 4,then decreases dramatically from Grade 4 to Grade 6.There are statistically significant differences among four grades in seven motivation categories3)There exists great similarities between LB and NLB’s English learning motivation.Both of them see a decline of motivation across the grades.However,LB’s English learning motivation is lower than NLB’s and the difference is significant.The results of seven motivation categories are similar to the overall pattern.LB’s English learning motivation is lower than NLB’s in all seven categories.By comparing DLB,SLB and NLB,it can be concluded that DLB’s English learning motivation is the weakest among the three,and NLB’s English learning motivation is the strongest.The differences between DLB and SLB,DLB and NLB are significant,while the difference between SLB and NLB is small4)Of all learner factors measured in this study,learners’ interest(hope to learn English well,usage of English,importance of learning English,joy of learning English and expectation of English)and English proficiency(Z-score of self-evaluation,Z-score of mid-term test)demonstrate positive correlations with LB’s and NLB’s English learning motivations When it comes to DLB and SLB,DLB’s English learning motivation is not correlated with learners’ interest,but significantly correlated with English proficiency.SLB’s English learning motivation is significantly correlated with learners’ interest and English proficiency.。5)Of all social factors measured in this study,parents(father’s education,mother’s education)and satisfaction with the English book demonstrate negative correlation with NLB.Level of parental attention and teachers(satisfaction with the English teacher and satisfaction with the way of teaching)demonstrate positive correlations with NLB’s English learning motivation.All social factors demonstrate positive correlations with LB’s English learning motivation.When it comes to DLB and SLB,DLB’s English learning motivation is not related to their parents’ education,but closely related to level of parental attention.DLB’s English learning motivation is not related to their teachers,but closely correlated with English book.SLB’s English learning motivation is closely correlated with parents’ education,but shows no significant correlation with level of parental attention.SLB’s English learning motivation is significantly correlated with school(satisfaction with the English teacher,satisfaction with the English book and satisfaction with the way of teaching)These findings provide some pedagogical implicationsFirstly,it is necessary for English teachers to try all the means to stimulate students’ interest in English learning so as to them to cope with their difficulties in learning English and reduce their anxieties of increasing amount of exams across the grades.Secondly,to narrow the gap between LB and NLB’s English learning motivation,teachers ought to have a better understanding of their students’ difficulty both in life and in English learning and teach students in accordance of their family background.Besides,DLB deserve more attention from the teachersThirdly,learners’ interest and English proficiency is significantly correlated with LB and NLB’ English learning motivation.Therefore,it is advisable for teachers to motivate students by creating interesting classes and reducing the difficulty of examinations so that students can taste the joy of success and set up their confidence of learning English.Finally,teachers in rural primary schools ought to transform the traditional teaching methods and establish their positive images so as to stimulate students’ motivation of English learning.What’s more,LB’s parents should shoulder their responsibilities and give their children more attention and supervision.