The Research On The Teaching Of Grade 10 English Underachievers Based On The Three-Level Motivation Framework

As a dominant international common language,English plays a prominent role in the curriculum of Chinese schools.However,due to the unique nature of language learning,which involves mastering the thinking and behavior patterns of another cultural group(Gardner,1985),foreign language learning has become more challenging.Coupled with the imbalance of regional educational resources,a large number of English underachievers still exist in some areas.Learning motivation,as an important aspect of second language and foreign language learning research,has always received attention,but few related studies have focused on underachievers in elementary education.Simultaneously,as a pivotal transition phase,the first year of high school is a critical foundation for English learning in the rest of high school.Therefore,how to improve the learning effectiveness of English underachievers in Grade 10,enhance educational quality,and promote students’ comprehensive development is an urgent issue that need to be studied and solved.This study aims to analyze the English learning motivation characteristics of Grade 10 English underachievers and adopt corresponding improvement measures to improve their learning motivation and academic level.First,by referencing the classroom observation scale of Dornyei(2001),classroom observations and teacher-student interviews were conducted in one of Grade 10 classes of the No.1Middle School of Pengshan District,where a large proportion of English underachievers were found with weak English learning motivation in the classroom.Then,based on Dornyei’s(2013)questionnaire survey of Chinese students’ English learning motivation and Wen Qiufang’s(2002)motivation dimension classification,a Grade 10 English learning motivation questionnaire survey was adapted and conducted on all 17 classes of Grade 10 students at the school.Subsequently,based on the results of classroom observations,teacher-student interviews,and questionnaire surveys,and guided by Dornyei’s three-level motivation framework,a two-month teaching practice was conducted for the experimental class,and relevant suggestions for teaching English underachievers were proposed by analyzing the research results.This study raised the following three questions:(1)What are the English learning motivation characteristics of Grade 10 English underachievers?(2)What are the specific improvement measures for English underachievers based on Dornyei’s three-level motivation framework?(3)What are the effects of teaching practice for English underachievers? The results of this study revealed that:(1)English underachievers have weaker overall English learning motivation levels than non-underachievers,with weakest intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy.And there is a significant difference in situational motivation between English underachievers and non-underachievers,namely,the classroom teaching situation affects the scholastic achievement.Female students have higher overall motivation levels than male students,but the biggest difference between male and female students is in the causal attribution of English achievement,with female students tending to attribute it to their own ability and male students tending to attribute it to their effort.(2)The remedial instruction of English underachievers is conducted from the language level,the learner level,and the learning situation level respectively,and the learning situation level is crucial.(3)Dornyei’s three-level motivation framework has a positive and beneficial effect on guiding English underachiever teaching,of which the most significant is the learning situation level.Based on the above research results,the following three suggestions are proposed:(1)Stimulating both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of English underachievers is necessary,and the situational motivation of English underachievers is the key to teaching English underachievers.(2)Classroom teaching activities need to be carefully designed to cater to English underachievers,from the language,the learner,and learning situation level respectively.(3)Dornyei’s three-level motivation framework is beneficial to teaching English underachievers,and teachers should put relative theories into teaching practice for better teaching and results.