How to motivate in - Service students of english at haiphong foreign language center, haiphong university to learn reading

Vietnam national university, Hanoi Department of postgraduate studies -------***-------- ` §ç ThÞ Anh Th­ How to motivate in - service Students of English at Haiphong Foreign Language Center, Haiphong University to learn Reading (C¸ch ®éng viªn sinh viªn kh«ng chuyªn tiÕng Anh t¹i Trung t©m Ngo¹i Ngò, Tr­êng §¹i häc H¶i Phßng häc ®äc hiÓu tiÕng Anh) Field : English Methodology Code : 60.14.10 Course : K13 M.A. Minor Thesis Supervisor : Dr. Ph¹m §¨ng B×nh Hai phong, 20o7 Abstract In an attempt to investigate the interests of the in - service students of English at Haiphong Foreign Language Center, Haiphong University in reading materials and to give some suggestions for meeting these needs to increase the students’ motivation, the main purposes of the research were to find out : (1) kinds of motivation possessed by the in – service students of English at HFLC, HPU in learning reading , (2) an examination of the teaching methods used by the teachers of reading to motivate their learners in reading activities, (3) giving some recommendations to improve the reading materials for the in – service students of English at HFLC. The subjects of the study were 101 in - service students from six classes of K21 (A, B, C, D, E, G) and 8 teachers of reading. These teachers and students were invited to answer a survey questionnaire. The result of the research shows that while among the in - service students in HFLC, HPU, integrative motivation is less important than instrumental motivation. Besides, the search reveals that the teachers take very important role in motivating students. They can motivate learners by giving more chance to work in pairs or groups, and use teaching aids. Finally, besides the tasks and activities from the textbooks, the teachers should supply the students with other suitable ones so that the students will not feel boring. Furthermore, the teachers should find supplementary materials about topics which are interested by the learners. Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest thanks to Dr. Pham Dang Binh, my supervisor for his invaluable advice, generous assistance and continual encouragement in the completion of this study. I would avail myself of this opportunity to express my thankfulness to my friends, my colleagues for their material support, encouragement as well as their constructive comments and criticism. I also wish to thank the in – service students of K21 and especially a group of eight teachers of English from Haiphong Foreign Language Center, Haiphong University for their wholehearted cooperation with and suggestion for completion of the survey questionnaires in particular and the thesis in general. Last but not least, my sincere thanks would go to my family who have constantly supported, inspired and encouraged me during the time I carried out this study. Table of content Abstract Page Acknowledgements Table of contents Chapter I : Introduction 1. Rationale 1 2. Aims of the study 2 3. The research questions 2 4. Methods of the study 3 5. Scope of the study 3 6. Design of the study 3 Chapter Ii: Literature review 2.1 An overview of motivation 5 2.1.1 Definitions of motivation 5 2.1.2 Classification of motivation in second language learning 7 2.1.3 Characteristics of a motivated learners 7 2.1.4 Strategies to encourage students’ motivation 8 2.2 An overview on the nature of reading 11 2.2.1 Definitions of reading 11 2.2.2 Types of reading 12 2.2.2.1 According to manner 12 2.2.2.2 According to purposes 12 2.3 Motivation in learning reading 13 2.3.1 The roles of motivation in reading 14 2.3.2 Factors affecting students’ motivation in reading 14 2.3.2.1 The teachers 15 2.3.2.2 The reading materials 16 Chapter IIi: The study 3.1 The context 17 3.2 The informants 18 3.2 Instruments 19 3.4 Data analysis and findings 20 Chapter IV: Conclusion 4.1 Summary of the findings and discussion 27 4.2 Implications 29 4.3 Recommendations and suggestions 30 References 33 Appendices A questionnaire completed by the students 35 A questionnaire completed by the teachers 38 Chapter one : Introduction Rationale The English language has gained significance since Vietnam started its open – door policy. Especially, Vietnam has joined World Trade Organization in November 2006 so the demand for learning English even gets stronger. More and more big companies from many countries in the world and large multinational corporations are seeking chance to do business in Vietnam. The Vietnamese will go abroad more often with different purposes. As a result, having a good command of English has become necessity of all learners of English in Vietnam and teaching and learning English is getting popular day by day across the country to meet the growing demands. In teaching and learning English as a foreign language in Vietnam nowadays, besides grammar, the requirement of four practical language skills: reading, speaking, reading, writing has been concerned. In the context of Vietnam, reading is perhaps the most important skill, which Vietnamese learners of English will be working with after leaving their colleges or universities. It is said that for many students, reading is by far the most important of the four skills in a second language, particularly in English as a second or foreign language”. This also true to the in - service students at Haiphong Foreign Language Center (HFLC), Haiphong University (HPU). It is necessary for them to read effectively and efficiently in English because they will be offered a lot of interesting information as well as a variety of language expressions and structures which are very useful for developing other skills. However, most of the students experience the lack of motivation for English reading lessons and therefore their reading is inefficient. In fact, it is said that one of the key factors to the success (or not) of learning English in general and learning reading is motivation, but it is a challenging task to motivate students in a reading lesson. With this in mind, the researcher hopes to give a hand to get students motivated in reading, therefore the writer has chosen the research topic : “How to motivate the in - service students of English at Haiphong Foreign Language Center, Haiphong University to learn Reading”. Aims of the study The purposes of the study are to investigate students’ interests in reading materials and to give some suggestions for meeting these needs to increase the students’ motivation. The specific aims are : To have better insight into motivation and the kinds of motivation possessed by the in – service students of English at HFLC, HPU in learning reading To examine the teaching methods used by the teachers of reading to motivate their learners in reading activities. To give some recommendations to improve the reading materials for the in – service students of English at HFLC The research questions The study was intended to answer the following questions : What is the motivation of the in - service students of English at HFLC, HPU when they learn reading ? What have the teachers done to motivate their students to learn reading? In seeking answers to these research questions, I look into the following issues : What is the attitude of the in - service students towards reading ? What are the students’ opinions ? What activities, teaching aids and techniques do teachers use to stimulate learners ? Methods of the study In the study, the quantitative research method is used with the aim of obtaining information on student’s motivation when they learn reading. In addition to, the activities, teaching aids and techniques which teachers have used to stimulate students to learn reading will be found. Scope of the study To enhance the students’ motivation in reading, the teachers have to take into consideration several factors such as learners, reading materials and teaching and learning environment. However, due to the limit of time, the researcher will pay more attention to the teachers’ role in making full use of the reading materials and designing reading text - based activities. Design of the study This minor thesis is divided into four chapters: Apart from the first chapter, ‘Introduction’, the research includes three other chapters : Chapter two reviews some linguistic concepts most relevant to the research topic such as definitions of motivation, types of motivation, characteristics of a motivated learners, strategies to encourage the students’ motivation, and definitions of reading, types of reading, motivation in learning reading. Chapter three presents the context, description of instruments, data collected and analyses of the results. Chapter four shows major findings, gives implications and offers recommendations on teaching reading Chapter Two : Literature Review In this chapter, some of the most important issues in the theories of motivation for teaching language in general and teaching reading in particular will be taken into consideration. Two main features will be discussed namely, an overview of motivation and an overview of nature of reading 2.1 . An overview of motivation 2.1.1 Definitions of motivation Motivation is the energy that catalyzes behavior. So far, many researchers have given definitions of motivation and most of them agree that motivation is the extent to which people make choices about goals to pursue and the effort they will devote to that pursuit. Zoltan Dornyei (2001: 7) stated “ Motivation explains why people decide to do something, how hard they are going to pursue it and how long they are willing to sustain the activities”. Gardner (1985) remarks : “ motivation involves four aspects, a goal, effortful behaviour, a desire to attain the goal and favourable attitudes towards the activity in question”. Motivation in second language learning is a complex phenomenon which can be defined in terms of two factors : Learners’ communicative needs and their attitudes towards the second language community. If the learners need to speak the second languages in a wide range of social situations or to fulfill professional ambitions, they will perceive the communicative value of the second language and will therefore be motivated to acquire proficiency in it. Likewise, if learners have favourable attitudes towards the speakers of the languages, they will desire more contact with them. 2.1.2. Classification of motivation in second language learning - “Intergrative motivation” : According to Gardner, R and Lambert, W (1972), intergrative motivation refers to language learning for personal growth and cultural enrichment. Besides, Finegan (1999 : 568) stated “intergrative motivation typically underlines successful acquisition of a wide range of registers and a native – like pronunciation”. - “ Instrumental motivation ” : Gardner, R and Lambert, W (1972) also pointed that instrumental motivation refers language learning for more immediate or practical goal. That means learners study to pass an examination, to get a better job, or to get a place at university or some other reasons. Besides, the mentioned basic types of motivation, there are some others kinds such as global, situational, task, resultative, intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation From Brown’s point of view (1981): Global motivation consists of general orientation to the global of an L2 learning . Situational motivation is different according to the situation in which learning takes place. Thus the motivation in classroom setting differs from that in naturalistic learning. Task motivation is the motivation learners get when they are performing some particular tasks in learning performance. Resultative motivation : Ellis (1994 ) pointed out : “It is likely that the relationship between motivation and achievement is an interactive one. A high level of motivation does stimulate learning, but perceived success in achieving L2 goals can help to maintain existing motivation and even create new types”. When learners succeed in learning, they may be more or sometimes less motivated to learn. Intrinsic motivation : According to Edward Deci (1975 : 23), intrinsically motivated activities are ones for which there is no apparent reward except the activity itself. People seem to engage in the activities for their own sake and not because they lead to an extrinsic reward. …Intrinsically rewarding consequences, namely, feelings of competence and self – determination. Extrinsic motivation: extrinsically motivated behaviors, on the other hand, are carried out in anticipation of a reward from outside and beyond the self. Typical extrinsic rewards are money, prizes, grades, and even certain types of positive feedback. Among these types of motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic motivations have an important part to play in classroom motivation and many researchers have proved that intrinsic is superior to extrinsic. 2.1.3 .Characteristics of a motivated learners A motivated learner here means the one who participates willingly and actively in learning activities in class. According to Naiman et al (1978), the most successful students are not necessarily those from whom a language comes easily. In contrast, they are simply the ones showing certain typical characteristics associated clearly with motivation. Here are the following features : - Positive task orientation : the learner is ready to deal with tasks and challenges, and has confidence in his or her success - Ego - involvement : the learner has a need to achieve, to overcome difficulties and succeed in what he or she sets out to do. - High aspirations : the learner goes for demanding challenges and high proficiency - Goal orientation : the learner is very aware of the goals of learning, and directs his or her effort towards achieving them. - Perseverance : the learner consistently invests a high level of effort in learning, and is not discouraged by setbacks or apparently lack of progress. - Tolerance of ambiguity : the learner is not frustrated by a temporary lack of understanding, he or she thinks it will come later. 2.1.4. General strategies to motivate students in language teaching. When learners are motivated, they will study much better. As a result, the teachers are supposed to undertake strategies to enhance students’ motivation. Here are some strategies suggested by different researchers: Capitalize on students’ existing needs. According to McMillan & Forsyth (1991), students learn best when incentives for learning in a classroom satisfy their own motives for enrolling in the course. Some of the needs your students may bring to the classroom are the need to learn something in order to complete a particular task or activity, the need to seek new experience, the need to perfect skills, the need to overcome challenges, the need to become competent, the need to succeed and do well, the need to feel involved and to interact with other people. Satisfying such needs is rewarding in itself, and such rewards sustain learning more effectively than finishing the grades. Design assignments, in – class activities, and discussion questions to address these kinds of needs. Make students active participants in learning. From Lucas (1990) Students learn by doing, making, writing, designing, creating, solving. Passivity dampens students’ motivation and curiosity. That is why the teacher needs to pose questions. He or she ought not to tell the students something when you can ask them. In general the teacher needs to encourage the students to suggest approaches to a problem or to guess the results of an experiment. Small group work is strongly advised. Ask students to analyze what makes their classes more or less “motivating”. Sass (1989) asks his classes to recall two recent class periods, one in which they were highly motivated and one in which their motivation was low. Each student makes a list of specific aspects of the two classes that influenced his or her level of motivation, and students then meet in small groups to reach consensus on characteristics that contribute to high and low motivation. In over twenty courses, Sass reports, the same eight characteristics emerge as major contributors to student motivation : Instructor’s enthusiasm Relevance of the material Organization of the course Appropriate difficulty level of the material Active involvement of students Variety Rapport between teacher and students Use of appropriate, concrete, and understandable examples Incorporating instructional behaviors that motivate students. The teacher ought to hold high but realistic expectations for your students. Research has shown that a teacher’s expectations have a powerful effect on a student’s performance. If you act as though you expected your students to be motivated, hardworking, and interested in the course, they are more likely to be so. Set realistic expectations for students when you make assignments, give presentations, conduct discussions, and grade examinations. “Realistic” in this context means that your standards are high enough to motivate students to do their best work but not so high that students will inevitably be frustrated in trying to meet those expectations. To develop the drive to achieve, students need to be provided with early opportunities for success. Help students set achievable goals for themselves. Failure to attain unrealistic goals can disappoint and frustrate students. The teacher should encourage students to focus on their continued improvement, not just on their grade on any one test or assignment. They must help students evaluate their progress by encouraging them to critique their own work, analyze their strengths, and work on their weaknesses. For example, consider asking students to submit self – evaluation forms with one or two assignments. Tell students what they need to do to succeed in your course. The teacher ought not to let your students struggle to figure out what is expected of them. He or she must reassure students succeed. The teacher ought to say something to the effect that “If you can handle the examples on these problem sheets, you can pass the exam. People who have trouble with these examples can ask me for extra help”. Or instead of saying, “You’re way behind,” tell the student, “Here is one way you could go about learning the material. How can I help you ?” Strengthen students’ self – motivation. Avoid messages that reinforce your power as an instructor or that emphasize extrinsic rewards. Instead of saying, “I require”, “you must”, or “you should,” stress “I think you will find …” or “I will be interested in your reaction.” Avoid creating intense competition among students. Competition produces anxiety, which can interfere with learning. Reduce students’ tendencies to compare themselves to one another. Bligh (1971) reports that students are more favourable to the teaching method when they work cooperatively in groups rather than compete individuals. Refrain from public criticisms of students’ performance and from comments or activities that pit students against each other. Be enthusiastic about your subject. An instructor’s enthusiasm is a crucial factor in student motivation. If you become bored or apathetic, student will too. Typically, an instructor’s enthusiasm comes from confidence, excitement about the content, and genuine pleasure in teaching. If you find yourself uninterested in the material, think back to what attracted you to the field and bring those aspects of the subject matter to the life for your students. Or challenge yourself to devise the most exciting way topresent the material, however dull the material itself may seem to you. Increase the difficulty of the material as the semester progresses. Give students opportunities to succeed at the beginning of the semester. Once students feel they can succeed, yo