VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
BÙI THỊ PHƢƠNG AN INVESTIGATION INTO NON-ENGLISH MAJOR
STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE
LEARNING AT PHUONG DONG UNIVERSITY, HANOI

(Nghiên cứu đô
̣
ng lƣ
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c học tiếng Anh của các sinh viên
không chuyên tiếng Anh tại Trƣờng Đại Học Dân Lập
Phƣơng Đông, Hà Nội)

M.A. MINOR THESIS

Field : English Teaching Methodology
Code : 6014.0111 HANOI, 2013
i

DECLARATION
I certify that this thesis is entirely my own work. Documented references have been
fully provided. I have not been submitted this thesis for assessment in any other
formal course of study.

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ABSTRACT
Motivation has been a concern of so many linguists and scholars for its essential
role in language learning. Discovering learners‟ motivation will help teachers and
educationalists have best methods to help their learners succeed.
The study was conducted with the participation of 300 non-majored students at the
same psychological age group (18-22) from different faculties and 10 teachers at
Phuong Dong University. It is an investigation of non-majored students‟ motivation
at Phuong Dong University with the aim of finding best methods to improve their
motivation in English learning. In order to gain this aim, the study has found out
students‟ desire for learning English, the reasons they are learning English, their
difficulties and their favourite activities and teaching methods in the classroom as
well as teachers‟ suggestions for useful methods. The result showed that non majors
at PDU possess different kinds of motivations with a majority of students learning
English for their future career. Not many of them are satisfied with teaching
facilities and teaching methods at school. They prefer motivational activities such as
games, songs, pictures and some of communicative activities such as listening and
speaking. They also want to practice exercises in the final exams for high marks and
a good degree after graduation. Useful methods applied by teachers are also
investigated for the basis of the most appropriate implications on teaching and
learning English at PDU.
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ABBREVIATIONS
L2: Second language
PDU: Phuong Dong University


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CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION. 18
3.1. Data analysis of questionnaire for students 18
3.1.1. Students’ motivation 18
3.1.2. Factors affecting students’ motivation 22
3.1.2.1. Learning environment and facilities 22
3.1.2.2. Teachers and teaching methods 24
3.1.2.3. Learner’s problems 26
3.1.3. Students’ favourite activities and tasks 27
3.2. Data analysis of questionnaire for teachers 30
3.3. Summary of the chapter 33
CHAPTER 4: IMPLICATIONS 34
4.1. Teachers’ roles, responsibility and awareness 34
4.1.1. Teachers’ roles 34
4.1.2. Teachers’ enthusiasm and responsibility 35
4.1.3. Teachers’ awareness of students’ interest and expectations in the
class 35
4.2. Motivational teaching methods 35
4.2.1. Warm-up activities and visual aids 35
4.2.2. Variety of activities 36
4.2.3. The revision book 37
4.2.4. Focus on listening and speaking skills 37
4.2.5. Further activities and worksheets 38
4.2.6. Clear instruction and explanation about the goals of each activity
and lesson 38
4.2.7. Winning cards 39
4.3. Some other proposals to improve students’ motivation in English
learning at PDU 39
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purposes. Some learn English for their future jobs; some learn English for their
desire to discover knowledge and some may want to learn English for their interest.
For university students, English is a compulsory subject as well as job requirement
after graduation. However, as my experience at PDU, not all my students like
English and not many of them satisfy with English lessons in the classroom. It is
obvious that the effectiveness of teaching and learning English in schools should be
taken into account.
It is said that teaching is one of the easiest jobs in the world but teaching well is one
of the most difficult. It is no doubt that everyone can tell others what he or she
knows but not so many can become good teachers because teaching in general and
teaching language in particular always requires a large effort from the teacher. In
fact, teachers always have to face with a number of problems in the class. One of
the difficulties most English teachers have experienced when teaching is students‟
passivity to learn the language in the class. The answers to some questions such as
how to counter with students‟ lack of effort, desire and motivation in learning
English, how to get don‟t want to learn learners involved in classroom activities
need to be based on students‟ expectations in language classes. Moreover, an
understanding about their motivation to learn and factors negatively affecting their
motivation will be the key to this problem.
Motivation is not a new term in the language-teaching field and many studies by
scholars, linguistics and educationalists have proved that motivation is an important
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aspect of successful learning. Therefore, they attempt to find out the most useful
ways to motivate students in the class. However, effectiveness and application of
these methods always vary in different contexts. In fact, up to now, there has not
been any research on non-majors‟ motivation at Phuong Dong University, one of
the oldest private universities in Ha Noi in which, as my experience, students‟
motivation in learning English is quite different from other schools.
For all the reasons above, this study is hoped to reveal student‟s motivation as well

majors‟ motivation
- Last, some pedagogical implications for improving students‟ motivation in
learning English were suggested at the end of the study.
6. Organization of the study
The thesis consists of three main parts:
PART A- Introduction: provides general introduction of the study with the
rational, the aims, the research questions, the scope, the method and the
organization of the study.
PART B- Development: is divided into four chapters:
Chapter 1 discusses theoretic backgrounds that are relevant to the study such as
different views on motivation in language learning, the importance of motivation in
language learning, kinds of motivation, factors affecting learners‟ motivation and
strategies enhancing motivation in foreign and second language learning.
Chapter 2 presents the context of the study, data collection instruments and
procedure of data collection.
Chapter 3 describes the process of collecting data and the detail analysis of the
collected data from which some findings, explanation and interpretation of the
findings of the study are presented.
Chapter 4 discusses some pedagogical implications on how to motivate non-
majored students in learning English at PDU.
PART C: Conclusion: summarizes what have been done in the study and presents
some possible suggestions for the further researches. The references and appendices
are also included in this final part.
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PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
In this chapter, a review of some of the aspects of the concept of motivation such as
definition, classifications, roles and factors affecting learners‟ motivation will be
provided. Several motivating tools for language learning suggested by various

sustain the activity (Dörnye, 2001). It is also a complex phenomenon and includes
many components such as the individual‟s drive, need for achievement and success,
curiosity, desire for stimulation and new experience, and so on (Littlewood,
1998:53).
Regarding to motivation in the teaching-learning process, it is stated that students
will work longer, harder and with more vigor and intensity when they are motivated.
Bernaus (1995, 11-20) after investigating the role of motivation in foreign language
learning has founded that „motivation accounts for 48.5% of students‟ English
proficiency‟ and concluded that motivation is the main factor affecting students‟
foreign language acquisition, followed by socio-cultural factor. He also emphasized
that the motivational factors are more important than other factors in favouring
students‟ English achievement.
Littlewood (1998:53) also states that in second language learning, motivation is the
crucial force which determines whether a learner embarks on a task at all, how
much energy he devote to it, and how long he perseveres.
Another role of motivation is to promote the choice of strategies to become
successful in academic activities. The use of specific learning strategies and
techniques while studying a second language leads to success. According to Oxford
(1994), “more motivated students tend to use more strategies than less motivated
students, hence, they tend to be more successful”.
In general, motivation can be understood as a desire to achieve a goal, combined
with the energy to work towards that goal. In the classroom, this theory is
confirmed by the fact that the students pursue the goal to gain some kinds of
rewards such as praise, grades, scholarships, certificates, diplomas, good job and so
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on. However, learners‟ motivation can change overtime and have effect on their
language.
1.2. Classification of motivation
Most researchers (Gardner and Lambert: 1959, Harmer: 1983, Dörnyei: 1998)

their strong intention or will but they study it because they are pushed by the
interest in the rewards or the punishment.
Intrinsic motivation refers to the motivation to engage in an activity because that
activity is enjoyable and satisfying to do. He states that „intrinsic motivation plays
by far the larger part in most students‟ success or failure as language learner‟.
Because this type of motivation is from within the students, they are always
willingly and voluntarily try to learn what they think it is worth or important for
them. When students have intrinsic motivation, they have the internal desire to learn
without the need for external outcomes.
Kathleen Bailey (1986, quoted in Brown, 2000: 165-166) illustrated the relationship
between the intrinsic-extrinsic construct and integrative-instrumental orientation
with the diagram:

Intrinsic
Extrinsic Integrative
L2 learner wishes to
integrate with the L2
culturen(e.g., marriage or
immigration)
Someone else wishes the L2
learner to know the L2 for
integrative reasons (e.g., Japanese
parents send kids to Japanese-
language school)

Instrumental
L2 learner wishes to achieve

motivation.
According to Harmer (1983), the factor affecting extrinsic motivation most is
students‟ attitude toward the language. This attitude may be influenced by those
around him who have positive or negative attitude to the culture or the target
language community or by his previous experiences as a student.
He also states factors that can affect intrinsic motivation as follows:
Physical condition: physical conditions have a great effect on learning and can alter
a student‟s motivation either positively or negatively. For example if student have to
study in the bad lighting classroom, overcrowded with too many students, have to
look at the small board, or in the unpleasant smell classroom, they can lose their
motivation or their motivation in learning will be lowered.
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Method of teaching: the ways that students are taught must have some effects on
their motivation. Whenever the learners feel bored with the teacher‟s method, their
motivation would likely be lost or gradually decreased, whereas, if they are
interested in the teaching method, they will find it motivating.
The teacher: Teachers are considered as the most powerful variable of motivation
and demotivation, and can become a major part in demotivating the learners. Denis
Girard (1970, cited in Harmer, 1983:5-6) suggested some qualities a teacher should
have to help in providing intrinsic motivation:
- The teacher has to make his classes interesting
- The teacher must be fair, treat his students equally and as far as possible
understand and act on the worries and aspirations of his pupils.
- The teacher must offer a good model as the target language user
- The teacher must be a good technician…
Success: Success plays a vital part in the motivation drive of a student. It refers to
the appropriate level of challenge designed by the teachers. If the difficulty of work
and activity is too high or too low, it can lead students to a demotivated situation in
learning. As Harmer (1983:6) pointed out, to give high challenge activities may

multivariate analysis of variance showed statistically significant differences
between the two groups for two factors (lack of perceived individual competence
and lack of intrinsic motivation) while there were no statistically significant
differences for the other three demotivating factors (inappropriate characteristics of
teachers‟ teaching methods and course contents, inadequate university facilities and
focus on difficult grammar).
Among all these factors, teachers and teaching methods are considered the most
important ones that affect students‟ motivation negatively or positively because in
the class, the teacher always has to play different roles such as a leader, a supporter
an encourager etc. The way the teacher encourages students definitely affects
students‟ motivation the most.
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1.4. Strategies to motivate students in the classroom
The question of how to motivate students to learn always calls the concern from
many teachers and researchers. According to Dornyei.Z. and H-F. Cheng (2007),
motivation is one of the key factors that determine success in L2 learning, strategies
in motivating language learners should be seen as an important aspect of the
theoretical analysis of L2 motivation. Generally, they agree that extrinsic and
intrinsic motivation should be combined, but teachers should target at the intrinsic
motivation as the main long-term motivation to students‟ learning.
Dörnyei (1998b) offered a set of Ten Commandments for motivating learners. All
these these ten items focus on what the teacher can and should do to stimulate
intrinsic motivation:
1) Set a personal example with your own behavior
2) Create a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere in the classroom
3) Present the task properly
4) Develop a good relationship with the learners
5) Increase the learner‟s linguistic self-confidence.
6) Make the language classes interesting

topics and discussions, etc.
- Test: he also mentions the importance of test with some special intentions from
teachers with the potential of intrinsic motivation. The tests should involve
students‟ input and are face-valid in the eyes of students.
Oxford and Shearin (1996: 139) also offer practical suggestions for teachers to
motivate students. According to him, teachers can motivate students by identifying
why they are studying the new language and help them shape their own belief about
success and failure in second language learning. They also need to make the L2
classroom a welcoming, positive place where psychological needs are met and
where language anxiety is kept to a minimum. Besides, teachers can urge students
to develop their own intrinsic rewards through positive self-talk, guided self-
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evaluation, and mastery of specific goals, rather than comparison with other
students.
As far as many a educationalist are concerned, the ratio of using intrinsically and
extrinsically motivated ways in teaching depends on many other factors such as
teachers‟ teaching style, the students‟ age and characteristics, the stages of the
lesson and so on. The right of choosing the appropriate methods and strategies are
in hand of the teacher. Many factors involved in the success of applying motivating
resources, but some notes like young learner‟s preference and needs should be taken
into account.
1.5. Summary of the chapter
The chapter has reviewed some knowledge related to motivation theory in language
teaching and learning. It has provided the basic understanding about the general
views of motivation, kinds of motivation, factors affecting motivation as well as
strategies to motivate students in the classroom. Based on this knowledge, an
investigation of non-majored students‟ motivation at PDU will be introduced in the
next chapter.


with projectors. There are also four computer rooms serving information technology
courses and examination.
At Phuong Dong University, non-English major students have to learn English as a
compulsory subject. They are required to complete four general English terms in the
first year and second year and an ESP term in the third year. Each English class has
from 20 two 35 students. At the end of each term, students are always examined on
four skills including listening, speaking, reading and writing. Most first year
students‟ level of English proficiency ranges from beginning to pre- intermediate
level. When they were at high school, they got used to translation grammar teaching
method in which the teachers focused on the rules of grammar structures and
students practiced the drills to remember those structures. Therefore, at university,
most students have difficulties in listening and speaking skills.
Among 21 teachers of English currently teaching non-majors at the main campus in
Trung Kinh street, 15 of them got the MA degrees. They are all female ranking
from 24 to 45 and have at least two years teaching non-majors at PDU.
The textbooks used in general English courses are New Headway series (the third
edition) by Liz and John Soars. Two first terms deal with the Elementary book and
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the two later terms learn the pre-intermediate book. Because of the final
examination format, students are always required to practice and complete all
language skills during the course including listening, speaking, writing, reading
comprehension and language forms. Besides, practicing and working in pairs and
groups are of the most popular activities in the class to prepare for the final
speaking test.
2.2. Subjects
The study was first conducted with the participation of 325 first and second year
students randomly chosen from different departments representing 3000 first year
and second year students of PDU. Among them, there are 75 students from
Information Technology, 100 students from Environment Technology and 150