1

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN THỊ LAN Co-relationship between teacher-related factors and student’s
motivation in the context of Lomonoxop school, Ha Noi. QUAN HỆ TƯƠNG HỖ GIỮA YẾU TỐ GIÁO VIÊN VÀ ĐỘNG LỰC HỌC TẬP CỦA
HỌC SINH TRONG NGỮ CẢNH TRƯỜNG THPT DÂN LẬP LÔMÔNÔXỐP, HÀ
NỘI

M.A. THESIS
(Minor Programme Thesis)
Field: English Methodology
Code: 60 14 10

Hanoi, September 2010 6 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

1. Table1: Distribution of teacher’s level of motivation and commitment on student’s
motivation.
2. Table 2: Distribution of teacher behavior on student’s motivation
3. Table 3: Distribution of teaching method on student’s motivation
4. Table 4 : Distribution of teacher’s diversity on student’s motivation
5. Table 5: Distribution of teacher’s tests on student’s motivation.
6. Table 6: Distribution of teacher’s feedback on student’s motivation
7. Table 7: Distribution of classroom rules on student’s motivation.
8. Table 8: Degrees of influence that personal characteristics of teachers have on
student’s motivation.
9. Table 9: Degrees of influence that classroom management factors have on student’s
motivation.
10. Chart 1: How students like to learn with teacher’s competence.
11. Chart 2: How students like to learn with teacher’s empathy.

7 TABLE OF CONTENTS


1.5.2 Young learners in Lomonoxop schoo 17
1.6 Summary 17
CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY 18
2.1 The context 18
2.2 The informants 19
2.3 Methods of data collection 19
2.4 The survey questionnaire 19
2.5 Summary 20
CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION.
3.1 Personal characteristics of teachers. 21
3.1.1 Level of motivation and commitment. 21
3.1.2 Teacher competence 23
3.1.3 Teacher empathy 24
3.2 Classroom management factors 25
3.2.1 Teacher behavior. 25
3.2.2 Teaching method 27
3.2.3. Classroom rules 31
3.3 Major findings and discussions 33
3.3.1 On personal characteristics of teachers 33
3.3.2 On classroom management factors 34
PART 1: CONCLUSIONS 38
1. Summary 38
2. Implication for teaching 38
3. Limitations of the study 40
4. Suggestions for further study 40
REFERENCES 41
APPENDIXES I
lessons in particular. It is thus professional concern, as well as personal curiosity that has
motivated my choice of dissertation topic.
10 1.2 Method of the study
In this research, I employed quantitative methods to analyze the data collected and draw on
conclusions and remarks.
In order to achieve the purpose of the study, one questionnaire to survey the
relationship between teacher factors and student’s motivation was developed and
administered. Besides, the teacher also conducted informal chats with the students so as to see
their views and opinions about the teacher factors that affect their English learning.
1.3 Scope and objectives of the study
The study focus on working out the relationship between teacher factors and student’s
motivation so as to help teachers in Lomonoxop school in general and myself in particular
improve our teaching and better fit the need of the student. Pedagogical implications for
teaching and limitations of the study were given at the end of the paper

1.4 The research questions
The study was intended to answer the following questions:
What are teacher –related factors that motivate the young learners in Lomonoxop
private school, Ha Noi to learn English?
Sub-questions:
1. What are teacher’s personal factors that motivate the young learners in
Lomonoxop private school, Ha Noi?
2. What are teacher’s classroom management factors that motivate the young
learners in Lomonoxop private school, Ha Noi?
In order to achieve the aims and objectives of the study, I employed a questionnaire
survey to collect relevant data, which was analyzed statistically and interpretatively.
1.5 Design of the study

Intrisic and extrinsic. A student learning English because he/ she knows he/ she will be more
successful in future career is clarified as an intrinsically motivated student. On the other hand,
there are extrinsically motivated students who tolerate for the final test.
Gardner’s (1985) view of motivation arises from his socio- educational model. He
states that motivation is concerned with the question “Why does an organism behave as it
does” and involves 4 aspects:
1. A goal
2. An effort
3. A desire to attain the goal
4. Favorable attitude toward the activity in question.
Motivation then refers to the combination of desire and effort made to achieve a goal.
It is considered in the relationship between the individual’s rationale for any activity with
range of behaviors and degree of effort made to achieve the goals.
13 It is also worth noting that motivation has close relationship with other affective
factors such as self confidence, anxiety and perceived competence. All these together work to
undermine achievement. In section 2.2 of this chapter, we will take a closer look at the role of
motivation in foreign language learning.
1.1.2 What is demotivation
Traditionally, motivation has been understood and studied as a multifaceted construct
consisting of various influences with a positive effect. Motivational factors or motives have
been considered as kind of inducements with the effect of energizing ongoing action (Dörnyei
2001). However, there is another aspect to motivation that has been left with little attention.
Just as there are influences that have a positive effect on motivation, there are also those that
have a detrimental effect on motivation. These influences are called demotivating influences.
The notion of demotivation is relatively new and has not been fully adopted yet in the field of
the second/foreign language learning research. However, Dörnyei (2001) has attempted to
provide a definition for it. Accordingly, demotivation ”concerns specific external forces that

Meaningful involvement in language learning happens only when learners find their
needs to be met. Thus it is assumed that motivation is one of the major factors contributing to
one’s success in learning a second or foreign language. Oxford and Shearin(1994) state that:
“Many researchers consider motivation as one of the main elements that determine
success in developing a second or foreign language; it determines the extent of active,
personal involvement in language learning.”
Spolky (1997) presents a model of language learning which involves 4 factors.
According to her, linguistic outcome k is the summary of Kp (Knowledge and skills at the
moment), A (a symbol to present various components of ability including physiological,
biological, intellectual and cognitive skills), M (a symbol to include various affective factors
such as personality, attitude, motivation and anxiety), and O (opportunity for learning a
language). Symply stated, future knowledge and skills K= Kp+A+M+O, but if any one part is
absent, there can be no learning. On the other hand, the greater any one is, the greater amount
of learning, it does represent key components that can contribute to success. Unlike factors
such as Kp and A, which are hard to be changed, motivation is both social and personal and
possesses potential for achievement improvement.
15 Language learning is remarkably different from other kinds of learning because of its
social nature. The learnt language becomes part of one’s identity. Through learning a
language, one is contacting and assimilating himself into a new world of knowledge, culture
and values. As assimilation and internalization in learning takes place, one is changing, too.
Williams and Burden (1996:115) state that:
“The learning of a foreign language involves far more than simply learning skills, or a
system of rules, or a grammar, it involves an alteration in self image, the adoption of new
social and cultural behaviors and ways of being, and therefore has a significant impact on the
social nature of the learner.”
Because learning a second language is ultimately learning to be another social person
(Crookall and Oxford, 1888:136), this process is often long and difficult. In order to be

projects on the socio cultural component of student motivation to date, conducted by
McInerney and his colleges involving over 2,800 participants in five different cultural groups.
The researchers administered a detailed questionnaire, and by using a variety of statistical
procedures they distilled a final set of ten motivational factors representing a very good fit.
Among them emerge the four most important factors in the learning environment: the
student’s parents, teachers, peer group and school.
1.3.1.1. Parental influences.
Educational psychologists have long recognized that various family characteristics and
practices are linked with school achievement, and one of the central mediators between family
and school is generally thought to be motivation (Gottfried et al., 1994). As Eccles et al.
(1998) summarize, four parenting factors have been traditionally identified as significantly
shaping student motivation:
• developmentally appropriate timing of achievement demands/ pressure.
• high confidence in one’s children’s abilities
• a supportive family climate
• highly motivated role models.
1.3.1.2 Teachers
The motivational influence of the teachers is manifold, ranging from the effects of their
personality and competence to their active socializing practices. Indeed, Clark and Trafford
(1995) found that teachers and students both regard the teacher-pupil relationship as the most
17 significant variable affecting pupils’ attitudes towards the second/foreign language learning
learning. In their position of group leaders, teachers are also largely responsible for the
development of group characteristics in the class, which in turn affect student motivation.

1.3.1.3 Learner group
In a classroom investigation, Clement et al.(1994) found that perceived group
cohesiveness substantially contributed to learners’ overall motivation construct and correlated

1.3.2.1 Demotivating factors identified by Dörnyei
Dörnyei (originally 1998b but based on 2001) conducted a study on demotivation,
aiming to find out the variety of demotivating factors. The study was prompted to a great
extent by the concluding findings of Chambers (1993) and Oxford (1998), who both
emphasized the importance of communication and cooperation with the students with respect
to (de)motivational matters. Hence, Dörnyei’s (originally 1998b but based on 2001) study of
demotivation was conducted in close cooperation with his students, who were participants of
an MA course on ’Demotivation in Second Language Learning’. Dörnyei’s study differed
from those by Chambers (1993), Oxford (1998) and Ushioda (1996a) in that it focused
specifically on learners who had been identified as being demotivated, whereas the three
previous studies reported so far had been carried out by taking a cross-section of students and
asking them about not so good learning experiences. Dörnyei’s (originally 1998b but based on
2001) study was qualitative. The subjects were 50 secondary school pupils in various schools
in Budapest. They were studying either English or German as a foreign language and had been
identified as being particularly demotivated by their teachers or peers. The data were collected
by structured interviews that ranged from 10 to 30 minutes. A list of core questions was used
in the interviews: the subjects were asked to answer these questions at some point during the
interview but no rigid structure was set and the subjects were allowed to speak freely. The
recorded interviews were analyzed in three steps to find out the variety of demotivating
factors. First, all the salient demotivating topics mentioned by the students were marked and
common themes established. Then, the most important demotivating factors were identified
for each student. After the primary factors had been identified, they were tabulated according
to the main categories established earlier. Only primary demotivating factors were included in
the tabulation because it was assumed that some of the other factors mentioned were only
19 English as a foreign language actions of already existing demotivation caused by the primary
factors. This was based on the assumption that once a student had lost interest in learning the
the second/foreign language learning, everything related to it felt slightly negative. Nine

language learning study was the fifth source of demotivation. This meant, for instance, feeling
compelled to choose German over another language because of its utility. Interference of
another foreign language being studied came sixth. This could be seen in mixing up the two
languages. It was mentioned that German and English are so similar that they get mixed up
easily. Secondly, it was reported that learning the the second/foreign language learning
interfered with another language studied. Hence, the the second/foreign language learning was
seen as a threat to the mastery of this other language, which was considered easier and more
useful in any case.
Negative attitude towards the the second/foreign language learningcommunity was the seventh
source of demotivation. For instance, American culture with its best known aspects, such as
McDonalds and films, was considered unattractive by some students. Attitudes of group
members came eight. For one student this meant always feeling embarrassed because he or she
felt that the other group members laughed at him or her because of his or her poor English
skills.
The course book was the ninth source of demotivation. It was simply disliked and described in
such words as “the worst course book in the world” and “incredibly bad”(Dörnyei 2001:153).
The teacher was the most frequent demotivating factor with the frequency of 40% of all the
factors. The teacher could be considered even more predominant when the other teacher-
related category, reduced self-confidence, was taken into account. Together these two
categories made up more than half of all demotivating factors. Two other factors with
significant proportions (more than 10%) were inadequate school facilities and negative
attitude towards the the second/foreign language learning
1.3.2.2 Demotivating factors identified by Oxford
Oxford (1998, as quoted in Dörnyei 2001) conducted a qualitative study on
demotivation, which focused on a teacher’s influence on (de)motivation. The data were
collected by essays. Approximately 250 students, both in high schools and universities, were
asked to write about their experiences over a period of five years. The students were given a
few prompts, such as, ’Describe a situation in which you experienced a conflict with a teacher’
21

1. The personal characteristics of teachers such as level of motivation, commitment,
warmth, empathy, trustworthiness, competence, teacher expectations, etc., determining the
rapport between teachers and students and largely responsible for affiliative motive, which
refers to student’s need to do well in school in order to please the teacher or other
superordinate figures (Ausubel et al., 1978). Dörnyei (1992) said that teacher expectation
factor has been shown to affect student’s rate of progress, functioning to some extent as a
self-fulfilling prophecy, with students living up or down to their teacher’s expectation.
Moreover, he also emphasized the importance of teacher enthusiasm to learner enthusiasm in
learning. Csikszentmihalyi (1997) points out that the influential teachers- those who are
remembered and who make a real difference in their student’s development are not the ones
who have most status and power, and they may not even be the most intelligent or
knowledgeable instructors a student has. Instead they are usually the ones who love what they
are doing, who show by their dedication and their passion that there is nothing else on earth
they would rather be doing. Effective teachers are not necessarily the ones who are successful
in the business of transferring cognitive information. Instead, the positive impact of good
teachers is due to the strength of their commitment towards the subject matter which becomes
“infectious”, that is, instills in students similar willingness to pursue knowledge.
2. Teacher immediacy, which is one aspect of teacher’s classroom behavior that has
been found by instructional communication researchers to have a considerable effect on
student motivation. Teacher immediacy behaviors accounted for 34% of the overall motivators
listed (Gorham & Christophel, 1992). Immediacy refers to the perceived physical and
psychological closeness between people, and cumulative results from several studies indicate
that teacher’sverbal and nonverbal immediacy behaviors that reduce the distance between
teacher and students (e.g. addressing students by name, using humor, moving around in class,
including personal topics and examples) may impact levels of learning by modifying
classroom motivation.
3. Active motivational socializing behavior, accounted for 44% of the overall
motivators (Gorham & Christophel, 1992), by which teachers can exert a direct and systematic

type, that is, whether the teacher is autonomy supporting or controlling. Sharing responsibility
24 with students, offering them options and choices, letting them in the decision making process
enhance student self- determination and intrinsic motivation (Deci et al., 1991)
1.5 Characteristics of young learners.
1.5.1 Twelve year old young learners For the successful teaching of
For the successful of teaching English in secondary school, above all, it is essential for
the teacher to understand the young learners’ characteristics because this will play a crucial
role in how the teacher builds a lesson, how he or she can make sure that the young learners
are fully involved in the learning process and how they respond. The term “ a young learner”
covers a wide age range, this can be anybody from the age of three to the age of eighteen.
In the study, the focus is on learners of age 12. Therefore, I would like to point out some
characteristics of this age.
Halliwell states that:
 They are happy when they can play.
 They love to share their experiences, they love when people pay attention to them and
their talking.
 They are able to talk about what they are doing.
 They use imagination a lot.
 They can think, argue, discuss and they are able to interact with both children and
adults. They are able to concentrate for certain time.
 They understand situations and through situations – they use several senses.
 They are able to use language skills not even realizing them.
 They do not realize what is fact and what is fiction sometimes.
 They want to learn and are happy when they learn something, then they have to share it
with somebody and they are proud that they learnt something, they can show off a little
bit.
 Often they “teach” each other.

general and those of young learners in Lomonoxop school are discussed in detail.
26 CHAPTER 3: THE STUDY

This chapter discusses the contextual conditions that determine the study of
motivation. It is started by describing the situation where the study was conducted and the
informants involved in the study. Method of data collection is also discussed in details.

2.1 The context
Social conditions can determine learning to a large extent. According to de Lopez
(1994), there are two levels of social environment contributing to the learning of a language.
The first level is the society as a whole in which the learner lives and works. At this macro
level, common social values, language opportunity and language tendency are determined.
Each individual often has little or no control over it. The second level is called individual
social environment. It is related to conditions set by the learning groups and the significant
others (teachers, peers, parents…). These two levels will be looked at to define the context of
the study.
At the society level, English has an overwhelming position as a foreign language in
Vietnam. International integration and cooperation have let the government to have policies to
encourage the use of English such as compulsory English lessons at secondary and tertiary
schools. There have been several marked improvements such as changes in the curriculum,
teaching methods and applications of technology in planning lessons with a view to making
lessons more interesting to students.
At individual social environment, students in Lomonoxop private school take English
as a compulsory subjects like other ones in a secondary and high school. Beside the general
textbook that students learn in the morning, they practice more in the afternoon following the
advanced program designed by their own teachers with all 4 macro skills. However, it is
observed that students are not fully and actively involved in the learning process. Furthermore,

Breach (2004), and the results of my informal chats with the students. All these items cover 2
following sub-themes.
1. Personal characteristics of teachers.
2. Classroom management factors.
28 The questionnaire took 35 to 40 minutes of class time. To make sure of exact
understanding on the part of the informants, the questionnaire was translated into Vietnamese.
The researcher explained the items carefully while encouraging the respondents to answer
faithfully to themselves.
As the questionnaires were handed in, answers were tallied and presented in the
percentage tables and charts. Although there are usually 5 points for each attitudinal question,
the first and the last two points were combined to make one scale for analysis. This way is
acceptable in that it does not affect study result, and is widely used in other studies (Do Huy
Thinh, 1996; Kobayashi, 2002).
2.5 Summary
In this chapter, the setting of the study has been described The choice of research
methods as well as the rationale of employing such methods was also discussed. The chapter
ended with a brief description of the survey questionnaire.