VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES

VŨ THỊ THỮ FACTORS DEMOTIVATING ELECTRONICS-MAJOR
STUDENTS TO LEARN ESP AT SAO DO UNIVERSITY
NGHIÊN CỨU CÁC YẾU TỐ GÂY NÊN SỰ MẤT HỨNG THÚ ĐỐI
VỚI SINH VIÊN NGÀNH ĐIỆN TỬ TRONG GIỜ HỌC TIẾNG ANH
CHUYÊN NGÀNH Ở TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC SAO ĐỎ M.A. MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60. 14. 10
Hanoi – 2012 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HANOI

TABLE OF CONTENT
Declaration i
Acknowledgements ii
Abstract iii
Table of content iv
List of abbreviations vii
List of tables viii
PART A: INTRODUCTION 1
1. Rationale 1
2. Aims of the study 1
3. Research questions 2
4. Significance of the study 2
5. Scope of the study 2
6. Method of the study 3
7. Organization of the study 3
PART B: DEVELOPMENT 4
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 4
1.1. Motivation 4
1.1.1. Conceptions of motivation 4
1.1.2. Classification of motivation in language teaching – learning 4
1.2. Demotivation 5
1.2.1. Conceptions of demotivation 5
1.2.2. Student demotivating factors in foreign language teaching – learning 6
1.2.2.1. Student-related factors 7
1.2.2.2. Teacher-related factors 9
1.2.2.3. Teaching and learning conditions 10
1.2.2.4. Course books 11
1.3. Related issues of ESP 11
1.3.1. Definitions of ESP 11


SDU 36
3.2.1. Student-related factors 36 vi

3.2.2. Teacher-related factors 37
3.2.3. The course book 38
3.2.4. The teachers’ perception of the demotivators in ESP classes 38
PART C: CONCLUSION 40
1. Conclusion 40
2. Pedagogical implications 40
3. Limitations of the study 41
4. Directions for further research 42
REFERENCES 43
APPENDIX 1 IX
APPENDIX 2 XII
APPENDIX 3 XV
APPENDIX 4 XVII

viii

LIST OF TABLES

Page
Table 1: Students’ profiles (Total number of students: 89) 26
Table 2: Student-related demotivating factors 27
Table 3: Teacher-related demotivating factors 29
Table 4: Teaching and learning conditions 30
Table 5: The course book 31


students’ future career needs. Sao Do University is not an exception. All students at
Sao Do University must pass examinations in ESP to graduate, but many are failing
to study it successfully.
Based on my experience of teaching ESP, English for Electronics, for 3 years,
I have found that many Electronics-major students do not seem ever to have
developed any interest in learning ESP or if they have, they seem to have lost that
interest for some reasons, that is, they have become demotivated in ESP classes. In
both cases, their achievement in ESP classes has been negatively affected. For this
reason, I decided to study factors demotivating the Electronics-major students in
ESP classes at Sao Do University, so that effective solutions can be found to help
my students get better results in learning ESP.
2. Aims of the study
The study was carried out with an aim to help my students get better results in
learning ESP. It, therefore, was designed to meet the following objectives: 2

- to identify factors that demotivate Electronics-major students in ESP classes
at Sao Do University.
- to give suggestions and recommendations to ESP teachers/students at Sao Do
University, on the basis of the findings, for even better ESP teaching - learning.
3. Research questions
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the following research
questions were asked in the study:
Question 1: What are the factors that demotivate Electronics-major students in
ESP classes at Sao Do University?
Question 2: What should be done to minimize these factors and help students
overcome their demotivation?
4. Significance of the study

Part A, INTRODUCTION, presents the rationale, aim of the study,
significance of the study, scoG55
pe of the study, method of the study and organization of the study.
Part B, DEVELOPMENT, includes three main chapters:
Chapter 1, LITERATURE REVIEW, presents theoretical background on
motivation, and demotivation in language learning. The main issues related to ESP
are also presented in this chapter.
Chapter 2, RESEARCH METHODOLOGY, presents the methodology used in
the study.
Chapter 3, RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS, gives a detailed presentation of
data and detailed description of data analysis. The implications of the study are also
given in this chapter.
Part C, CONCLUSION, is a review of the study. Furthermore, this part also
points out the limitations of the study and provides some directions for further
studies.

4

PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1. Motivation
1.1.1. Conceptions of motivation
It is strongly believed that motivation plays a critical role in academic learning
in general and in specific it is true of the “sustained process of mastering an L2”

opposites, but as part of a continuum which goes from motivation to external
compliance to Self-commitment. They also proposed that intrinsic motivation
emerged from three psychological needs: need for competence (being able to do
things), need for autonomy (making his/her own choices) and need for relatedness
(connecting with others).
There are other ways to classify motivation; Gardner (1985) proposed that it is
necessary to understand the learner’s goal for learning a language in order to
understand what motivates them. He proposes two orientations for learning a
language: integrative and instrumental. The first one refers to having an interest not
only in the language, but also in the community who speaks the language, a desire
to assimilate the culture as well as the language. It involves being open and
respectful to other groups, lifestyles, ideas, etc., and the possibility of identification
with another culture (Dornyei, 2003). Instrumental motivation, on the other hand,
refers to the desire of learning the language to use it as a toll to obtain non
interpersonal purposes such as passing an exam, obtaining a job, etc.
1.2. Demotivation
1.2.1. Conceptions of demotivation
According to Dornyei (2001a), demotivation is defined as “specific external
forces that reduce or diminish the motivational basis of a behavioral intention or an
ongoing action” (p. 143). Thus demotivation could be regarded as the negative
counterpart of motivation. However, researchers do not all agree that demotivation
is solely external. Many researchers included not only external factors but also
internal factors such as lack of self-confidence and negative attitude within learners
themselves. Despite his definition of demotivation, even Dornyei listed reduced
self-confidence and negative attitude toward the foreign language as sources of
demotivation (Dornyei, 2001a). Therefore, Dornyei’s original definition may need 6



7

Based on Dornyei’s study, factors affecting students’ demotivation can be
classified into student-related factors, teacher-related factors, and teaching and
learning conditions and course books used in the class.
1.2.2.1. Student-related factors
a. Intelligence
The term of intelligence refers to performance on certain kinds of tests
(Lightbrown and Spada, 1999). These tests help teachers classify successful or
unsuccessful students in the class performance. While some studies have showed
that there is a link between intelligence measured by intelligence quotient tests and
second language learning, some students, in fact, whose academic performance is
weak, are successful in L2 learning.
b. Personality
Lightbown & Spada (1999) discussed a number of personality characteristics
such as extroversion, inhibition, self-esteem, empathy, dominance, talkativeness,
responsiveness. Although several studies on personality and second language
learning have been carried out with different and contradictory results, many
researchers believe that personality factors are important predictors of success in
second language learning. “This relationship is a complex one, however, in that it is
probably not personality alone, but the way in which it combines with other factors,
that contributes to second language learning” (Lightbown & Spada, 1999:56).
c. Aptitude
Foreign language aptitude may be broadly defined as "language learning
ability" (Dörnyei 2005: 32). Factor analysis identified four components (Lightbown
& Spada):
“(1) The ability to identify and memorize new sounds; (2) the
ability to understand the function of particular words in sentences; (3)
the ability to figure out grammatical rules from language samples, and (4)

they are in. Not only is anxiety related to motivation, but it is also related to
proficiency and more so to communication proficiency, as suggested by Clement,
Dornyei and Noels (1994).
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g. Age of acquisition
Age is another characteristic of learners which affect learners’ success in
second language learning. It is often claimed that there is a critical period for second
language acquisition which ends around puberty or even earlier. However, the
Critical Period Hypothesis for second language acquisition has not been
conclusively proven by research, nor has it been completely disproved. Most
researches indicate that critical period hypothesis does not exist for all aspects of
second language acquisition, but there is “powerful evidence of a critical period for
accent.” (Brown 59) While there are many advantages to an early age for second
language acquisition, there is little evidence to support the idea that adults are
unable to successfully learn a second language.
1.2.2.2. Teacher-related factors
Based on Dornyei (2001), teachers' factors and appropriate teacher behaviors
are mentioned as follows: enthusiasm, commitment to and expectations for the
students' academic progress, good relationship with the students, acceptance, and
ability to listen and pay attention to students.
a. Enthusiasm
An American psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1997) conducted a
survey into the question "Who have been your most influential teachers?” He found
that it is teachers' love, dedication and passion together with commitment toward
the subject matter that instills in students a willingness to pursue knowledge. Also,
teachers should clearly identify their reasons for loving and being interested in the

Physical conditions of a classroom refer to the classroom size, chairs, desks,
tables, boards and even bulletin boards. Jeremy Harmer (1992) confirmed that such
physical conditions had great impact on students' learning as well as their attitude
towards the subject matter either positively or negatively.
L2 teachers should be reminded that the classroom is not only a psychological
but also physical environment. The decoration: posters, flowers, funny objects
influence strongly the atmosphere. More importantly, teachers should create the
ownership of the class among students. He stated "Personalizing the classroom can 11

be seen as students exercising increasing control over their environment" (Dornyei,
2001: 42).
b. A pleasant and supportive atmosphere in the classroom
Language learning is considered one of the most face-threatening school
subjects. Language anxiety has been found to be a powerful factor that hinders L2
learning achievement (Maclntyre, Young, 1999). Thus, it is the teacher's task to
create a pleasant and supportive classroom atmosphere. A number of various
components contribute to make up the ideal classroom climate such as the teacher's
rapport with the students, the students' relationship with each other and the norm of
tolerance. It is very important to make students understand that mistakes are a
natural part of learning, and to ensure that they will not be criticized if they make
mistakes.
Moreover, humor is a very potent factor to improve the classroom atmosphere.
The use of humor helps students feel at ease without tension in the air.
1.2.2.4. Course books
A common element in the teaching of English as a second or foreign language
is the course book. Indeed, it has been argued that the course book is an almost
universal element of ELT teaching (Hutchinson and Torres, 1994) and the course

The definition Dudley-Evans offers is clearly influenced by that of Strevens
(1988), although he has improved it substantially by removing the absolute
characteristic that ESP is "in contrast with General English" (Johns et al., 1991:
298), and has revised and increased the number of variable characteristics. The
division of ESP into absolute and variable characteristics, in particular, is very
helpful in resolving arguments about what is and is not ESP. From the definition,
we can see that ESP can but is not necessarily concerned with a specific discipline,
nor does it have to be aimed at a certain age group or ability range. ESP should be
seen simple as an “approach” to teaching, or what Dudley-Evans describes as an
“attitude of mind”. Such a view echoes that of Hutchinson et al. (1987:19) who state,
“ESP is an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and
method are based on the learner's reason for learning”.
1.3.2. Classification of ESP
According to Carter (1983), there are three types of ESP: 13

1. English as a restricted language: The language used by air traffic controllers
or by waiters are examples of English as a restricted language.
2. English for academic and occupational purposes: English for science and
technology, English for Business and Economics, English for social studies, English
for academic purposes, and English for occupational purposes (EOP).
3. English with specific topics: This type concerned with anticipated future
English needs of, for example scientists requiring English for postgraduate reading
studies, attending conferences or working in foreign institutions.
1.3.3. ESP teachers
An issue frequently raised with regard to ESP teachers is whether they need to
be experts in the subject area in question. The general assumption is that they are
primarily language teachers engaged in Teaching English as a Foreign Language

most often have just finished secondary school and rely mostly on their theoretical
knowledge, while job-experienced learners, in addition to having theoretical
knowledge, also have some practical experience of using a foreign language in
business life. Consequently, as Ellis and Johnson (1994: 5) point out, pre-
experience learner expectations of language learning are to a great extent based on
their former educational experience, while job-experienced learners will above all
focus on “their own shortcomings in terms of fluency, getting the message across,
and being able to understand the people from other countries that they have to deal
with”. Regardless of these differences between pre-experience and job-experienced
learners, the emphasis of ESP teaching/learning for both categories of learners
should be on performance or, as emphasized by Ellis and Johnson (1994: 35), they
should become “operationally effective”.
Motivation is of key importance for both pre-experience and job-experienced
learners. In the first situation, considering that most students have no or almost no
work experience, ESP teachers have to rely primarily on materials and activities
they have prepared for their learners. For this reason, materials used in the language
course should preferably relate to knowledge gained in other courses and learners'
future jobs. When teaching job-experienced learners, on the other hand, ESP
teachers can also focus on what learners do in their jobs and at least to some extent
relate the teaching/learning materials and course activities to that. The direct use of 15

the learner's experience in the ESP teaching/learning process is thus important for
the motivation of both pre-experience and job-experienced learners, the most
important distinction being whether ESP teachers predominantly refer to knowledge
gained in other professional courses or the learner's practical experience gained on-
the-job.
1.3.5. ESP materials

learn”;
- Last but not least, “the subject of or content of the materials is an essential
component of the package from the point of view of relevance and motivation”.
The selection of ESP materials should thus above all depend on the needs of
the learners in relation to their future or present jobs: that is, materials should focus
on the appropriate topics and include “tasks and activities that practise the target
skills areas” (Ellis and Johnson, 1994: 115). Another important criterion that should
be taken into account when selecting materials is the level of language knowledge
students have already acquired and the target level they will need to communicate
successfully in their jobs.
ESP is predominantly student-centered, and consequently students’
considerations should be at the top of the list of selection criteria. According to
Lewis and Hill, students’ considerations include the following:
- Will the materials be useful to the students?
- Do they stimulate students’ curiosity?
- Are the materials relevant to the students and their needs?
- Are they fun to do?
- Will the students find the tasks and activities worth doing?
(Adapted from Lewis and Hill, 1993: 52-53)
To sum up, after analyzing learner needs and setting objectives for the course,
the ESP teacher has to select materials that will help the students achieve the course
objectives (Ellis and Johnson, 1994). These materials should also relate closely to
the learners’ specific skills and content needs, which is an important precondition
for full exploitation of the materials as well as the learners’ motivation.

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Dorniyei (2001) conducted a research on 50 secondary school pupils in
Budapest who were studying either English or German as their second language.
The data were collected through structured interview. He identified the teacher, lack
of self-confidence, negative attitudes toward L2, compulsory nature of L2 study,
interference of other languages, negative attitudes towards L2 community, attitudes
of group members, course book and inadequate school facilities as nine
demotivating factors.
Oxford (1998) took into account the time factor. She recognized that some of
demotivating factors include: the teacher, the textbook, negative classroom
activities, defective equipment, and inappropriate tasks.
Sun Yun-Fang (2008) in the PhD thesis at Indiana University titled
“Motivation to speak: Perception and attitude of non-English major students in
Taiwan” conducted a study on Taiwanese students motivation to speak English at a
university in northern Taiwan. Questionnaires on motivation and anxiety were used
to ask 115 non-English majors in two English conversation classes to give their
perceptions and attitudes toward English conversation class. Then follow-up
interviews were conducted with six volunteer students for deeper analysis of their
willingness to use English to communicate in the class, and what activities they
prefer in English conversation class. 56% of the surveyed students stated that
teachers have strong impact on their willingness to use English to participate in
class activities. They most preferred a class size of between 15-20 students. 81% of
the surveyed students preferred more interactive activities such as group discussion
on practical and interesting topics and a more relaxing learning environment. The
results implied that teachers need to be more flexible to meet students' needs such as
daily conversation skills, pragmatics, business communication skills and public
speaking skills.
Zhao Lei (2012), using questionnaires, studied learning motivation types and