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HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY 2
FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

BUI THI YEN

A STUDY ON SOME MAJOR FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS’
INTEREST IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT A HIGH SCHOOL
IN VIET NAM.

(Graduation paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the Degree of Bachelor of
Arts in English)

Major: English Language Teaching

Hanoi, 2019

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HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY 2
FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

BUI THI YEN

A STUDY ON SOME MAJOR FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS’
INTEREST IN LEARNING ENGLISH AT A HIGH SCHOOL
IN VIET NAM.

close friends with whose inspiration I am able to complete the paper.

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ABSTRACT
Teaching English as a foreign language in Viet Nam is a challenging task for a
teacher. Language learning should be more interesting and enjoyable for learners to
learn. The level of learners’ interest in learning process depends on many factors
controlled by nature or shaped by nurture. The present study aims at investigating
some major factors affecting students’ interest in learning English of 90 students in
grade 10 at Quynh Coi High School. The primary methods of this research were
survey questionnaire, interviews and classroom observation. These findings
indicated that interest in learning English was a significant issue for EFL learning.
Moreover, external factors had more impact on learners’ English language
proficiency level compared to internal ones. Based on the findings of the present
study, some pedagogical implications were suggested to encourage students and
teachers to improve themselves in learning and teaching English.
Keywords: students’ interest, learning English, external factors.

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STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

Table 4: Classroom observation checklist entries. ...................................................25
Table 5: Students’ attitudes towards teacher ............................................................30
Table 6: Students’ attitudes towards textbook. .........................................................31
Table 7: Classification of LLS types by students according to their frequency of use.
...................................................................................................................................32
Figures:
Figure 1 : The students’ most recent English learning results. ................................27
Figure 2: Students’ intrinsic motivation ...................................................................28
Figure 3: Students’ extrinsic motivation ...................................................................29
Figure 4: Classification of LLS types in terms of frequency of use ..........................33

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
1. EFL: English as a Foreign Language.
2. TESL: Teaching English as a Second Language.
3. SILL: The Strategies Inventory of Language Learning.
4. LLS: Language Learning Strategies.
5. SLA: Second Language Acquisition.
6. ESL: English Second Language.
6. SA: Strongly Agree.
7. A: Agree.
8. U: Uncertain.
9. D: Disagree.
10. SD: Strongly Disagree.


4.1.1. The school’s teaching- learning culture ..........................................................12
4.1.2. The availability and use of educational resources ..........................................13
4.1.3. The influence of the learner- educator ratio ....................................................13
4.1.4. The teacher’s attitudes and skills in teaching English as a second language.
(TESL) .......................................................................................................................15
4.1.4.1. The teacher’s attitudes towards TESL .........................................................15
4.1.4.2 The teacher’s skill for TESL .........................................................................15
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4.2. Motivation ..........................................................................................................15
4.3. Learner attitudes .................................................................................................18
4.3.1. Attitude towards teacher .................................................................................18
4.3.2. Attitude towards textbook. ..............................................................................19
4.4. Language learning strategies ..............................................................................20
CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY ............................................................................22
1.Participants .............................................................................................................22
2. Data collection ......................................................................................................22
2.1. Survey questionnaire. .........................................................................................22
2.1.1. Reasons for using Questionnaire .....................................................................22
2.1.2. Description of questionnaire. ..........................................................................22
2.2 Interview. ............................................................................................................24
2.2.1. Reasons for using interview. ...........................................................................24
2.2.2. Description of interview. .................................................................................24
2.3. Class observation. ..............................................................................................24
2.3.1. Reasons for using class observation ................................................................24
2.3.2. Description of class observation. ....................................................................25

PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
Nowadays, kas kthe kworld khas kbecome kmore kand kmore kclosely kintegrated, k
English kplays kan kimportant krole kin kinternational kcommunication. kAccording kto

k

Crystal k(2003), kthere kare k320-380 kmillion kpeople kwhose kfirst klanguage kis kEnglish

k

and k300-500 kmillion kpeople kwhose ksecond klanguage kis kEnglish. kIt kis kthe

k

language kof ktrade, kscience, ktechnology, ktourism, ksport, kmusic kand kmany kother

k

fields kof klife. kAs ka kresult, kin knon-English-speaking kcountries, kthis klanguage khas

k

become kthe kofficial ksubject kin kcurriculum kat kprimary kschools kto kuniversities kin k

k

the k kpast k kdecades. kFor kthis kreason, kit kis knecessary kto kteach kEnglish kto kstudents

k

learning kprocess, kwhich khelps kto kdetermine kthe klevel kof kproficiency kachieved kby

k

different klearners. kTherefore, kwhether kstudents kcan khold kpositive kaffect kor knot

k

will khave kdecisive kimpact kon ktheir kstudy.

k

As a teacher of English, students’ proficiency and interests in learning
English are things that get lots of the teacher’s consideration and time. It is very

1
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important for teachers to be able to teach and arouse students’ interest in following
the lessons. All teachers always want to have an effective and interesting lesson
each day. In fact that many students may sometimes lose their willingness and
interest towards lesson, which puts a major barrier in front of effective language
learning. They do not pay attention to the lessons or do not care about periods, some
even say that because they do not seem to have interest in English, they feel bored
and demotivated. Teachers should try to find practical ways to motivate the students
to learn, and at the same time, maintain students' interest in the language learning
process. Moreover, teachers need to consider students' thoughts and feelings in the

and people take interest in this field.
2. Aims of the study and Research question
2.1. Aims of the study
The general aim of this study is to investigate some major factors affecting
students’ interest in learning English process at Quynh Coi High School. The
investigation is predicated upon the assumption that the research results can lead to
improved understanding of the extent and the causes of losing interest in learning
English. In addition to this, the study hopes to provide an overview for teachers
about teaching and learning English. Moreover, it will help teachers understand and
have positive changes to make students become more interested in learning.
2.2. Research Question
In the thesis, the following question is taken into consideration:
1. What are some major factors affecting students’ interest in learning English?
3. Scope of the study
This study investigates factors affecting students’ interest in learning English
at high school. Also, this study considers the attitude of students towards in learning
English. Due to the limited time and limited size, this study only focuses on some
major factors influencing on English learning of students in grade 10 at Quynh Coi
High School and their attitude towards learning language process. The research was
conducted with two classes (10A6 and 10A10), both of classes have the same
curriculum and have been taught by two English teachers (Mrs Van Anh was in
charge for class 10A6, Mrs Ly was in charge for class 10A10).
4. Methods of the study
To achieve the aims of the study, different intrusments were applied: survey
questionnaire, interviews and classroom observation. The participants of the study
were 90 students in grade 10 at Quynh Coi High School, having spent at least five
years learning English since they were in the fifth grade. Ten of the participants
were selected for interviews. They were chosen due to their long time in learning

3

Part kB, kDevelopment, kgives kinformation kon kLiterature kReview, kMethodology,
Finding kand kDiscussion, kImplications kof kthe kstudy.

k

Chapter kI, kTheoretical kBackground, kpresents klanguage kacquisition, ktheoretical
frameworks kof klanguage klearning kfactors kand kresearch kframework.

k

Chapter kII, kMethodology, kdescribes kin kdetail kthe kParticipants, kResearch
instruments kemployed kand kProcedure kof kdata kcollection kanalysis.

k

Chapter kIII, kFinding kand kdiscussion, kanalyzes kgathered kdata kand kpresents kthe
discussion kof kresearch kfindings, kand kImplications.

k

Part kC, kConclusion, kreviews kMajor kfindings, kLimitations kand kSuggestion kfor
further kstudy.

k

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related to the lessons for teachers, friends, etc. They do not feel ashamed of
anything, make questions to teachers about the problems that they are vague.
Moreover, when the students are interested in a lesson, they will work harder and
persist longer, making them more active and confident.
From the explanation above, being interested in something means that you
take care of it, you want to learn or to become involved in it. It can be said that
interest is a special attention towards a certain matter that is created fully
willingness and depending on individual and their environment.
1.2. Indicators of students’ interest
According to Slameto (2003) indicators of students’ interest are:
Attention

The Willingness

Needs

1. Ask to the teacher

1. Try to do the task

Needs is a condition in the

about the material.


enthusiastically.

1. Learn English in order

4. Focus while the

4. Diligently read the

to have a better job.

teacher explains the

English book.

2. The awareness to take

material.

notes while learning
process.

Positive emotion

Teaching materials and

Participation

Teachers’ positive
manner of behavior

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3. Take a note from the

learning English is funny.

material.

3. Have a high enthusiastic

from the teacher.

to the lesson and the
teacher.
4. Teachers’ explanation
make the students
understand about the
lesson.
Table 1: Indicators of students’ Interest (Slameto2003)
In general, basing on indicators of students’ interest teachers can realize
students’ attitude and interest in lesson. The identification of interest highlights
different ways in which student engagement can be expressed in the classroom, how
it can be visible to a teacher or an observer, and the way it is expressed and detected
in the classroom. When students get encouraged towards doing something, they
generate more interest in accomplishing the task. This is most important for the
purpose of academic success. If a teacher knows indicators, he or she will find it



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Thus, it can be said that interest in learning can determine learners' thoughts
and feelings. If learners are not interested in learning, they will find it very difficult
to pay attention, to maintain positive emotions for the subject. They feel
discouraged, uncomfortable when learning and participating in activities related to
the lesson. In contrast, having an interest in learning, students will feel happy and
comfortable to acquire knowledge. Learners feel motivated to explore, get new
knowledge, voluntarily participate in activities in class. Interest really plays an
essential role in the learning process of students not only in the classroom but also
at their home.
2. Definitions of language acquisition
According kto kLightbown, kP.M k& kSpada k(1999), klanguage kacquisition kis
one kof kthe kmost kimpressive kand kfascinating kaspects kof khuman kdevelopment. kUp

k

to know, kthere khave kbeen kmany kdifferent kdefinitions kof klanguage kacquisition. k

k

Language kacquisition kis ka ksubconscious kprocess, klanguage kacquirers kare
not koften kaware kof kthe kfact kthat kthey kare kgetting klanguage, kbut kare konly kaware kof

k

the kfact kthat kthey kare kusing kthe klanguage kfor kcommunicational kgoal. k( kKrashen,



aware kof kthe krules kof kthe klanguages kthey khave kacquired. kInstead, kthey khave ka

k

"feel" kfor kcorrectness. kGrammatical ksentences k"sound" kright, kor k"feel" kright, kand

k

errors kfeel kwrong, keven kif kwe kdo knot kconsciously kknow kwhat krule kwas kviolated.

k

Error kcorrection kand kexplicit kteaching kof krules kare knot krelevant kto klanguage

k

acquisition k(Brown k& kHanlon,1970)

k

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It kcan kbe ksaid kthat klanguage kacquisition kis kthe kmanner kof klearning ka
language kby kimmersion. kIt kprovides klearners kwith kthe kpractical kknowledge kof kthe


3. Theoretical frameworks of factors affecting students’ interest.
Several different researchers have been proposed to explain the direct and
indirect influences on students’ interest in learning. Each study shows how to divide
the different factors. From this list, we can see the diversity of the number of factors
affecting students' interest. Each researcher has different views about the factors
they have divided.
Regarding the table, the three researchers whose way of dividing their factors
is significantly different from other researchers.

Researcher

Taxonomy

Eb Mahlobo (1999)

Contextual factors and Learner factors.

Brown (2000)

Styles and strategies, personality factors, sociocultural
factors, age, aptitude and intelligence.

Pawlak (2009)

Age, intelligence, aptitude, cognitive and learning styles,
learning strategies, motivation, anxiety, beliefs and
willingness to communicate.

Table 2. Taxonomies of factors affecting learners.
As can be seen from this list, classifications of factors have proved that

▪ Motivation

▪ First language

▪ Group dynamics

▪ Language aptitude

▪ Learner attitudes

▪ Intelligence

▪ Language learning

▪ Personality

strategies

▪ Cognitive style
Table 3. Eb Mahlobo’s classification of factors(1999)
This model includes two main factors hypothesized to affect the learner’s
interest. In table 3 shows that factors are divided into two parts, the contextual and
learner factors that are affecting students’ interest.
In kthis kstudy, kcontext kis kdefined kas kthe kambient kor ksurrounding kconditions
without kwhich kthe kmeaning kof kthe kphenomenon kstudied kcannot kbe kcompletely

k

understood. kContextual kfactors krefer kto kthe klearners' kecological kpart-system



language klearning kstrategies. kThese kvariables kin kdependent klearner kfactors kare

k

impacted kby kthe kcontext kin kwhich kSLA ktakes kplace.

k

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3.2. Brown's classification of factors
Brown (2000) focused on making a distinction between styles and strategies.
According to his thesis, style is a term that refers to consistent and rather enduring
propensities or preferences within individual. Styles are those general features of
logical functioning, and that making you different from someone else (visual,
auditory, kinesthetic). Strategies are specific methods of approaching or dealing
with a problem or task, modes of action for attaining the specific result, schedules
for controlling or changing. They are contextualized design that might change from
moment to moment, or day to day, or year to year.
In chapter 6, he stated that personality factors consist of self-esteem,
inhibition, risk-taking, anxiety, empathy, extroversion/introversion, and motivation.
It was worth noting that he analysised motivation as a personality factor, which
might be noted as a somewhat amazing idea. From behavioristic, cognitive,
constructivist perspectives, he arranged motivation in as personality traits. Besides,
sociocultural factors, age, aptitude and intelligence were discussed in separate

in assessing the interdependence of variables in the teaching and learning process
but is also effective for students' English learning performance.
For the limitation of time and size, this study just focus on some factors, which
have more effects on language learning of the learners in Quynh Coi High School.
They are:
• School/ Classroom factor
• Motivation
• Learner attitudes (Attitude towards English teachers and text book)
• Language learning strategies
4.1. School/Classroom context
The influence of the school and classroom context has a direct impact on the
interest of learning as well as the level of knowledge acquisition of learners. The
term “school and classroom context” consists of four elements: the school’s
teaching- learning culture, the availability and use of educational resources, the
influence of the learner- educator ratio and the teacher’s attitudes and skills. The
specific analysis below will show the characteristics of each component that
influences students' interest in learning.
4.1.1. The school’s teaching- learning culture
In kgeneral, kthe kschool's klearning kculture kis kone kof kthe kpreconditions kfor
successful kSLA kand khigh kscholastic kachievement. kThe kschool's kteaching-learning

k

culture kcan kbe kdefined kas kthe kteachers' kand klearners' kspirit kof khard kwork kand

k

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4.1.2. The availability and use of educational resources
Apart kfrom kgood kteaching kskills, kan keffective klesson kalso kdepends kon kthe
availability kof kresources ksuch kas kteaching kmedia, ktextbooks, kwell-equipped kproject,

k

electricity kand kclassroom kfacilities. kAccording kto kAskes kand kKritzinger k(1990:

k

120) kemphasize kthe krole kof kteaching kmedia kas keffective ktools kfor kthe kdevelopment

k

of kreading. kFor kexample, kteacher kuses kproject kto kshow kpictures, ksounds, kvideo

k

related kto klesson kthat kmake klearners keasily kremember kwhat kthey khave kseen kand

k

heard. kThanks kto keducational kresources, kteacher kcan kcreate kfor klessons kwith

k

presenting ka kmeaningful kpicture kof kan kabstract ksituation, korganizing kfunny kgames,

k


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learners kof kthe kopportunity kfor kindependent kreading kand kpracticing. kTeachers kand

k

students kneed kto kprepare ktextbook kwhen kteaching kand klearning. kThis khelps kthe

k

teaching kand klearning kprocess kto kbe kunified.

k

4.1.3. The influence of the learner- educator ratio
Learner- Educator ratio refers to the numbers of students enrolled per teacher
in an institution of learning. It is obtained by dividing total number of student
enrolment by the number teachers available. For kinstance, kone kof kthe kmost
influential kresearches kon kclass ksize kconducted kin kthe kUSA, kthe kStudent kTeacher

k

Achievement kRatio kProject k(or kSTAR kProject) kincluded k‘regular’ kclass ksizes kof

k

22-25 kand k‘small’ kclass ksizes kof k13-17 kin kits kexamination kof kclass ksize kon

teacher make it easier for teacher adapt different students’ level. With a smaller
class, it’s easier for teacher to apply a range of methods to help learners do well. In
this class, students have more practical interactions with their teacher. Besides, they
get more chances to develop critical thinking skills. For example, fewer learners in a
class has more time for them to communicate with friends, express their views and
tell others why they think they way they do, etc.

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4.1.4. The teacher’s attitudes and skills in teaching English as a second language.
(TESL)
4.1.4.1. The teacher’s attitudes towards TESL
Attitudes are defined as tendencies to respond positively or negatively
towards a certain idea, object, person, or situation. Attitude can impact a person’s
performance positively or negatively.
In the researcher's opinion the teacher's attitude to work can be defined as the
degree of enthusiasm at his or her work as manifested by how well a teacher plans
and prepares for his/her lessons, etc. If the teachers are not committed to methods
and approaches of TESL in which they were trained, there is no chance that they
ever will be committed later (Britten 1988:6).
Teachers are responsible for their work, looking for and applying modern
teaching methods, creating lessons beyond textbooks. Teachers should have positive
attitudes towards their career, this will not only motivate themselves but also make
their learners interested in learning.
4.1.4.2 The teacher’s skills for TESL
In korder kto khave kEnglish klessons keffectively, kthe kteacher kshould kmaster


k

presence kof kthe klearner kgroup k(Britten k1985b:220). kInteractive kskills kconsist kof:

k

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