“Ma’am I don’t like to study English anymore!”

張貼日期：Oct 27, 2010 12:18:19 PM

“Ma’am I don’t like to study English anymore!”

Cindy Hsu 許心芝

Advisor: Dr. Hsian-li Chou 周先俐 老師

Dr. Min-chieh Chou周敏潔 老師

Abstract

Many junior high school students in Taiwan dislike English, which has always been a concern for parents and English teachers as well as language educators in Taiwan. Actually, many young learners used to enjoy learning English in elementary school, but lost interest after they entered junior high. The purpose of this study is to explore the factors which contribute to the decrease of  junior high students’ motivation in learning English. In this case study, four 7th grade students from an afternoon remedial class of Ge-zhi Junior High School were interviewed and their English classes were observed. Data analysis was mainly based on the interview data. Ten interview questions were developed to explore their likes or dislikes of the English course, self-evaluation of their English ability, instrumental and integrative motivation in learning English, learning factors, and interest in learning a foreign language other than English. The results of the study suggest that the students are lacking in either instrumental or integrative motivation, that they have low self-evaluation of their English ability, that there are intelligence and learning factors affecting their performances, and that their interest in learning another foreign language is low. Based on their opinions, the class placement is inapporpriate and the course is uninspiring, thus learning becomes laborious. 

Key Words: English learning, young learners, decrease of motivation, contributing factors