Demotivation: a Qualitative Study of Chinese English Learners at the Tertiary Level

Demotivation: A Qualitative Study of Chinese English Learners at the Tertiary Level

Abstract: Motivation has been widely researched. But its negative side — demotivation — has been a neglected area although it is “a salient phenomenon” (Dornyei, 2001, p.155). Little research has been done, so far, to investigate what demotivates students or what differentiates motivated from demotivated students. This paper explores tertiary-level EFL (English as a foreign language) learners’ demotivation through in-depth semi-structured interviews of one motivated and two demotivated students in China. Motivated and demotivated students are found to differ in six aspects: 1) feelings of belongingness and being cared for; 2) motivational response to test scores; 3) transformation between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation; 4) attitudes towards and anxiety over the state exam; 5) epistemological beliefs and cognitive strategies; and 6) self-regulation. What is worthy of special notice is the significant role of perceived teacher caring in (de)motivating students even at the tertiary level.

Key words: demotivation, perceived teacher caring, epistemological beliefs, self-regulation

1．Introduction Most authors (e.g., Dornyei, 2001; Ellis, 1994; Gardner, 1985; Spolsky, 2000) in the field of second language learning (SLL) agree that SLL is a complex process in which motivation plays a major role. Dornyei (1998) sees the relationship between motivation and learning as being one in which high motivation can “make up for considerable deficiencies both in language aptitude and learning conditions” (p.117). Because of its vital role, motivation has been widely researched in the past two decades. However, much of the literature examines the positive side of motivation that ‘energizes’ learners, ignoring the negative side — demotivation, which is loss of motivation because of specific contextual or external reasons such as public humiliation, devastating test results, or conflict

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