Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University

Faculty of Humanities

Demotivating Factors of Learning English as a Foreign

Language among Iranian High School Students

By: Masoumeh Hassani

Supervisor: Dr. Maryam Meshkat

Reader: Dr. Mehrak Rahimi

A thesis submitted to the Graduate Studies Office in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the degree of Master of Arts in

Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)

July 2011

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In the Name of God

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 Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University

Faculty of Humanities

Demotivating Factors of Learning English as a Foreign

Language among Iranian High School Students

By: Masoumeh Hassani

Supervisor: Dr. Maryam Meshkat

Reader: Dr. Mehrak Rahimi

A thesis submitted to the Graduate Studies Office in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the degree of Master of Arts in

Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)

July 2011

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4
Dedication

Dedicated to my father and mother, who supported me throughout my life.

And also to my dear son and husband.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to express my gratitude to all those who have contributed to my

study in different ways. First of all, I am most grateful to my supervisor, Dr. Maryam

Meshkat, whose unreserved professional advice and critical comments have

significantly contributed to shaping and completing the different stages of the study. I

would also like to offer my deepest gratitude and thanks to Dr. Mehrak Rahimi, my

reader, for all her guidance and insightful feedback throughout the writing of this thesis.

Special gratitude also goes to the Head of English Department, Dr. Reza Nejati, for all

his help and guidance, and for answering my (seemingly endless) questions throughout

this study and completion of the project. I also wish to express my gratitude to my

professors Dr. Farhad Dordinejad and Dr. Jahanbakhsh Nikoupour for all they taught

me during my postgraduate studies. Many thanks as well to my colleagues, Mr. Sadeghi

and Mr. Teymuri, for their cooperation with me in boy schools. I would like to offer

great love and thanks to my parents for their endless moral support. My deep gratitude

and special thanks also go to my dear son for his patience and understanding. Last, but

not least, I would like to warmly thank my husband, for his support, words of

encouragement, and unfaltering belief in me. I thank them for understanding all the

times I had to spend away from them. I also would like to thank all those to whom

gratitude is due but I have forgotten to name.

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Abstract

Research on L2 motivation has traditionally been interested in the positive influences

that generate interest in learning. However, there is also another side to motivation that
probably every learner has encountered at some point: experiencing temporary loss of
motivation. In educational contexts demotivation is unfortunately a common
phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to investigate the demotivating factors of
Iranian high school students in learning English and to find out whether there is any
difference between girls and boys with regard to these factors as sources of
demotivation in learning English. Sakai and Kikuchis demotivation questionnaire with
a reliability of .81 was administered to 421 girls and boys from 4 high schools in Iran
(Qom). The results of this study indicated that (a) Iranian high school students
considered Lack of School Facilities, overemphasis on grammar, long passages
and expectancy to use grammatically correct English in the classroom as strong
sources of demotivation for learning English and (b) there was a trend in Iranian high
school students to regard Learning Contents and Materials and Teachers
Competence and Teaching Styles as sources of demotivation for learning English (c)
statistically significant differences were found between girls and boys in general and
with respect to Learning Contents and Materials and Teachers Competence and
Teaching Styles at .05 level of significance. The findings of the study are useful for
English course designers and teachers to take these demotivating factors into
consideration and attempt to remove or lessen these factors to make the leaning process
more impressive.

Key words: motivation, demotivating factors, educational contexts, demotivation,

inadequate school facilities, Learning Contents and Materials, Teachers Competence
and Teaching Styles

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 Table of Contents

Dedication....v
Acknowledgements.vi
Abstract..vii
Table of Contentsviii
List of Tables.....xi
List of Figures....xiii
Abbreviations.........xiv

Chapter 1: Introduction.....1
1.1.Introduction....2
1.2. Statement of the Problem.......4
1.3..Significance of the Study.......6
1.4. Research Questions........7
1.5. Definition of Key Terms........8
1.6. Limitations of the Study...10

Chapter 2: Review of Literature.....12

2.1. Introduction.......13
2.2. History of L2 Learning Motivation ..........13
o 2.2.1. The social psychological period...14
o 2.2.2. The cognitive -situated period......18
2.2.2.1.Self-determination theory............19
2.2.2.1.1. Basic psychological needs.....20
2.2.2.1.2. Intrinsic motivation....21
2.2.2.1.3. Extrinsic motivation...22
2.2.2.1.4. The effects of extrinsic motivation .......26
2.2.2.1.5. Amotivation.......27
2.2.2.2. The expanded model by Oxford and Shearin.28
2.2.2.3. Attribution Theory..29
2.2.2.4. Self-efficacy Theory...30
2.2.2.5. Drnyeis (1994) framework of L2 motivation..32
2.2.2.6. Williams and Burden's social-constructivist model...35
o 2.2.3. New approaches.......39

viii
 2.2.3.1. A process-oriented approach .....40
2.2.3.2.Task Motivation...41
2.2.3.3. L2 Motivational Self System..45
2.3. Demotivation.... 48
2.4. Previous Studies on demotivation.....51

Chapter 3: Methodology....66
3.1. Introduction....67
3.2. Participants....67
3.3. Instruments...67
3.4. Procedure...........68
3.5. Design....69
3.6. Data analysis..69

Chapter 4: Results and Discussion..71

4.1. Introduction ..........72
4.2. Results and Discussion .....72
o 4.2.1. Research Question 1.....72
o 4.2.2. Research Question 2.....80
o 4.2.3. Research Question 3.82
o 4.2.4. Research Question 4.84
o 4.2.5. Research Question 5.....86
o 4.2.6. Research Question 6.....88
o 4.2.7. Research Question 7.........90
o 4.2.8. The open Ended Question....91

Chapter 5: Conclusion, Pedagogical Implications and Suggestions for

Further Research.....99
5.1. Introduction.....100
5.2. Conclusions.100
5.3. Pedagogical Implications and Applications....101
5.4. Suggestions for Further Research...104

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 References..107
Appendices.....118
Appendix A: English Version of Demotivation Questionnaire ...119
Appendix B: Persian Version of the Questionnaire .....121
Appendix C: English Version of the Open Ended Question ....123

Appendix D: Persian Version of the Open Ended Question.........................124

Appendix E: Validity of the Questionnaire Items.125
Appendix F: Mean and Standard Deviation of Items....126
Appendix G: Frequency Table of Learning Contents and Materials133
Appendix H: Frequency Table of Teachers Competence and Teaching
Styles....................................................................................134
Appendix I: Frequency Table of Inadequate School Facilities...135
Appendix J: Frequency Table of Lack of Intrinsic Motivation....136
Appendix K: Frequency Table of Test Scores....137
Appendix L: Other Demotivating Factors..138

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 List of Tables

Table 2.1: Drnyeis (1994) framework of L2 motivation...33

Table 2.2: Williams and Burden's (1997) framework of L2 motivation......35

Table 3.1: Reliability Statistics.68

Table 4.1: Descriptive Statistics for Demotivating Factors ..72

Table 4.2: Descriptive Statistics on Learning Contents and Materials by

Gender...80

Table 4.3: Difference between girls and boys on Learning Contents and

Materials.......80

Table 4.4: Descriptive Statistics on Teachers Competence and Teaching Styles by

Gender.......82

Table 4.5: Difference between girls and boys on Teachers Competence and Teaching

Styles...82

Table 4.6: Descriptive Statistics on Inadequate School Facilities by Gender..83

Table 4.7: Difference between girls and boys on Inadequate School Facilities...84

Table 4.8: Descriptive Statistics on Lack of Intrinsic Motivation by Gender..85

Table 4.9: Difference between girls and boys on Lack of Intrinsic Motivation...86

Table 4.10: Descriptive Statistics on Test Scores by Gender...87

Table 4.11: Difference between girls and boys on Test Scores....87

Table 4.12: Descriptive Statistics on all the items of the questionnaire by Gender....89

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Table 4.13: Difference between girls and boys on demotivating factors of learning

English in general89

xii
 List of Figures

Figure 2.1. Integrative Motivation.....15

Figure 2.2. Schematic Representation of the Three Mechanisms making up the

Motivational Task-processing System...42

Figure 2.3. Structural equation diagram of motivational task processing (Drnyei &

Tseng, 2009)44

Figure 4.1. The percentage of participants perceptions on demotivating factors......75

Figure 4.2. The mean scores of girl and boy students for five factors....88

xiii
 Abbreviations

L2: Second Language

IM: Intrinsic motivation

EFL: English as a Foreign Language

FL: Foreign Language

TEFL: Teaching English as a Foreign Language English

LL: Language Learning

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Chapter One

Introduction

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1.1. Introduction

Motivation is one of the most effective factors in language learning.

Motivated students spend longer time on school work, have higher learning

efficacy, and perform better in tests (Sternberg & Williams, 2002). On the other

hand, without sufficient motivation, even individuals with the most remarkable

abilities cannot accomplish long-term goals, and appropriate curricula and good

teaching methods cannot guarantee their achievement (Drnyei, 2009a).

The research on L2 motivation is concerned with what makes a person want

to learn a second language and what keeps him interested in learning it, i.e. staying

motivated. However, motivation to learn a second language is a complex construct,

considering that language is always socially and culturally bound and so, quite

different from other school subjects (Drnyei, 2001b).

The research on motivation to learn a second language was initiated over

four decades ago. The pioneering work was done by Gardner and Lambert (1959,

cited in Drnyei, 2010), who developed a socio-psychological or educational

model of L2 learning. This model attempts to interpret a potential relationship

between language attainment and psychological factors by taking social milieu into

consideration. This work is a foundation to almost all the following research on L2

motivation. Although it has been criticized, other researchers have tried to expand

Gardners model rather than to question its validity (e.g. Oxford & Shearin,

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1994).Consequently, they have introduced other variables or dimensions to the

multidimensional nature of motivation (Crookes & Schmidt, 1991).

In the later decades there was a significant development in theories and

approaches in the study of motivational aspects of second language learning. One

noticeable development was the emergence of the cognitive motivation theories, in

the 1990s, as a result of the cognitive revolution that took place in psychological

research (Drnyei, 2001b). One of the most recent developments was the

appearance of more situated approaches that took place in the 1990s by a shift in

the direction of looking at motivation from an educational perspective on the basis

that Gardner's perspective was too broad to explain motivational features of the

classroom, including learners themselves, classrooms, teachers, and so on

(Drnyei, 1994). This understanding views motivation as a more dynamic factor

that is in a continuous process of evolution and changes according to the various

internal and external influences confronted by the learner (Drnyei, 2001a). This

reconceptualization of motivation opened up the research agenda for investigation

of relationships between motivation and other aspects of language learning

behavior usually associated with the classroom (Crookes & Schmidt, 1991). More

studies are surely needed in order to better understand the multidimensional

features of motivation in a classroom context.

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 A newer approach in L2 motivation based on Gardners integrativeness/

integrative motivation has been proposed by Drnyei in 2005. The framework is

called the L2 Motivational Self System which attempts to integrate several

approaches to second language learning with findings of self-research in

psychology. It consists of three dimensions: the Ideal L2 Self, the Ought-to Self

and the L2 Learning Experience.

The major concern of language learning motivation has been on the positive

side of motivation for a long time, but few studies have discussed the issue of

demotivation. Demotivation decreases learner's care for learning a language but

motivation increases it. Demotivation is detrimental to learner motivation.

Teachers not only have to work on ways to enhance and stimulate learner

motivation but also avoid demotivators from harming student's learning desire and

effort. Therefore, knowing how language learners perceive their source of

demotivators can be valuable to language teachers.

1.2. Statement of the Problem

Iranian high school students lack of motivation may be reflected in their

different behaviors and attitudes in class. Firstly, it is evident that many students

lack interest in English as a school subject (Rashidi, 1995). Although they are

conscious about the fact that they need to participate in classroom activities and

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study in order to pass examinations, they do not seem to understand the relevance

of learning English to their lives. Consequently, these demotivated students tend to

get distracted very easily in class and some of them disturb their classmates.

Secondly, students who are demotivated towards the English language

seldom participate in class and tend to be very negative towards English. They

seem to consider English to be a very difficult subject. Furthermore, since English

is regarded as a foreign language in Iran, exposure to the English language is

limited to class. Equally, they have poor concentration and produce little

homework. Students do not respond well to the learning process and do not

participate actively during the lessons. Consequently, they fail to acquire this

foreign language. As a result, many of them are unable to do well in class.

Many of these demotivated students focus too much on grades and not

enough on learning the language. That is, they study the language because it is a

compulsory subject and they need to pass examinations. Thus, they hardly enjoy

the learning process. The findings of this study possibly can help language teachers

to find out why students are demotivated in the language classroom in order to

facilitate and enhance language learning. This study is designed to find out the

reasons for demotivation in language classrooms in Iran in order to find ways to

eradicate this problem.

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 It is worth noting that the present study could be placed among the research

of cognitive period because of its situated approach. This study is based on

Drnyeis (1994) Framework of L2 motivation. The focus of the current study is

on the role of learner, course and teacher and how each plays a role in

demotivation or the loss of motivation.

1.3. Significance of the Study

Demotivation is an area of research that has to receive more attention,

considering its direct educational implications. In other words, in addition to

knowing what motivates a learner, being aware of the risks that weaken motivation

is essential both for teachers and for learners. Thus, teachers can take these

demotivating factors into consideration and attempt to remove or reduce them to

make the learning process more impressive. Furthermore, with the increasing

importance of learning a foreign language, it seems necessary to investigate the

problems related to learning English in our high schools. Since previous studies

were conducted in various contexts (Budapest, Japan, Taiwan, etc) and with

different learners (most researchers have focused on university students), the

findings may not be applicable to and representative of Iranian high school

students. Therefore, this study sets out to explore this under researched area of L2

motivation; demotivation, among Iranian high school students. It is hoped that this

study can shed light on the problems of language education of Iran.