University EFL Freshmen's English Learning Motivation and Their English Learning Behaviors

• Main Authors: Hsin-Yi Chang, 張杏宜
• Other Authors: Jung-Han Chen
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2015
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/53184569872004986866

碩士 === 東海大學 === 外國語文學系 === 104 === The study aimed to investigate university English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) freshmen’s English learning motivation and their English learning behaviors and to examine the relationships between learning motivation and learning behaviors as well. English learning behaviors were divided into in-class and outside-class learning behaviors. In addition, the researcher examined significant differences in university EFL freshmen’s English learning motivation and English learning behaviors between higher and lower English proficiency groups as well as the relationship between in-class and outside-class English learning behaviors. Finally, the researcher investigated respectively the predictive relationship between English learning motivation and in-class and outside-class English learning behaviors. The participants in this study were 573 freshmen, 258 males and 315 females, from a private comprehensive university in central Taiwan. All of them took the Freshman English Placement Test (FEPT) when they first came to the university. According to their FEPT scores, 274 participants were recruited from eleven high-proficiency classes whereas the remaining 299 came from eleven low-proficiency classes. Two survey instruments were used to collect data for the study. The English Learning Motivation Questionnaire (ELMQ), which featured twenty-four 5-point Likert-scale items mostly adapted from Gardner’s (1985) Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB), was used to measure the participants’ English learning motivation. The English Learning Behaviors Questionnaire (ELBQ), which consisted of forty-eight 5-point Likert-scale items mostly adapted from Chen’s (2006) survey instrument was used to measure respectively the participants’ in-class and outside-class English learning behaviors. The computer software package SPSS 20 for Windows was used to analyze the complete data from 537 participants to provide both descriptive and inferential statistics. The significance decision level for all statistical significance tests were set at  < .01. Frequencies and descriptives analyses were performed on the Basic Personal Background Information Questionnaire, ELMQ, and ELBQ items. Specifically, independent-samples t-test analyses were performed to test significant differences in English learning motivation and in in-class and outside-class English learning behaviors between the higher-level and the lower-level participants. In addition, Pearson correlation was used to examine the relationship between in-class and outside-class English learning behaviors. Finally, simple regression analyses were conducted to test the significant predictive relationship using motivation to predict in-class and outside-class English learning behaviors. Major findings of the study are summarized as follows. First, in view of the participants’ moderate degree of English learning motivation, university EFL freshmen with higher English proficiency seem to have stronger motivation than their lower proficiency counterparts. Second, based on the participants’ moderately active in-class English learning behaviors and less active outside-class English learning behaviors, university EFL freshmen with higher English proficiency appear to be more active in their in-class and outside-class English learning behaviors than their lower proficiency counterparts. Third, regardless of their English proficiency levels, university EFL freshmen’s in-class English learning behaviors tend to be significantly related to their outside-class learning behaviors. Finally, regardless of their English proficiency levels, university EFL freshmen’s English learning motivation can be used to effectively predict their in-class and outside-class English behaviors.