Motivation Types of Chinese College Undergraduates

Abstract

This paper presents part of a research project on Chinese college undergraduates?English learning motivation and self-identity changes. Previous studies on Chinese students?English learning motivation mostly followed the classical model (Gardner Lambert 1972; Gardner 1985) and their expansions (Tremblay et al. 1995), which were originated in contexts different from EFL in China. The basic motivation types of Chinese students remained to be inducted from data of the actual context. The purpose of the present research was to achieve such a basic classification. The subjects, obtained from a stratified sampling, were 2,278 undergraduates from 30 Chinese universities in 29 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. The instrument was a Likert-scale questionnaire. It included 30 items regarding learning motivation, based essentially on a summary of open responses collected in different provinces. Factor analysis and MANOVA were performed on the data, to explore motivation types and examine the effect of demographic features. Seven factors resulted from the analysis: 1) intrinsic interest; 2) immediate achievement; 3) learning situation; 4) going abroad; 5) social responsibility; 6) individual development; 7) information medium. Among these factors, 搃ntrinsic interest?was related to 搃ntegrative?motivation in the classical model, whereas 搃mmediate achievement? 搃ndividual development?and 搃nformation medium?all had some features of 搃nstrumental?motivation, but with focus on different goals. 揋oing abroad?had both 搃ntegrative?and 搃nstrumental?elements. 揑mmediate achievement?and 搒ocial responsibility?might be characteristic of the Chinese EFL context. Results also showed that college major and English proficiency had significant effects on motivations. 1) Major. English majors scored higher than natural and social science majors on 搃ntrinsic interest?and 搒ocial responsibility.?They also scored higher than social science majors on 搃ndividual development?and 搃nformation medium? 2) English proficiency. Those who were below the level of Band 4 had higher 搃mmediate achievement?motivation than the Band 6 group; their 搃ntrinsic interest?was lower than both the Band 6 and Band 4 students. Interaction effects were also found between proficiency and major, and between proficiency and students?college year.

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