Motivation and EFL University Students in North-East Asia
Motivation and EFL University Students in North-East Asia
Keywords: student motivation; self-efficacy; student voice; instructional methodology
James Life
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, South Korea
Bio Data
James Life is a member of the English Linguistics Department at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Korea. His graduate degree is in higher education curriculum development, from the University of Victoria. His areas of interest and research include language strategies, conceptual expression, instructional methodology, and curriculum development
How can instructors motivate Asian university students in their EFL classrooms? One way is to ask the students directly about their preferences and other motivational factors through survey questionnaires and follow up assessments by the students. Is there a difference in motivation between the cultures of North-East Asia? Does the motivation vary when other group factors are considered? To answer these questions, a survey questionnaire was given to university EFL students in Korea, China, and Japan (669 questionnaires in total).
The survey questions considered various aspects of motivation such as: selfefficacy student s confidence in their general English abilities; goals and needs personal goals in learning English; the self student preferences; and disincentives problems in EFL education. Comparisons between students from the different cultures were made using underclassmen responses from each country with subgroups exploring the influence of other factors such as; gender, English and non-English major, years of university experience, and general English ability. The results were then reviewed and analyzed in part, by the students surveyed. The purpose of the research is to add insight into what motivates the students so that instructors may anticipate student needs and expectations in their overall approach to EFL pedagogy. The findings displayed general trends in current EFL motivation that serve as an example for the larger Asian forum
See pages 11-41
[/private]Category: Main Editions, Volume 13 Issue 3
