SKKN Động cơ của học sinh, thái độ của cha mẹ ảnh hưởng đến việc học tiếng Anh của các em học sinh trường THPT

SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM
ĐỀ TÀI:
"ĐỘNG CƠ CỦA HỌC SINH, THÁI ĐỘ CỦA CHA MẸ ẢNH
HƯỞNG ĐẾN VIỆC HỌC TIẾNG ANH CỦA CÁC EM HỌC SINH
TRƯỜNG THPT"
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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
This introductory chapter provides three parts: the reason for choosing the topic, the aims
of the study, the scope and significance of the study.
1.1 Reasons for choosing the topic
The study of motivation in second language acquisition (SLA) has become an important
research topic with the development of socio-educational model on second language (L2)
motivation (Gardner & Lambert, 1972; Gardner, 1985; Gardner & MacIntyre, 1993;
Tremblay & Gardner, 1995). According to Gardner and Lambert (1972), motivation to
learn an L2 is grounded in positive attitudes toward the L2 community and in a desire to
communicate with valued members of that community and become similar to them. This
desire is integrative orientation, which is a support for language learning, while an
instrumental orientation is associated with the desire to learn L2 for pragmatic gains such
as getting a better job or higher salary (Dornyei, 2001; Gardner & Lambert, 1972).
L2 motivation is indeed a prerequisite condition for the success of L2 learners like food
for the brain. Successful language learning can only take place if the learner has goals
and an inner drive to achieve these goals (Crookes & Schmidt, 1991). L2 motivation can
be seen as a desire to study the foreign language to understand and use the language that
learners are learning and to serve their purposes. For example, motivation in learning
English as a foreign language (EFL) involves a student’s desire to participate in the
English learning process (Gardner, 1985). Without L2 motivation, learners would feel
bored, and then they just learn to pass the exams or please their parents (Krashen, 1982).
Gradually, they would be afraid of studying L2.
Motivation plays a significant role in the process of learning a language. Language
teachers cannot effectively teach a language if they do not understand the relationship
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between motivation and its effect on language acquisition as well as its affecting factors.
The core of motivation is what might be called passion, which relates to a person's
intrinsic goals and desires. Successful learners know their preferences, their strengths and
weaknesses, and effectively utilize strengths and compensate for weaknesses. Successful
language learning is linked to the learner’s passion (Karaoglu, 2008).
One of the factors affecting L2 motivation maintaining is parents. Parents can be
considered as the most important in increasing and maintaining student motivation in L2
learning. According to Wlodkowski and Jaynes (1990), parents can greatly influence and
maintain their child’s motivation for a lifetime. Parental influences are an integral part of
students’ motivation. Indeed, the home environment and family support may be major
factors influencing the school student (Walberg, Paschal, & Weinstein, 1985 as cited in
Hein & Wimer, 2007). Fortunately, many modern parents nowadays are aware of the fact
that failure or success of their children depends greatly on the parents themselves - “the
first and long life teacher” (Hein & Wimer, 2007). In order to succeed in education in
general and in teaching English in particular, teachers should understand the factors
affecting student motivation. Once teachers can understand the parental influence, they
would probably find ways to cooperate with parents to motivate students more so that the
students could be successful English learners.
Important as motivation and the role of parents in maintaining and enhancing motivation
are, it is a sad fact that in rural areas in Vietnam like Hungyen, the motivation for English
is low. Unlike parents in big cities such as Hanoi and Hochiminh city, many of whom are
so involved in their children’s English learning as shown in the number of children taking
extra courses and scoring so high in English, parents in non-urban areas do not seem to
have given due attention to this subject. Unfortunately, no effort so far has been spent on
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exploring this aspect of learning as well as the attitudes of the parents towards their
children’s English learning. Obviously, an investigation into this area will bring about the
information needed to gain an insight into how students in those less advantageous areas
are driven toward the most important language in today’s globalization context, how their
parents feel toward the subject and how these two aspects are inter-related.

1.2 Aims of the Study
The study aimed at investigating the level of student motivation and their parent’
attitudes and involvement in their English learning at DQH Senior High School.
1.3 Scope and Significance of the Study
The study was conducted at DQH Senior High School in Vangiang district, Hung Yen
province.
The study focused on examining student motivation in the language that they are
learning: English and their parents’ attitudes and involvement in their English learning. It
is expected to provide deeper understanding of how students in less advantageous areas
in Vietnam feel toward the language and what kind of motivation is stronger. It is also
intended to draw a picture, though far from comprehensive, on how parents in those
districts are involved in their children language learning. From all this implications on
how to better motivate the students, how to maximize parents’ support, how to initiate
and sustain parents’ engagement could be drawn.
The study certainly had practical value for teachers teaching English in DQH Senior High
School in particular, and for any researchers who would like to improve language
teaching as well as learning in general. Knowing the factors affecting student motivation
would assist the search for better teaching and learning process.
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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
Motivation as a significant factor in language learning has attracted interest of various
researchers and the literature is, therefore, very rich. This chapter, however, limits itself
to issues that are most pertinent to the research focus. They are types of motivation, roles
of motivation and parental attitudes and involvement in children’s language learning. The
review also covers studies into possible roles of parents in shaping the students’
motivation for the language.
2.1 Motivation in L2 learning
2.1.1 Definition
Research on motivation in L2 learning has been heavily influenced by the work of
Canadian psychologist Gardner and MacIntyre (1993). According to Gardner (1985), a

highly motivated individual will want to learn the language, enjoy learning it, and strive
to learn it. The Gardnerian theory of L2 learning motivation is based on the definition of
motivation as “the extent to which the individual works or strives to learn the language
because of a desire to do so and the satisfaction experienced in this activity” (Gardner,
1985).
In this definition, motivation is described as goal-directed. Gardner (1985) proposes that
in order to understand why learners are motivated, it is necessary to understand the
learner’s ultimate goal or purpose for learning the language. He refers to this as the
learner’s orientation (Gardner, 1985). Besides, he identifies two distinct orientations for
learning a language, which are integrative and instrumental orientations.
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2.1.2 Types of Motivation
2.1.2.1 Integrative Motivation
Integrative motivation or integrative orientation refers to a learner’s desire to learn more
about the cultural community of the target language (TL) or to assimilate to some degree
in the target community (Gardner, 1985). Moreover, integrative motivation refers to a
desire to increase the affiliation with the target community. Integrative motivation is
characterized by the learner's positive attitudes towards the TL group and the desire to
integrate into the TL community (Gardner, 1982; Gardner, 1985). In this sense, the
student with integrative motivation likes to learn the TL as he wants to know more about
its culture and people.
In addition, integrative motivation is a key component in assisting the learner to develop
some level of proficiency in the language. When someone becomes a resident in a new
community that uses the TL in social interactions, it becomes a necessity to operate
socially in the community and become one of its members. It is also theorized that
integrative motivation underlies successful acquisition of a native like pronunciation
(Finegan, 1999). It is thought that students who are most successful in learning a TL are
those who like the people that speak the language, admire the culture and have a desire to
become familiar with or even integrate into the society in which the language is used
(Falk, 1978).

In EFL setting such as Vietnam, especially in small, quiet towns, where there are very
few English speakers and the exposure to English cultures is very low, it is important to
consider the actual meaning of the term "integrative." As Benson (1991) suggests, a more
appropriate approach to the concept of integrative motivation in the EFL context would
be the idea that it represents the desire of the individual to become bilingual, while at the
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same time becoming bicultural. This occurs through the addition of another language and
culture to the learner's own cultural identity. As Vietnam is predominantly a monoculture
society, opportunities to use the TL in daily verbal exchanges are relatively restricted,
especially in the countryside where foreigners rarely appear. Hence, there is limited
potential for integrating into the TL community. It could be anticipated that the
integrative motivation under investigation would not be very strong.
2.1.2.2 Instrumental Motivation
Instrumental motivation or Instrumental orientation underlies the goal to gain some social
or economic reward through L2 achievement, thus referring to a more functional reason
for language learning (Gardner, 1985). Instrumental motivation is a more utilitarian
orientation. It refers to learner’s desires to learn the language in order to accomplish some
non-interpersonal purpose such as to pass an exam, to get a scholarship, to advance a
career, to meet the requirements for school or university graduation, to apply for a job, to
achieve higher social status, and so forth (Clement et al., 1994; Dornyei, 1990; Hudson,
2000; Verma, 2005). This is generally characterized by the desire to obtain something
practical or concrete from the language study .
In brief, it is clear that the latter refers to the need to acquire a language as a means for
attaining goals such as career advancement or successful further study. The former,
however, refers to the desire to learn a language in order to become closer to the culture
and society of the TL group. To gain a clear and deep understanding about motivation
roles, types, the following studies are supposed to be useful.
2.1.3 Role of motivation in L2 learning
The study of motivation in SLA has become an important research topic with the
development of the socio-educational model on L2 motivation (Gardner & Lambert,

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1972; Gardner, 1985; Gardner & MacIntyre, 1993; Tremblay & Gardner, 1995).
According to Gardner and Lambert (1972), motivation to learn an L2 is grounded in
positive attitudes towards the L2 community and a desire to communicate with valued
members of that community and become similar to them. The latter desire is integrative
motivation, which is a better support for language learning, while instrumental
motivation is associated with a desire to learn L2 for pragmatic gains such as getting a
better job or a higher salary (Clement, Dornyei, & Noels, 1994; Dornyei, 2001; Gardner
& Lambert, 1972).; Hudson, 2000; Verma, 2005).
Without motivation, success will be hard to achieve (Ushioda, 2000). Motivation
provides the primary impetus to begin learning a second/foreign language and to sustain
the long and difficult learning process (Brown, 2000; Ely, 1986; Gardner, 1985; Gardner
& Lambert, 1972; Nunan, 2000; Nunan & Lamb, 1996; Oxford & Shearin, 1994;
Scarcella & Oxford, 1992; Williams & Burden, 1997). The role of orientation can help
arouse motivation and direct it towards a set of goals, with either a strong interpersonal
quality (integrative motivation) or a strong practical quality (instrumental motivation)
(Dornyei, 2001). Studies in the psychology of learning affirm that without motivation
little can be learned (Williams & Burden, 1997). Additionally, numerous research studies
on L2 motivation reveal that, in general, motivation enhances SLA; learners ranking high
on integrative motivation work harder and learn faster than those who are low on
integrative motivation (Clement et al., 1994; Gardner, 1985; Gardner & MacIntyre, 1991;
Tremblay & Gardner, 1995; Liu, 2007, etc.). Therefore, integrative and instrumental
orientations or intrinsic and extrinsic motivations contribute to the learning of an L2.
Nevertheless, as to which one is more important varies from context to context. Likewise,
students in different contexts may be motivated to learn an L2 by different orientations.
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This is why the issue is still worth further exploration in situations with different groups
of learners.
It is worth noting that L2 motivation is recognized as one of the prerequisites for
successful language learning. Motivation is “a very important, if not the most important

factor in language learning” (Van Lier, 1996) without which even “gifted” individuals
cannot accomplish long-term goals, whatever the curriculum and whoever the teacher.
Instrumental motivation as a contributing factor to learners’ effort and success in SLA:
“the greater the value that individuals attach to the accomplishment of or involvement in
the activity, the more highly motivated they will be to engage in it initially, and later to
put sustained effort into succeeding in the activity” (Verma, 2005; Williams & Burden,
1997).
2.1.4 Studies into integrative and instrumental motivations
It has been shown that both integrative and instrumental motivations are important. A
student might learn an L2 well with an integrative motivation or with instrumental
motivation, or indeed with both, for one does not rule out the other or with other
motivation. Both integrative and instrumental motivations may lead to success, but lack
of either would cause problems (Gardner, 1985).
Firstly, integrative motivation has been found to sustain long-term success when learning
an L2 (Ellis, 1997; Taylor, Meynard & Rheault, 1977). In some of the early research
conducted by Gardner and Lambert (1972), integrative motivation is viewed as being of
more importance in a formal learning environment than instrumental motivation (Ellis,
1997). In later studies, integrative motivation has continued to be emphasized, although
now the importance of instrumental motivations is also stressed. However, it is
noteworthy that instrumental motivation has only been acknowledged as a significant
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factor in some research, whereas integrative motivation is continually linked to successful
SLA. It has been found that generally students select instrumental reasons more
frequently than integrative reasons for the study of languages (Gardner & Lambert, 1972;
Liu, 2007; Ushioda, 2000; Wong, 2005). They are also good language learners.
Nevertheless, it should be repeated that those who do support an integrative approach to
language study are usually more highly motivated and overall more successful in
language learning.
Gardner and Lambert (1972) conducted an important study in the Philippines. The
researchers switched from the study of French to the study of English, which is the most

prestigious language in the Philippines. The subjects in this study were high school
students who had approximately six years of formal training in English. Additionally,
English has been the means of instruction since the third grade. In the study, Gardner and
Lambert (1972) concluded that those students who were instrumentally motivated and
received support in their homes succeeded in English language development more than
those students who were not instrumentally oriented. Nevertheless, those students who
identified with the foreign language culture and language seemed to be in a position of
advantage in the language acquisition process. Finally, and most important, Gardner and
Lambert (1972) concluded that in the foreign language setting, teachers and
administrators should try to help students develop integrative motivation toward the
foreign language and its culture. In L2 setting, it is of fundamental importance to help
students develop both instrumental and instrumental motivations.
Man-Fat’s (2004) study focused on the relationship between integrative motivation and
L2 achievement among Chinese L2 learners in Hong Kong. The respondents of the study
included 41 students at St. Francis Xavier's College (SFXC). SFXC is a boys' school in
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Hong Kong with Chinese secondary students aged from 12 to 18. The data collection
instruments used in the study were a questionnaire adapted from Gardner's
Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMI) (Gardner, 1985) and a semi-structured interview.
The findings revealed that instrumental goals, especially future career development and
meeting more varied people with career-related purposes are more important than
integrative goals such as appreciating British arts and literature. In addition to high
instrumental motivation, the findings of the study showed that integrative was also
important to the respondents.
Liu (2007) conducted a research study on Chinese students’ motivation to learn English
at the Tertiary Level. The purpose of the study was to investigate Chinese students’
attitudes towards and motivation to learn English and the correlations of the said
variables with the students’ English proficiency. The subjects included 202 third-year
non-English majors (51 females and 151 males) in six classes in a southern university in
China. The instrument used in the study consisted of a motivation questionnaire, an open-

ended question and an English proficiency test. A modified 44-item questionnaire
adapted from Gardner’s (1985) and Clement et al.’s (1994) studies. The findings revealed
that the students had positive attitudes towards learning English and were highly
motivated to study it, and that they were more instrumentally than integratively
motivated. Their attitudes and motivation were positively correlated with their English
proficiency. This means the more positive attitudes students have, the more motivated
they are and as a result, the higher score they get in English proficiency.
2.2 Parents as a factor affecting students’ motivation in language learning
Parents play a crucial role in enhancing children’s motivation to learn an L2. Outside the
school environment, Wlodkowski and Jaynes (1990) present four major influences on an
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individual’s motivation to learn, which are family, school, the child as an individual, and
culture. As Williams (1994) has explained, many factors affect students' commitment to
study such as their home background, physical tiredness, events in their personal life,
health, previous educational experience, personality and the onset of adolescence. Within
the limited scope of this study, the impact of parental factor, specifically parents’
attitudes and involvement on students’ L2 motivation will be reviewed.
Parental attitudes and involvement are very important in enhancing motivation to
children’s language learning. Gardner (1985) finally suggests that although the students’
perception of their parents’ support is not directly related to their performance in class,
their willingness to learn and their motivation are substantially enhanced by suitable
encouragement from their parents. In fact, parental attitudes and involvement tend to
yield highly effective results in language learning. Gardner (1968) thinks it is meaningful
to distinguish two roles of the parent which relevant to his child’s success in a second-
language program, i.e., active role and passive role. Gardner (1968) explains the former is
the role whereby the parent actively and consciously encourages the student to learn the
language. In this active role, the parent monitors the child’s language-learning
performance, and to the extent that he plays this role to promote success. That is, the
parent watches over the child and makes sure he does his homework, encourages him to
do and in general reinforces his successes. Gardner (1968) also believes it is safe to

assume differences in the extent to which parents vary in this encouragement function
would have some influence on the child’s performance in any learning situation. On the
contrary, the passive role is more subtle, and Gardner (1968) thinks it is more important,
primarily because the parent would probably be unaware of it. By the subtle role, Gardner
(1968) means the attitudes of the parent toward the community whose language the child
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is learning. He believes these attitudes are important because they influence the child’s
attitudes and motivation.
To contrast these roles, Gardner (1968) explains that if an English speaking parent might
actively encourage a child to learn French, he may stress the importance of doing well in
that course, and might see that the child does his homework, and so forth. In this case, he
might be perceived as actually helping the child. This is the active role. However, this
same parent might hold positive or negative attitudes toward the target community. To
the extent that he holds negative attitudes toward the target community, he may be
undermining his active role by transferring to the child negative attitude towards the
target community whose language the child is learning (Gardner, 1968).
Therefore, like teachers, it is believed that parents can have remarkable impact on
students’ motivation to learn at school and at home as well. Webb and Palinscar (1996)
emphasizes the critical role of parents like teachers that can influence students’
motivation and engagement in class. Parents are considered to play a more critical role in
their child’ SLA (Gardner, 1960; Gardner & Lambert, 1972). Specifically, support from
home is very important for students’ motivation to learn a second language. If parents
value both the native language and English, communicate with their children in
whichever language is most comfortable, and show support for and interest in their
children’s progress, the children will definitely be more motivated to learn the L2
(Wlodkowski & Jaynes, 1990).
Concerning family, Wlodkowski and Jaynes (1990) assert that parents appear to be the
primary influence on child’s motivation to learn. Family has an impact on motivation at
every stage of development, lasting through secondary school and beyond. Healthy,
effective families possess positive attitudes and behaviors toward their children that help

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them to succeed in school and life (Wlodkowski & Jaynes, 1990). With parents being a
child’s first and most important teacher, it seems obvious that family will have a
significant influence on the development of a child’s motivation to learn. Garrett (1995)
(as cited in Wlodkowski & Jaynes, 1990) asserts in a speech at the Oklahoma
Administrator’s Conference “the smallest school in America is the family”, which
illustrates the significant role that family has in education and motivation of students.
Of the family, parental influences are an integral part of students’ motivation. One of the
most effective areas of increased student motivation lies not in the schools at all, but in
the homes of the students. Parental involvement here continues to be the most influential
factor in student achievement and motivation. Students whose parents are closely
involved in their school lives and who monitor their progress fare best in high school.
From the research findings, Brophy (1987) finds significant proof that parents and family
are the leading models and motivators for secondary education students. More
importantly, children’s home environment can shape the initial constellation of learning
attitudes. When parents nurture their children to learn by encouraging them to explore
and ask questions, they will develop a sense of competence and self-efficacy and
autonomy, which help enhancing their motivation to learn. Additionally, Brophy (1987)
advocates, motivation to learn is stimulated most directly through modeling,
communication of expectations, and direct instruction or socialization by significant
others, especially parents and teachers. Additionally, scholars like Wlodkowski and
Jaynes (1990), Gottfried et al. (as cited in Dornyei, 2001) believe that parents, apart from
peers, also play a major role in affecting students’ motivation to learn as parents’
support is the main reference point reinforcing students’ goals during their process of
learning.
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In conclusion, parents should be assumed that they are concerned and competent people;
they are making their best efforts for the good of their children; they have to contend with
pressure and responsibilities; and they need support in their efforts toward problem
solving (Wlodkowski & Jaynes, 1990).

2.3 Studies into parental attitudes and involvement in children’s language learning
2.3.1 Parental attitudes in children’s language learning
Motivation in L2 learning has been a research topic of great interest to researchers and
educators for years. There have been various research projects done in this aspect (e.g.
Gardner & Lambert, 1959; Gardner, 1960; Gardner & Feenstra, 1968; Gardner &
Lambert, 1972, etc.). Moreover, several research studies conducted in recent years
(Madileng, 2007; Liu, 2007; Sung & Padilla, 1998; Wong, 2005) demonstrate how much
motivation influences student in L2 learning and some emphasize the role of parents in
student’s SLA.
In their first studies, Gardner and Lambert (1959), and Gardner (1960) investigated
English-speaking high school students who were taking French lesson in Montreal in
terms of language-learning aptitude, verbal intelligence, attitude toward the French
community and intensity of motivation to study French. Moreover, Gardner (1960) found
that those students with integrative motivation to study French, had parents who also had
an integrative motivation toward the French community. In this respect, Gardner (1960)
concluded that the students’ integrative motivation depended on the family’s attitudes.
Related to the topic of the previous study, Gardner and Feenstra (1968) investigated
parental influence on students of French in Ontario. Basing on the result of their research,
Gardner and Feenstra (1968) confirmed the result of Gardner’s previous studies. Those
parents, who were concluded to hold more positive attitudes toward the French language
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and community, encouraged their children to learn French more than those parents who
did not have positive attitudes toward the French language and community.
After the series of studies described above, Gardner and Lambert (1972) decided to
extend their research to a non-Canadian setting to test the generalizability of their ideas
about motivation, attitudes, and the language learning process. For this purpose, they
conducted a series of studies in Louisiana, Maine, because it presented an active French
subculture. The third state, Connecticut, was chosen as a reference for foreign language
learning, and as an example of a more “typical American region”.
In Louisiana and Maine, Gardner and Lambert (1972) investigated the attitudes and

motivation of American high school students toward the French language and people.
The findings showed that parents in Louisiana seemed to encourage their children to
learn French for instrumental reasons. However, unlike the Louisiana setting, where
parental attitudes played an important role in motivating students, in Maine, motivation
apparently seemed to stem from a positive view of the French teacher and sensitivity for
the feeling of others. Furthermore, an instrumental orientation originated in those homes
where parents shared many French friends.
Sung and Padilla (1998) conducted a research on student motivation, parental attitudes,
and involvement in the learning of Asian languages in elementary and secondary schools.
The respondents consisted of 591 students, where elementary occupied 140 students from
two different schools and 450 for secondary students from six different schools in
California. The aims of the study were to examine the student motivation toward the
learning of Chinese, Japanese, or Korean in public school in California. Information was
collected by means of a questionnaire, one for parents and one for students. The findings
revealed that elementary students were more motivated overall toward Asian language
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study than were older students. Besides, younger students perceived their parents as more
involved in their language study than did high school students. The findings further
showed that elementary school parents had positive attitudes toward L2 and were more
motivated in the child’s language learning than were parents of high school students. It is
important to note that the students in this study made no distinction between instrumental
and integrative motives for learning a foreign language. Students here had the right to
choose the language they liked to learn.
Another recent research project carried out by Madileng (2007) with an empirical
investigation in the relationship between motivation and English second language
proficiency when English was viewed as a medium of instruction. The respondents of the
study were 52 first year students at the Ekurhuleni West College of the ALberton campus
registered for Business Studies. A questionnaire and a language proficiency test were
used for the data collection. The results of the study proved that parental support were
generally low and never went above 25.6% and that the students who got the least

parental support were low performers.
In brief, parental attitudes towards their child’s language learning play a vital and crucial
role in the development of SLA. More specifically, when children are receiving frequent
encouragement from their parents, they would be more motivated to learn the language;
as a result, they would put more effort to learn it. To some extent, they would even be
willing to study it. In other words, parents’ attitudes can shape their children’ motivation
to learn the language and parental involvement holds a more significant part in
maintaining their children’s motivation. The latter issue is reviewed in the following
section.
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2.3.2 Parental involvement in children’s language learning
Although little research has been done to examine students’ motivation to learn English
versus their parental involvement, several studies provide clues to this critical component
of L2 learning.
In the 1990s, researchers (Crookes & Schmidt, 1991; Mahlobo, 1999) studied the effects
of variables like the contribution of parents in their children’s SLA and proficiency and
the influence of other variables like the school and classroom environment. The
curriculum of the home is characterized by family values that manifest from parent-child
interaction. Such values set a foundation of individual responsibility, hard work,
perseverance and the importance of education and educational achievement. The
literature review highlights parents’ socio-economic status, parents’ level of education,
and appropriate family context and culture as influential on learner motivation.
2.3.2.1 Parents’ socio-economic status
Some research indicates that there is a significant relationship between parents’ socio-
economic status and their children’s level of intelligence (Milner, 1986 as cited in
Mahlobo, 1999).
Families with low socio-economic status lack items such as books, magazines, radios,
television, TV games, computers and computer games that can serve to stimulate children
intellectually and provide exposure to English. This can affect the learners’ ESL
proficiency and academic performance since such learners tend to be characterized by a

lack motivation, poor academic achievement, poor language skills, inductive rather than
deductive reasoning, as well as inability to use high order cognitive strategies like
analysis and evaluation (Du Toit, 1993 as sited in Mahlobo, 1999).
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In the light of previous research, Wong (2005) conducted a research on “Student
Motivation and English Attainment” in Hong Kong. The research study aimed at
investigating the motivation patterns of the two groups of Hong Kong students with
different cultural backgrounds and at examining the relationship between their motivation
to learn English and English attainment. The respondents included 50 students. The tools
for gathering information were a questionnaire and an English Attainment Test. The
findings revealed that peer is the most influential factor affecting students’ motivation to
learn while parents play the least significant role and that parental guidance was not
sufficient during students’ process of learning English. Wong (2005) further explained
most parents in this study were working class, their educational level might not be
sufficient to solve their children’s English problems and sometimes the family income
could barely support the expenses of the whole family making it difficult for the parents
to care for their children’s studying as well as English learning. Therefore, parents’
education and financial status were the foremost problems, which indirectly devastated
students’ learning motivation.
2.3.2.2 Parents’ educational background
The parents’ level of education also determines their levels of aspirations for their
children, parental involvement in the education of their children and the family value
systems. With this respect, children of highly educated parents benefit more from
education as their parents are able to assist more in their learning. Such children can
make more progress than those who are not fully supported by their parents due to poor
educational backgrounds (Driessen, Vander Slik, & De Bot, 2002).
What is more important, parental involvement entails their assistance in high scholastic
achievement, offering academic guidance and provision of resources on school related
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tasks and managing and emphasizing educational activities of their children rather than

pleasurable things like TV programs, choice of books and magazines (Ferhmann et al.,
1987 as cited in Mahlobo, 1999). This means that expression of affection and interest in
the child’s academic and personal growth, effective value systems, family practices,
parental beliefs and attitudes toward education can contribute to promote motivation and
positive self-concept. In contrast, when parents cannot speak or understand English, the
learners’ acquisition of English is not supported and reinforced after school hours. Such
parents may also feel ill-equipped to assist with homework (Madileng, 2007).
2.3.2.3 Parental expectations from learners
Parents’ expectation of scholastic success, a better career, as well as high professional
status attainment, are important and easily transmitted through a development of a family
context and culture which values education in so far as it leads to self-improvement and
high self-esteem (Schnider & Lee, 1990 as cited in Mahlobo, 1999). They point out that
such a context can be created through, amongst others, verbal encouragement of children
to excel in EFL tasks, helping them with English homework and practical projects,
monitoring when possible and support from an EFL perspective. Parents should also
provide reading materials such as books, newspapers and magazines with topics of
interest to their children.
Parental expectations in learning EFL can also be a from of hope that can help children
strive to become better English learners as well as more motivated to learn , thus it is
natural for parents to have expectations about their children. Therefore, it is necessary
that parents should let children know what their expectations are (Gardner, 1968). Once
children know their parents’ hope, they would want to please their parents and try their
best to work hard to realize that hope. Consider an example, rural Vietnamese parents can
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hope that one day their children with good knowledge of English will work in a foreign
company in order to be well-paid and support for the whole family.
In conclusion, a variety of studies show that a home conductive to learning and a family
context which include the parents’ level of education, positive educational aspirations and
effective involvement in their children’s improvement in ESL proficiency, can result in
high general scholastic performance(Gardner, 1968; Gardner & Lambert, 1972;

Madileng, 2007; Wong, 2005). This is a clear indication that education and ESL
achievement is not the responsibility of the school alone. For education to succeed,
parents should also play a prominent role in the education of their children
2.4 Summary
All this suggests that an investigation into parents’ role in promoting children’s
motivation needs to consider both aspects and their manifestations. In this chapter, the
general information about motivation in L2 learning was explored. First, the definition of
motivation, types and roles of motivation were reviewed through previous studies.
Second, role of parents in generating children’s motivation in language learning was also
reviewed through numerous research projects. All these were helpful because they
provide the background knowledge of the present research study.
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CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
This chapter consists of four main sections. Section 3.1 provides details on the data
collection instruments. Section 3.2 describes the subjects participating in the study. The
procedures and the setting are presented in the next two sections respectively and the last
one is the data analysis.
3.1 Data Collection Instruments
To have the answers to the research questions, information was elicited from parent and
student questionnaires.
3.1.1 Questionnaires
A questionnaire is usually considered the most appropriate research instrument for
gathering information concerning the attitudes of the respondents. There are three reasons
for this (Gillham, 2000). First, a questionnaire is confidential and the respondents can
remain anonymous. Second, a questionnaire is easy to administer, enabling the researcher
to survey a large number of respondents. Third, in many cases the respondents can
complete the questionnaire when it suits them. These advantages have encouraged the use
of questionnaires in this research, which made use of a relatively large number of
participants.
3.1.1.1 Student questionnaire (Appendix A1)

The main objective of the student questionnaire was to measure student motivation in
English learning and to determine the types of motivation they had. In an attempt to
triangulate the data on parental attitudes and involvement in their child’s English
learning. one section of the student questionnaire is devoted to eliciting learners’
perceptions of their parents’ role. There are three sections in the student questionnaire.
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Section A has five statements (from 1 to 5) attempted at gauging students’ integrative
motivation. Students are required to state reasons for their studying English in an
integrative way. All five items were adapted from Clement et al., (1994) (as cited in
Dornyei, 2001). Some of these items were once administered by Sung and Padilla (1998)
and Liu (2007) with the same purpose to measure students’ integrative motivation.
Section B consists of nine statements (from 6 to 14), which focus on the students’ InstO,
instrumental reasons for learning English. These include better job opportunities,
traveling as well as motives like being respected. The first four items were adapted from
Gardner’s (1985) with some minor changes. For example, “English”, the TL of this study
replaced “French”, the TL, in Gardner’s (1985) study. Items 10 to 12 are statements
adapted from Clement et al’s (1994) (as cited in Dornyei, 2001) and item 13 from
Dornyei’s (1990) (as cited in Dornyei, 2001). Item 14 (English is a compulsory subject at
school) was added to the list as this was believed to be one popular reason for
Vietnamese students to learn English.
Section C with 12 statements (from 15 to 26) elicits the students’ perceptions about the
support they get from their parents. Some statements were adapted from Gardner’s
(1985), Sung and Padilla’s (1998) and Madileng’s (2007) studies, which are all aimed at
exploring parents’ support from students’ perceptions. Again, changes have been made to
make the items more suitable for the purpose of the study and the research context. For
example, to elicit the students’ opinion of how their parents are involved in their
language learning, the subject of each statement is “my parents” instead of “I”. In
addition, as mentioned in section B, “English”, which refers to the language that students
are learning at school, replaced “French” in Gardner’s (1985) study. The original item of
Gardner’s (1985) “My parents feel that because we live in Canada, I should learn

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French” was changed to the statement “My parents feel that because we live in the
countryside, I do not need to learn English”. Other items were added considering the
characteristics of DQH students. For example, “My parents give me anything that I need
to study English well”.
Finally, it is worth noting that the student questionnaire was translated into Vietnamese to
ensure better comprehension.
3.1.1.2 Parent questionnaire (Appendix B1)
The purpose of this questionnaire was to specify the attitudes and involvement of parents
in their children’s English learning. The questionnaire was translated into Vietnamese too
because virtually all the parents were observed to be unable to use English. The parent
questionnaire includes 12 questions, which were identical to those in Section C of the
student questionnaire.
Question 1 elicits information about parents’ feeling about their children’s need to learn
English.
Questions 2, 8 and 9 seek information about parents’ encouragement in their children’s
learning English, e.g. ask them to watch English television programs and/or listen to
English radio programs.
Question 3 is to ask the parents if they believe English should spend more time studying
English.
Questions 4 and 5 are to record parents’ beliefs in the importance of English in general
and after graduation in particular.
Questions 6, 7, 11 are designed to collect information about how parents help their
children do English homework, whether they tell them to get help from the teacher if
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they have problems with learning English and support everything for them to study
English well.
Questions 10 and 12 are to discover the information about whether parents feel proud
when their children study English well and to ask if they force their children to learn
English.

Responses to items on both the student and parent questionnaires were recorded on five-
point Likert scales ranging from “strongly agree” (5) to strongly disagree” (1). This five
-point rating scale was administered in the present study because they are very popular
with educational researchers and have been shown to work quite well (Johnson &
Christensen, 2000).
3.2 Subjects
3.2.1 Student population
The 10
th
graders were selected to be the research group for this study as their subject
preferences were believed not to be affected by the pressure from the Graduation and
University Admission exams as the 11 and 12 graders. There are 28 classes with 1,257
students at DQH High School, in which grade 10 comprise 10 classes, each of which has
approximately 49 students. The total population of 10
th
-grade students is 496, 249 of
whom are girls. The age ranges from 16 to 17 and all students have learned English for at
least four years and finished the set of textbooks used for junior secondary school i.e.,
English 6, 7, 8 and 9. It was necessary to select a sample because the population of 496
students is too large for this study given the time constraints.
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