Teacher related demotives in EFL speaking classes at a vietnamese university

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

TRẦN THỊ NGỌC MAI

TEACHER-RELATED DEMOTIVES IN EFL SPEAKING CLASSES
AT A VIETNAMESE UNIVERSITY
(Những yếu tố liên quan đến giáo viên làm giảm động lực
thực hành nói Tiếng Anh của sinh viên tại một trường đại học ở Việt Nam)

M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Major: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 8140231.01

HANOI – 2018


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

TRẦN THỊ NGỌC MAI

TEACHER-RELATED DEMOTIVES IN EFL SPEAKING CLASSES
AT A VIETNAMESE UNIVERSITY
(Những yếu tố liên quan đến giáo viên làm giảm động lực
thực hành nói Tiếng Anh của sinh viên tại một trường đại học ở Việt Nam)

M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Major: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 8140231.01
Supervisor: Dr. Ngô Thu Hương

Ngô Thu Hương
HANOI – 2018


Declaration
I hereby certify the thesis entitled “Teacher-related demotives in EFL speaking
classes at a Vietnamese university” as my own work in the fulfillment of the
requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts at the University of Languages and
International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

Hanoi, August, 2018

Trần Thị Ngọc Mai

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Acknowledgements
I have now made it to the last stage of my MA journey. During this interesting
but at the same time challenging journey, I have been given continuous support of a
number of people whom I would like to acknowledge here.
First of all, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Ngô
Thu Hương. The insightful academic comments she gave me, her enthusiasm for my
research, and more importantly, her patience were greatly appreciated.
Second, I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to the staff and

students of the university where my research was conducted. The study would not be
complete without their consent of participation.
My special thanks also go to the Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies, University
of Languages and International Studies, Hanoi National University. Without the
knowledge I have learned from the intellectuals and the support of the staff in the
Faculty, I could not have finished my MA journey.
And last but not least, my heartfelt thanks are towards my beloved family,
especially to my Mom and Dad, my mother-in-law, my younger brother, and my
husband for loving me, trusting me, supporting me unconditionally and accepting me
as I am. Very importantly, my gratitude goes out to my little son and my daughterto-be, who give me motivation and strength to become a better me.

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Abstract
The present research investigated teacher-related demotives in EFL speaking
classes at a university in Vietnam. This mixed method study aimed at addressing four
main objectives. Specifically, quantitative method was used to examine the factors
relating to teachers that demotivate students to learn English speaking skills from (1)
students’ and (2) teachers’ perspectives; and (3) identify the similarities and
differences in the two groups’ perceptions of such demotivators. Qualitative method
(i.e. semi-structured interview) was employed to further inform the quantitative
results and to address the final research objective which was to (4) seek ways to assist
students to overcome demotivation when learning English speaking skills.
The quantitative findings revealed four factors relating to teachers including
their traditional teaching methods, controlling communicative styles, the absence of
valid testing and assessment; and insufficient English speaking competence as
possible demotivators in EFL learners’ learning of speaking skills. Significantly,
meaningful statistical differences were computed in the teachers and students’
perceptions of teaching methods and teachers’ communicative styles. Specifically,

the students highly blamed their demotivation in speaking classes for teachers’
controlling communicative styles, while the teachers ranked this demotivator the
third. They instead believed that inappropriate pedagogy had the most destructive
influence on EFL learners’ motivation to learn speaking skills.
The qualitative findings generally supported the quantitative ones and unveiled
several recommendations for teachers to assist EFL students to overcome
demotivation to learn speaking skills, i.e. making speaking lessons more
communicative and interactive; choosing speaking topics of students’ interests;
providing constructive, informative feedbacks; being friendly, approachable and fair
to students.

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Table of contents
Declaration ............................................................................................................................ i
Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................. ii
Abstract................................................................................................................................iii
Table of contents ................................................................................................................. iv
List of figures ....................................................................................................................... vi
List of tables ........................................................................................................................ vi
List of abbreviations .......................................................................................................... vii
PART A: INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1
1. Statement of the problem ................................................................................................ 1
2. Aims and objectives ......................................................................................................... 2
3. Research questions ........................................................................................................... 3
4. Significance of the study .................................................................................................. 3
5. Scope of the study ............................................................................................................ 4
6. Organization ..................................................................................................................... 4
PART B: DEVELOPMENT ............................................................................................... 6

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................... 6
1.1. The concept of second/foreign language speaking skills ........................................... 6

1.1.1. Knowledge areas of L2 speaking skills ................................................................ 6
1.1.2. L2 speaking skills and Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) ................ 8
1.1.3. Factors affecting the learning of English speaking skills ................................ 10
1.2. Demotivation and demotives in second/ foreign language learning ....................... 12

1.2.1. Definition of demotivation in second/ foreign language learning ................... 12
1.2.2. Demotives in second/foreign language learning ............................................... 14
1.2.3. Demotivation in English speaking skills............................................................ 18
1.2.4. Teacher-related demotives ................................................................................. 20
CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................................ 25
2.1. Research design ........................................................................................................... 25
2.2. The setting of the study .............................................................................................. 27

2.2.1. Research site ........................................................................................................ 27

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2.2.2. Participant selection ............................................................................................ 27
2.3. Data collection instruments........................................................................................ 29

2.3.1. Questionnaire ...................................................................................................... 29
2.3.2. Semi-structured interview .................................................................................. 31
2.4. Data collection procedures ......................................................................................... 33

2.4.1. Questionnaire ...................................................................................................... 33
2.4.2. Semi-structure interview .................................................................................... 35

2.5. Data analysis ................................................................................................................ 37

2.5.1. Quantitative analysis........................................................................................... 37
2.5.2. Qualitative analysis ............................................................................................. 37
2.6. Ethical considerations................................................................................................. 38
CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS ............................................................ 40
3.1. Findings........................................................................................................................ 40

3.1.1. Research question 1 ............................................................................................ 40
3.1.2. Research question 2 ............................................................................................ 44
3.1.3. Research question 3 ............................................................................................ 47
3.1.4. Research question 4 ............................................................................................ 52
3.2. Discussions ................................................................................................................... 55
PART C: CONCLUSION ................................................................................................. 60
1. Summary of the key findings ........................................................................................ 60
2. Limitations of the current research ............................................................................. 61
3. Suggestions for further studies ..................................................................................... 61
REFERENCES................................................................................................................... 63
APPENDICES ...................................................................................................................... I
APPENDIX A ....................................................................................................................I
APPENDIX B ................................................................................................................. IX
APPENDIX C .............................................................................................................. XIII

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List of figures
Figure 1.1: Classification of demotives in English learning
Figure 3.1: Mean score of four subtypes of teacher-related demotives reported
by students and teachers

Figure 3.2: Frequencies of students’ self-perceived English speaking skills

List of tables
Table 2.1. Outline of the Current Program of Research
Table 2.2: Classification of the items in the questionnaire
Table 2.3: Key interview questions description
Table 3.1: Students’ Mean Levels, 95 % Confidence Interval of the Means,
Standard Deviation
Table 3.2: Teachers’ Mean Levels, 95 % Confidence Interval of the Means,
Standard Deviation
Table 3.3: Mean scores of demotivator subtypes between students and teachers,
t-test and significant levels
Table 3.4: Mean level of students’ self-perceived English speaking proficiency
Table 3.5: Correlations between teacher-related demotive subtypes and selfperceived English speaking proficiency

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List of abbreviations
EFL

English as a Foreign Language

ESL

English as a Second Language

L2

Second language

MOET

Ministry of Education and Training

SPSS

Statistical Package for the Social Sciences

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PART A: INTRODUCTION
This introductory part aims to state the research problem and rationale for the
study. It then outlines the objectives of this thesis, along with the research questions.
This is followed by the reason why the research is significant. The scope of this
research is then discussed. The last section specifies the organization of the paper.

1. Statement of the problem
The English language, widely known as the global language, has become popular
in Vietnam for some decades (Van, 2010). The language is considered by Vietnamese
authorities as the most important foreign language at all national education levels,
particularly in higher education as a result of globalization. It has been highlighted in
the legal documents entitled ‘Teaching and learning foreign language in the national
education system in the period of 2008–2020’ lately issued by the Vietnamese
government and the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) that
Vietnamese higher education should prepare a well-equipped labor force to work in
a global economy (MoET, 2008). In other words, students need to acquire an English
level proficient enough to communicate effectively in an international working
environment. Different from the expectation, research has indicated that a number of

higher education learners, especially non- English major students, demonstrate poor
levels of English proficiency (see Van, 2008; Do, 2012), which has concerned the
researcher, also a lecturer teaching English in Vietnamese higher education.
According to Dörnyei and Ushioda (2011), the success or failure in second language
acquisition (SLA) is determined by a range of factors including aptitude, intelligent
and motivation. As motivation is acknowledged as one of the determining factors in
mastering a second or foreign (L2) language, the fact that Vietnamese students are at
rather low English proficiency, especially speaking skills, may be contributed by the
fact that Vietnamese students have low motivation to learn the language (Huong,
2015). While a large body of research has confirmed that motivation has the great
potential to enhance learners’ levels of second language proficiency (Dörnyei, 1998b;
Gardner, 2010), few studies were conducted to examine how the “dark side” of
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motivation (Dornyei & Ushioda, 2011) – demotivation, impacts L2 learning. The
significance of studies on demotivation lies in the detrimental influences of the
phenomenon on the learning outcomes (Falout & Falout, 2005). According to
Dörnyei and Ushioda (2011), language-learning failure is a salient phenomenon and
the study of its causes is often directly related to demotivation. Despite the fact that
demotivating factors largely impact the learning outcomes, and are said to directly
lead to learning failure, it is likely to be entirely or at least, partly neglected in
language learning and teaching studies (Soureshjani & Riahipour, 2012). Moreover,
among a scant body of research on demotivation so far, most of the studies generally
investigated the phenomenon in L2 learning and teaching, instead of focusing on any
particular aspects such as the learning and teaching of vocabulary, pronunciation, or
four language skills. Furthermore, while the existing literature found a wide range of
factors demotivating L2 learners, for instance previous learning experiences, attitude
towards the language, learning environment, curriculum, and the teachers, few
attempts were made to dig into an individual source of demotivation. As such, the

current thesis aimed to address these research gaps and extended the research line to
Vietnamese context where the study of demotivation is still scarce by investigating
teacher-related demotives in EFL speaking classes at a Vietnamese university.

2. Aims and objectives
The overarching aim of the present study was to understand the demotivating
factors relating to teachers in English speaking classes at a university in Vietnam.
Accordingly, the thesis attempted to achieve four objectives. The first objective was
to examine students’ perceptions of what might demotivate them in their English
speaking classes (as aforementioned, this study examined teacher-related demotives
only). The second objective was to understand how the teachers answered the same
question from their own perspective. The third objective was to investigate the
similarities and/ or differences in perceptions of teachers-related demotives between
the teachers and the students. The fourth and final objective was to outline ways to

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assist students to overcome their demotivation or in other words to motivate them to
study English speaking skills.

3. Research questions
To achieve the goals mentioned above, the research sought to answer the
following questions:
1- What are the teacher-related demotives in English speaking classes reported
by EFL students?
2- What are the teacher-related demotives in English speaking classes reported
by EFL teachers?
3- What are the similarities and/or differences between students’ and teachers’
perceptions of teacher-related demotives in English speaking classes?

4- What can teachers do to help students overcome demotivation when learning
English speaking skills?

4. Significance of the study
The current program of research, which explored the perceptions of forces
originating from teachers that demotivate EFL learners to learn English speaking
skills in Vietnam, is significant at both practical and theoretical levels. At a practical
level, this study identified the demotivating factors (in this study only those relating
to teachers are researched) that demotivates students in their English speaking
classes. The current research’s findings may assist teachers to understand students’
perceptions of detrimental factors, particularly those relate to teachers that affect them
in their English learning. This information may enable teachers to reflect on their
current teaching practices and improve their future practices. The research findings
also provide a number of insights to the university managerial boards and foreign
language policy makers. Based on this research, they may suggest the changes in the
professional development programs for the teachers or some changes in the foreign
language policies, which aims to benefit students’ English learning.
At a theoretical level, the present study complements existing literature of L2
demotivation as it addressed the gaps in this area. In particular, this research has
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provided an insight into demotives deriving from teachers that negatively influence
higher education students’ English speaking skills; explained why teachers have such
paramount impacts on their demotivation in a Vietnamese collectivist culture; and
proposed ways for teachers to assist students to deal with demotivation.
Moreover, since little research has used mixed methods to explore L2
demotivation, this work has made a contribution to the methodology by providing the
rationales of collecting both quantitative and qualitative data and demonstrating a
clear procedure of analyzing, converging two data sets in single research. This

research has indicated that collecting both quantitative and qualitative data enabled
the researcher to bring out the best of both paradigms to investigate layers of students’
motivation (Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2011).

5. Scope of the study
The present thesis aimed at gaining insights into demotivating forces in the
learning of speaking skills. Due to its minor scope, teacher-related demovies were
selected as the subject of this study. Particularly, the research investigated what EFL
learners and teachers at a Vietnamese university thought about different demotivators
originating from teachers. Besides, meaningful comparisons were made to identify
similarities and differences between the perceptions on the subject of the two groups
of participants. Furthermore, the thesis sought to outline ways that teachers could
consider to assist students to overcome their demotivation to study English speaking
skills.

6. Organization
This thesis is made up of three major parts, namely Introduction, Development,
and Conclusion.
Part A: Introduction has provided an overview of the current research. The
statement of the problem and research gaps have been identified and
discussed, which assisted the researcher to form five research questions. The
significance of the study is also highlighted in this first part. The introductory part
ends with the structure of the research program.
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Part B: Development consists of four chapters. Chapter 1 provides literature
review on two centerpieces of the thesis, i.e. the concept of speaking skills and
demotivation in second/foreign language (L2) learning. Chapter 2 describes the
research design and methodology of the research. Chapter 3 presents, analyzes, and

discusses the findings obtained from the interviews and the questionnaires. Also,
some implications are made based on the findings.
The study ends with part C: Conclusion, which provides the summary,
conclusion and recommendations for further research. Limitations of the present
research program are also discussed.

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PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter presents the key concepts, i.e. speaking skills and demotivation in
second/foreign language learning, that inform the current study. In the first section,
the key points about L2 speaking skills, including knowledge areas of L2 speaking
skills, the implementation of communicative language teaching (CLT) in teaching the
skills, and factors that potentially influence the learning of English speaking skills are
outlined. The second section of this chapter discusses four issues regarding to
demotivation, namely definition of the phenomenon, demotivating factors,
demotivation in English speaking skills, and teacher-related demotives.

1.1. The concept of second/foreign language speaking skills
1.1.1. Knowledge areas of L2 speaking skills
Along the history of second/foreign language teaching and learning, L2
speaking has always been considered as the most essential skill to be mastered
(Richards, 2008; Nazara, 2011). At present, the need for proficiency in English
speaking has been dramatically increasing due to the strengthening position of
English as a language for international communication (Nazara, 2011). According to
Richards (2008), the mastery of speaking skill in English is a priority for many L2
learners. The tendency to prioritize speaking is also reflected in the fact that speaking
competence is regularly considered a measure of one's mastery of English.

Although L2 learners often regard L2 speaking as the most important skill to
acquire, a number of them claim it the most complex and challenging to acquire
(Bailey, 2003). “While speaking is totally natural, speaking in a language other than
our own is anything but simple.” (Bailey, 2003, p.48). Despite being defined as brief
as the productive aural/oral skill that consists of producing systematic verbal
utterances to convey meaning, speaking is a multifaceted construct (Nazara, 2011).
Specifically, L2 speaking is more than to form grammatically correct sentences and

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to utter them. A well-known example of such a grammatically correct, however
semantically ill-formed sentence "Colorless green ideas sleep furiously" was
composed by Chomsky (1957). As such, L2 speaking involves more than mechanics.
The three areas of knowledge that composes speaking ability can be stated as follows:
- First, the mechanical elements of language (pronunciation, grammar, and
vocabulary), which allows speakers to use the right words in the correct sequence and
appropriate pronunciation.
- Second, the speaking functions (transaction and interaction), which enables
the speaker to know when the clarity of the message is needed (as in carrying out the
transaction or in exchanging of information) and when a deep understanding is not
necessary (as in the development of relations).
- Third, the pragmatics and sociocultural norms (such as turn-taking, rate of
speech, length of pauses between speakers, relative roles of participants) which
enable an individual to realize the conversational situation, whom he is talking to,
and what the purpose of speaking is, etc.
(Nazara, 2011)
While L2 speaking is the mostly sought skill for an individual to be regarded
competent in a L2 language (Richards, 2008), the skill seems to be underestimated or
even ignored in a number of higher education institutions in Vietnam, especially in

non-English major programs (Hong, 2006). This can be explained by the fact that in
such programs, English is just a smaller part of a wider degree in other specialist areas
such as economics, and engineering (Huong, 2015). The subject, therefore, counts for
a few credits of the whole curriculums. In the research site of this study, English
weighs only 20 out of 177-181 credits of each major. In addition, it is common among
non-English major programs that written tests which mostly focus on grammar
elements, reading and writing skills are used as testing and assessment tools at midterm and final term level. In other words, speaking skills are rarely tested, or only
count for a minor proportion of the subject scores. As a result, many students and
even teachers are ‘examination-oriented’. They spend less time on oral skills than
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what are likely to be included in the exams. Even when instructors occasionally teach
speaking skills, the focus of the lessons are sentence structures or pronunciation of
individual words. However, to be an effective speaker in another language rather than
one’s own is never an easy task as speaking is more than to form grammatically
correct sentences. It rather covers broad areas of mechanics, functions, pragmatics,
and social interaction. Therefore, any L2 teaching methodology used in the classroom
should seek ways to improve the competency of learners in these areas.

1.1.2. L2 speaking skills and Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)
Due to the belief that that language proficiency equals to communication ability,
the teaching and learning trend started to slide towards communicative proficiency.
As a result, the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) has gained considerable
popularity. CLT is a method of L2 language teaching of which main inspiration is
communicative competence. The notion of communicative competence is defined as
“the aspect of our competence that enables us to convey and interpret messages and
negotiate meanings interpersonally within specific contexts” (Brown, 2007, p. 219).
Richards (2005) contended that such a notion encompasses a wide range of abilities
including four areas:

- Linguistic/grammar competence: the knowledge of grammar rules, lexis,
syntax, phonetics and vocabulary of the target language and the ability to use them.
- Sociolinguistic/pragmatic competence: the knowledge of how to express
messages in accordance with the relationship between the speaker, the listener, the
topic, and the setting.
- Discourse competence: the ability to understand the context and to know how
to link utterances of language to make coherent whole and meaningful texts.
- Strategic competence: the ability to manage difficulties that may arise in
communication.
CLT, underlining the importance of focusing on the functional and
communicative aspects of language rather than the grammar and vocabulary building
(Richards & Rodgers, 2014), is one the most favorable methods in teaching speaking
8


skills. That is because speaking is a productive skill used as a communication tool
through oral form (Bailey, 2003). It places the first rank in communication compared
with the other skills. Moreover, it is advocated that language learning purposes are
firstly focused on the ability to communicate in speaking. The existence of
communicative competence in teaching speaking is, therefore, the goal that must be
achieved.
In short, CLT emphasizes the communication of meaning rather than the
practice of grammatical forms in isolation. It assists learners to develop necessary
knowledge and skills for appropriate interpretation and use of a language in different
communicative settings. In practice, some of the characteristics of CLT include
learner centeredness, focus on both meaning and linguistic forms in context, use of
collaborative activities, promotion of authentic materials and of relevant and
meaningful classroom activities, and new roles for teachers as facilitators and
negotiators of meaning (Richards & Rodgers, 2001).
In Vietnam, CLT has gained its popularity since its first implementation in the

1990s (Ngoc & Iwashita, 2012). Viet (2008) even addressed CLT as an event of
pedagogical imperialism, by which he meant it is an approach of priority. Many
universities in Vietnam are attempting to employ CLT into syllabus design,
examination and teaching (Ngoc and Iwashita, 2012). However, the effectiveness of
CLT in English language teaching (ELT) in Vietnam is still questioned. Ngoc and
Iwashita (2012) argued that after a long period of learning English, most Vietnamese
learners still cannot use it effectively as a means of communication. Among many
practical factors militating against successful implementation of CLT in Vietnam is
the EFL context. Living in EFL context, Vietnamese learners lack real exposure to
the target language. They have few opportunities to take part in meaningful
communication interaction, hence, have little motivation to communicate in English
outside the classroom. Another constraint on the practice of CLT in Vietnam is
grammar-based examinations. Despite the new set of textbooks from grade 6 to 12
approved by MOET, and the course books chosen by universities all promote CLT,
9


few adjustments have been done regarding the nature of examinations at either the
national or the institutional level (Ngoc and Iwashita, 2012). In most non-English
major programs, exams are designed to test only linguistic competence rather than
communicative competence.
To conclude, though the wide spread on CLT in ELT is reasonable, the practice
of this approach in Vietnam should not be simply adopted, but rather adapted to suit
the EFL context. Furthermore, changes in examinations should also be considered to
reduce negative washback of high-stakes exams.

1.1.3. Factors affecting the learning of English speaking skills
Second/foreign language learning in general, and English learning in particular,
involves various factors that would affect the process of learning either positively or
negatively. Realizing these factors and their relationship with learners’ achievement

might help identifying what problems the achievement faces, so that solutions could
be found and improvements could be developed (Andreou, et al., 2005). As such,
many attempts have been made to investigate the affecting factors in L2 learning so
far. Sawir (2005) tried to examine the effect of prior learning experience on the
language learning of international students in Australia. The data gathered from
interviews suggested that the learning difficulties were grounded in students' prior
learning experiences which focused on grammar and reading skills in teacher-centred
classrooms, not conversational skills and in beliefs about language learning instilled
during schooling. Andreou et al. (2005) augured that L2proficient level and gender
emerged as the most affecting factors in L2 learning. Montero, R. L. (2014) explored
different social conditions that influence the effective L2 learning of students at a
university in Costa Rica. Through this study, factors such as motivation, cultural
background and economic status was proven to be crucial in the language learning
process. A recent thesis on external and internal variables affecting L2 learning was
conducted by Guzmán-Rodríguez in 2017. The study highlighted some factors such
as motivation, attitude, personality, learning strategies, social factors and the role of
parents.
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Along with the spread of globalization which stimulates the vital part of English
as an international language in communication, factors that influence the learning of
English speaking skills has also gained more concerns. Hamad (2013) carried out an
investigation to explore factors that negatively affect English language speaking
skills in Saudi colleges for girls. Questionnaires (n = 150 students) and interviews (n
= 10 teachers) were exploited as data collection instruments. The findings from both
quantitative and qualitative data showed that the instructors, students, curriculums
and textbooks, teaching methods, and teaching and learning environment were
reported to affect the learning of speaking skills. In the context of China, Liu (2015)
conducted a qualitative study (N=147 students) aiming at exploring factors that were

likely to affect engineering students’ English listening and speaking ability. The
author concluded that the participants’ listening and speaking skills could be
influenced by both internal (i.e. learning attitude, learning motivation, learning
method and strategy, and autonomous learning situation) and external factors (i.e.
social environment, English teachers, teaching resources, teaching materials, and
curriculum settings). Moreover, the findings of the research said that there was no
significant influence of gender and parental factors on students’ listening and
speaking ability, which is inconsistent to previous studies (see Andreou et al., 2005
& Montero, 2014). Among studies on factors affecting students’ speaking
competence in Vietnamese context was a mixed method research carried out by Tuan
and Mai (2015). The participants of the investigation were 203 students and 10
teachers at a high school in the South of the country. The results collected from
questionnaire and classroom observation revealed that students’ speaking
performance was impacted by topical knowledge, listening ability, motivation,
teachers’ feedback during speaking activities, and time for preparation.
Though it is hard to address all the factors that have influence on the learning
of language, it has been indicated from a number of studies that psychological and
sociological factors occupy a major role in L2 learning. To discuss the social
psychological aspects of second language learning, Gardner (1977) suggested the
11


study of four areas that influence second language learning: social factors, individual
differences, factors affecting attitudes and motivation, and costs and benefits of
second language learning. Among those areas, attitudes and motivation were strongly
highlighted due to their paramount influence on L2 learning, especially oral skills.
While a large body of research has confirmed that motivation has the great potential
to enhance learners’ levels of L2 proficiency (Dörnyei, 1998b; Gardner, 2010), the
detrimental effects of its negative counterpart, i.e. demotivation, still seems to be
underresearched (Dornyei & Ushioda, 2011). This present study, hence, tried to

provide an insight into one of the demotivating forces which is related to teachers. In
the following section, several aspects of demotivation, specifically definition of the
phenomenon in L2 learning; various categories of demotivating factors; demotivation
in English speaking skills; and most importantly, teacher-related demotives, are,
hence, discussed as groundings for this thesis.

1.2. Demotivation and demotives in second/ foreign language learning
1.2.1. Definition of demotivation in second/ foreign language learning
Demotivation is widely regarded by a number of authors as the antithesis of
motivation (Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2011; Falout & Maruyama, 2004; Kikuchi, 2015).
Therefore, it is said that in order to understand the concept of demotivation
thoroughly, it is reasonable to have a brief view of its positive counterpart, i.e.
motivation. The past few decades have witnessed many efforts to define L2
motivation. One of the conceptualizations proposed lately by Dörnyei and Ushioda
(2011) said that motivation is what drives people to make certain decisions, to
participate, consume and pursue any actions or behaviors. In other words, motivation
is responsible for determining human behaviors. However, how motivation to learn a
second language can be defined is far less clear (Huong, 2015). Narrowing down
from the said general concept, Walker (2011) construed motivation in ESL/EFL
contexts as “the direction and magnitude of human behavior towards learning a
second or foreign language” (p.3). Focusing on the area of language learning, Oxford

12


and Shearin (1994) claimed that motivation decides the extent of active, personal
involvement in L2 learning.
While a plethora of studies have strived to investigate the concept of motivation
in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) from a multitude of perspectives, there is still
a scant body of research studying the paramount notion of demotivation in both

foreign and second language learning contexts. In spite of the fact that the first
research on demotivation was publicized round 2 decades ago, the concept has not
been fully adopted yet in the field of L2 research and still few clear definitions of
demotivation have been proposed. In the field of language learning, Dörnyei and
Ushioda (2011) defined demotivation as “specific external forces that reduce or
diminish the motivational basis of a behavioral intention or an ongoing action”
(p.139).
In the light of this definition, they argued that demotivation differs from
amotivation, a related concept introduced by Deci and Ryan in 1985. In Dörnyei and
Ushioda’s (2011) conceptualization, demotivation is related to specific external
forces that cause a reduction in motivation. On the other hand, amotivation refers to
a lack of motivation caused by the realization that there is no point in studying a
foreign language; or a student’s belief that studying a foreign language is beyond
his/her capacity (Kikuchi, 2015). Dörnyei and Ushioda (2011) also added that
complete loss of motivation would lead to amotivation.
The problem of Dörnyei and Ushioda’s (2011) definition, however, is that it has
not been empirically determined whether or not demotivation completely deprived
from external forces (Kikuchi, 2015). A number of researchers (Arai, 2004; Falout &
Maruyama, 2004) included in their studies of demotivation both external factors such
as teachers, curriculums, and class materials; and factors that are internal to leaners,
such as a lack of self-confidence and negative attitudes. In addition, despite their
definition of demotivation as being caused by external factors, even Dörnyei and
Ushioda (2011) listed two internal factors, i.e. reduced self-confidence and negative
attitudes towards the foreign language, as sources of demotivation. Therefore,
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Kikuchi (2015) expanded Dörnyei and Ushioda’s (2011) conceptualization and
defined demotivation as “specific internal and external forces that reduce or diminish
the motivational basis of a behavioral intention or an ongoing action” (p.3).

With regard to the aforementioned literature review, a working definition,
which is strongly influenced by the one stated by Kikuchi (2015), for the current
research is proposed below.
Demotivation in language learning refers to forces that weaken students’
existing motivation, hence, negatively impact their acquisition and achievement.
These demotivating factors which are also entitled demotivators or demotives can
originate either internally or externally from learners.

1.2.2. Demotives in second/foreign language learning
As demotivation was described as something that “concerns various negative
influences that cancel out existing motivation” (Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2011), many
researchers conducted a variety of studies on factors that cause a drop in motivation
in L2 learning. In this present thesis, such negative forces are addressed as demotives,
demotivating factors, or demotivators. Dörnyei and Ushioda (2011) clarified the
notion of demotives by comparing it with the negative counterparts of motives. While
“a motive increases an action tendency whereas a demotive decreases it” (Dörnyei &
Ushioda, 2011, p. 138). In accordance with the working definition of demotivation
adapted in this study, demotives in language learning are either intrinsic or extrinsic
factors that lead to a decline in students’ motivation to learn the language. Significant
studies on demotives in L2 learning are discussed in this section.
Dörnyei (1998a) conducted a qualitative study, aiming to find out the variety
of demotivating factors. The subjects were 50 secondary school pupils in various
schools in Budapest who were studying either English or German as a foreign
language and had been identified as being particularly demotivated by their teachers
or peers. The data collected from structured interviews revealed nine major
demotivating factors as follows:
- The teacher: personality, commitment, competence, teaching method
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- Inadequate school facilities: group is too big or not the right level; frequent
change of teachers
- Reduced self-confidence: experience of failure or lack of success
- Negative attitude towards the L2
- Compulsory nature of L2 study
- Interference of another foreign language being studied
- Negative attitude towards L2 community
- Attitudes of group members
- Course book
In spite of the fact that the author blamed demotivation on external causes, one
third of the demotive types in the category (i.e. reduced self-confidence, negative
attitude towards the L2 and towards the L2 community) is internally originated. The
strength of Dörnyei’s (1998a) study lies in its focused approach on the subject. More
clearly, the researcher’s investigation targeted directly on demotivation by gathering
descriptive and detailed information from demotivated learners, which offered
interesting insights into the sources of demotivation. However, the strength stated
above might be the weakness of the research (Muhonen, 2004). Although focusing
on demotivated students seems to be logical, it is rather subjective to regard a learner
demotivated without apparently prompted symptoms. Furthermore, a learner is not
necessarily demotivated to “experience a temporary drop in motivation because
demotivating factors are external forces that reduce motivational basis of an ongoing
action” (Muhonen, 2004, p.32). In other words, any learners have the possibility of
having been demotivated, hence, excluding a group of learners could lead to the
incomplete list of demotives.
Sakai and Kikuchi (2009) provided a review of a number of locally published
studies of demotivators in the Japanese EFL context and identified six common
demotivating factors, namely teachers, characteristics of classes, experience of
failure, class environment, class materials and lack of interest. The description of each
type of demotives based on Sakai and Kikuchi’s (2009) summary is followed:
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- Teachers: teacher attitudes, lack of teaching competence or language
proficiency, personality and teaching styles
- Characteristics of classes: course content and pace, focus on difficult grammar
or vocabulary, monotonous and boring lessons, and focus on university entrance
exams and memorization of language.
- Experience of failure: disappointment due to test scores, lack of social
acceptance by teachers and classmates, and the feeling of unable to memorize
vocabulary and idioms.
- Class environment: attitudes of classmates, the compulsory nature of English
study, friends’ attitudes, inactive classes, inappropriate level of difficulty and
inadequate use of school facilities.
- Class materials: unsuitable or uninteresting materials.
- Lack of interest: learners’ own sense that the English used at school is not
practical and is unnecessary. Learners’ low regard for English speaking people.
Base of these six areas, Sakai and Kikuchi (2009) developed a 35-item
questionnaire to investigate factors that reduce learners’ motivation to learn English
(N = 656 Japanese senior high school students). Analysis of the descriptive statistics
revealed five significant factors: (1) Learning Contents and Materials; (2) Teachers’
Competence and Teaching Styles; (3) Inadequate School Facilities; (4) Lack of
Intrinsic Motivation; (5) Test Scores.
While the research on demotivation in Vietnam was scarce, Trang and Baldauf
(2007) conducted a case study to investigate possible forces triggering a reduction in
learners’ motivation to learn English among Vietnamese EFL learners. The
researchers carried out a content analysis of stimulated recall essays from 100
university students who were asked to reflect on their foreign language learning
experiences. The findings addressed a wide range of demotives which falls into two
major domains, i.e. intrinsic and extrinsic attributes. The description of various items
in each type of demotivators is demonstrated in the Figure 1.1 as below.

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