6. Conclusion .15

Works Cited .16

 1. Introduction

English learning is affected by many factors, among which motivation is widely considered as one of the key ones. It is generally accepted that motivation is one of the main factors determining the success or failure of English learning. A motivated language learner has great interest in language learning and holds a strong belief in improving it. They will get actively involved in the language learning and persevere in working hard to obtain satisfactory achievements.

English learning in the phase of the junior middle school plays an important role during the whole process of English learning in that it helps the students to develop a positive attitude towards learning English and assists them in laying the solid foundation for further learning. At present, many students in junior middle schools learn English passively. They show no interest in learning English. They learn English just for high grades, teachers’ praise or parents’ expectations. Some students are often absent-minded in English class and they can’t carefully finish the homework in time. Even some students hate learning English and they see it as a burden. As a result, they can’t get satisfactory outcomes. These are all related to motivation. The new criterion of junior English curriculum lays great emphasis on the effects of students’ affective attitudes, including motivation, on the learning process and outcomes. Teachers are required to help the students to form steady learning motivation.

In the 1950s, foreign researchers prompted the motivation studies in second language acquisition, and the representatives are Gardner and Lambert. However, the research of motivation in second language learning did not begin until the 1980s in China. What is more, the study on the learning motivation of junior middle school students is far from enough. This thesis, based on related motivation theories and the current situation of students’ learning motivation in junior middle schools, explores the effective strategies to stimulate students’ learning motivation, thus helping prompt their active involvement in English learning and improve their English.

2. Literature Review

2.1 General Viewpoints on Motivation

Early motivation research was mainly influenced by behaviorism. The leading representatives are W. McDougall, C. L. Hull and Skinner. Hull holds that the inner drive is the motive of a behavior, and he put forward the drive theory of motivation. Drive means the stimulus induced by inner needs of an inpidual. The drive theory emphasizes that inner drive plays a great role in stimulating behaviors. (Beck, 2000: 148) On the contrary, the incentive theory seeks reasons of behavior from outside of an inpidual; it concerns on outer incentives such as goals, punishment, reinforcement, etc. Skinner’s reinforcement theory is the representative of the incentive theory.

The representative of new behaviorism is Bandura, and his opinion on motivation is self-efficacy. According to Bandura, people have the initiative in determining their behavior, in which, expectancy, attention and evaluation play a great role. 源`自,吹冰`.论"文'网[www.chuibin.com

Whereas, psychologists of humanism enhanced inner factors as needs and values of motivation, opposing viewpoints of behaviorists. Maslow and Rogers are leading persons of humanism. The famous hierarchy of needs theory was prompted by Maslow.

In addition, the attribution theory belongs to cognitivism, and it was put forward by Fritz Heider in 1957. According to Heider, the behavior of an inpidual is influenced by both inner and outer reasons. Based on the theory of Heider, Weiner thought all attributions can be included in 3 dimensions: locus, stability and controllability.