Tzu- ning , Rachel, Kao 698410407

1. A study of demotivating factors in the EFL writing classroom The ability to write academic texts is considered one of the most important skills that university students need to acquire. However, when students’ motivation decrease, students could lost their interests and stop making efforts to write. Consequently, pieces of writings would hardly be formed. Introduction (1) To explore and identify demotivating factors in the English writing course. (2) To examine whether demotivating factors have different influences in genders. (3) To assist instructors in realizing demotivatingfactors occurring in the English writing course. Aim Definition of demotivation Demotivation, defined by Dörnyei (2001a), regards “specific external forces that reduce or diminish the motivated basis of a behavioral intention or an ongoing action”(p.143). • RQ 1: • Which demotivating factor has the most negative influence in the English writing course? RQ 2: Is there a difference between male and female in the factors of demotivation? Factor1:Teachers’ traits High demotivation: male / female Factor 2 : Environment & interaction Factor 3:Teaching methods & materials Method (quantitative study) Participates: 83, 65 female and 18 male, English major students at University in central Taiwan. Low demotivation: Male / female Material: Questionnaire with 32 items (5 point Likertscale) Factor 4: The appropriateness of textbooks Data collection: Dec. 2010 An exploratory factor analysis was performed (KMO=.872). Four main demotivating factors were selected (eigenvalue>1). Result Tzu-ning, Rachel, Kao 698410407 Factor 1 Factor 2 Factor 4 Factor 3 Factor 1 Factor 2 Factor 3 Factor 4 RQ1: RQ2: Rank of demotivating factors: (1) Teaching methods and teaching materials (Factor 3). (2) Teachers’ traits (factor 1). (3) Appropriateness of textbooks (factor 4). (4) Environment and interaction (Factor 2) Differences between genders: (1) No significant difference between genders. ( p > .05) (2) The same highest and lowest in demotivating factor 3 & 2, teaching methods and teaching materials & environment and interaction. Conclusion (1) Four demotivating factors were extracted from the present study, shown on above. (2) There is no significant difference between genders among these 4 demotivating factors. Suggestions: (1) To build a good teacher-student relationship, choice appropriate textbooks, and treat all students fairly in the writing class. (2) To reduced the number of students or to increased the number of writing teachers for the English writing course reasonably in order to facilitate students’ learning effects, .