Psychological Analyses of the Importance of Learning Motivation in Improving English Teaching and Learning

Wei Ming Pei

【Abstract】The rapid development of China in various aspects has frequented its exchanges with other countries. English， one of the most popular language in the world， has become an important means of communication with others. However， the huge difference existing in Mandarin and English holds back Chinese leaners for further progress and even gives them a good reason to keep distance. Moreover， although English is a second language for most Chinese， the lack of language environment along with the imbalance of teaching resources have been problematic in the overall English level for Chinese English learners. Nevertheless， the study of any kind of skills including a language depends on how motivated learners can be outside of classrooms， which determines the actual English level in a real sense. Being able to maintain studying motivation derives from a good command in learner psychology. The article analyzes studying motivation from the angle of psychology， aiming to discuss ways of improving English teaching and learning.

【Key words】Psychology； learning motivation； teaching and learning methods

【作者簡介】Wei Ming Pei， Canvard Institute of Beijing Technology and Business University.

1. Introduction

One very critical element in language studying is the learning motivation， which takes predominant position in affecting the results of learning， for if certain learning is not painful or passively forced， then this process and orientation should be encouraged and promoted， which should be in a way like this per se. From the perspective of language teaching， any inefficient and old-fashioned methods lagged-behind should be reflected and reformed， and what should this be based on？ The response to that question will be individualized teaching or teaching in accordance of their aptitude. For learners， when they first start to study a new language， its inevitable to feel pressured or even lost， in this case， adding a more systematic method to allow them the panoramic view of this language will be instrumental in cushioning this issue for them， as for if an overall frame is displayed， they will at least bring some purposes or some ideas into their studying process and be more grounded， evading the dilemma that their learning process is compromised by negative emotions brought upon from a psychological layer.

2. Discussion on different English teaching methods based on motivation-related learning

In teaching， there are two ways to be brought to learners： orderly and building up learning； student-oriented and 2/3 practicing time. For the orderly learning， it means to follow in order with the courses in question and advance step by step， and the building up learning meaning that the learning of new knowledge should be based on the previous ones. Lecturing time should be less than 1/3， and the rest on practicing and drills. There can be many drilling forms with various focuses， what we should bear in mind is that learning should be enjoyable， it shouldnt entail massive quizzes and exams， although they seem to be an indispensable way of building solid foundation. why should the method of orderly learning be taken into consideration？ There is a saying that once tasting sweeter dessert before a milder one， the latter doesnt taste much. Similarly， some believe that once they try from a more advanced course， a lower one will be easier to tackle with. It sounds plausibly sensible， and sometimes it indeed turns out to be that way. However， learning another language is not as simple as eating a cake， but a personized process that has different marks and tags from different learners.

Thats why the eating of a cake cant be paralleled with learning English because there are many elements within or without learning from all kinds of learning phases which will impose influence on the journey， and many elements within learning may arise from exterior factors， such as interference with learning motives which might root from excessive degree of difficulty， or a stagnation caused by a lack of motivation. Things we learn from classes or books fail to be applied to daily life or with practical meaning will be soon left in oblivion. All that mentioned can be mirrored from the layer of psychology. How to make correct and effective adjustments or alignments， apart from the efforts from learners themselves， close attention from teachers to learning psychology should be paid， another way to put it is that one-cut or sweeping method is not applicable to each individual learner， instead， teaching according to the characteristics and language level of each learner. For learners who welcome new knowledge and embrace challenges， the method of “starting from the sweeter dessert” can be introduced， which means increasing difficult level than the already existing one in an appropriate manner， according to the comprehensible input hypothesis theory from the renowned American linguist and educator Krashen， only when the content of what one studies is i+1， the study can be efficient and maximized， and thus stretching from comfort zone to benefit zone.

However， for those who are in possession of instable foundation knowledge， or need longer period time to fully digest and understand what they have learned， or need constant repetition on same points， or flash back to refer to the content from beginning， in terms of methods of study， different learners have different requirements and forms. From the perspective of learning styles， according to the Fleming VARK model， some are word-oriented， from there more reading or content of words can be utilized； some are picture-oriented， thus， more images can be introduced and displayed； some are audio or sound-oriented， then putting them more into reciting practice will be more beneficial； some are kinesthetic learners and so on. All those distinctive learning styles or habits are their features， more can be explored and brought into larger play.

3. English learning approaches from the angle of an English learner

A foreign language learning specifically English learning generally involves two major parts： vocabulary and grammar. Vocabulary is the very basic unit as we know， and an analogy is that the whole mansion of language needing it to be built up. Grammar serves as cement， which is the linking point between words and meaning. The relationship of vocabulary and grammar can be put into an analogy of ligaments and muscles. With ligaments the muscles can be connected and pulled as a whole， and one body will be able to walk. It is suggested that the usage of grammar textbooks can be introduced in that one can have a general overview about the grammar structure in a more systematic way， and whenever one has a more comprehensive understanding， there will be more sense of direction， which is a way of stringing up dots with lines to cover the whole picture. Nevertheless， grammar books are not something learners should prioritize all the time for it is only a guidance similar to a compass for navigation or a method to observe the direction of the wind on the sea course， which only plays a role as an auxiliary. The true consolidating part is in the practice itself and from there with the awareness of the usage of grammar， it will be more valuable. The function of grammar is to empower meaning to each concrete and detailed word or object for different combination of words joining together will lead to different meaning， and therefore， grammar is a part where logic and accuracy are highly demanded. To better facilitate the process of grammar learning， one way to work on is： setting up a specific situation or scenario where learners can put into practice what they have learned so that they can feel what they have learned finally turns out to be of some use. Another way to explicate in terms of vocabulary retention is the method of comparison， which can be done by lining up two or more than two words with similar or opposite meaning to memorize together. This way， those seemingly irrelevant words are somewhat brought together and when one word fails to ring a bell， another word can be used to remind and activate that specific word， which can be a rather flexible way， avoiding cramming knowledge without a parameter， yielding twice the result with half the effort. Memory activity is an act of human psychology， and there is a certain pattern to follow. As an English teacher， the guidance for learners to follow the patterns of memorizing should be more encouraged. When learners get the hang of utilizing this pattern， they will be able to face challenges of retaining vocabulary more comfortably.

Flashing back to the English learning classes in my elementary school， the deepest impression made was the introduction of new vocabulary or repetition of old one without related knowledge to be associated with. This has become a very outstanding issue as retention of vocabulary plays vital role in ones English study or language study in general， of which an analogy is constantly employed that vocabulary resembles bricks as a fundamental basis to the solidity of a building representing an overall level of English excellency. The learning process of pupils versus adults strikes huge difference because the knowledge system in kids mind is still developing rather than being well-shaped， while adults with well-developed and clearly-formed knowledge system， can easily associate the already-in-mind equilibriums.

In order to better understand this kind of dilemma and adopt a more effective approach to tackle with it， psychology analyses of learners can be made. From constructivist views of learning， more dynamic activities are encouraged for learners to interact with their environment and then gain subsequent understanding through experiencing and reflecting. Regular English classes in primary schools involved introduction of new words， a piece of simple article as the created situation， along with some targeting drills. However， a good understanding of what one learns takes more than mechanic feeding of knowledge but organic interaction. A good English class at least needs a situation which matches up with the theme topic to be introduced and can create an instrumental environment for learners to experience， explore， learn and reflect.

Research indicates that a person can retain about 10 words in one day in real sense， aiming for being completely understood， digested， and utilized. Humans concentration and attention span lasts only to a certain degree， especially young learners with no more than several minutes maximum. under such a challenging circumstance， what we can do to increase the efficiency or at least attraction of the lessons to be studied for young learners， instead of wasting time and causing loss of interest is a real matter that will take tremendous amount of time and efforts to constantly optimize. But， the bottom line is that effective learning shouldnt be carried out blindly， meaning， study without a purposeful situation is like treasures shadowed， seemingly to be there but unable to see clearly. The situation mentioned can also refer to sub-situations for sub-topics. Real and positive learning takes place when learners understand properly， knowing they will be able to learn some knowledge and put into real-life use.

English teaching and learning require a systematic process as a basic setting. Underneath， there are many targets and goals to be achieved in a logic， orderly and scientific way， some can be links to others， but some may be leaders of others. The same idea can be applied to the using of setting up different situations to guide and to clarify the purpose of the learning of certain knowledge. Similar concept for dramas or movies， there is always a topic that the plot can revolve around， and thats what makes things meaningful.

4. Conclusion

Learning a language depends not only on perseverance and accumulation day in and out， or cramming knowledge without searching for a shorter cut， but also certain way of finding out what suits ourselves best as learning methods. From the perspective of language teaching， it is not just to focus on one single aspect， such as reading or writing， but starting from the actual application and bring learners out of their ivory tower of pure studying and rote knowledge， creating more occasions for them to associate the work and daily life. If higher level of study motivation is concerned， more arresting and interesting content from teaching side should be included. From the learners stance， more willingness to stretch out and to take up challenging tasks regarding less extroverted learners is encouraged； more resourcefulness as to develop strategies to maintain study passion and to search for fitting learning approaches is expected. Both studying and teaching are of long-term dedication and exploration without succeeding in one single hop， and thus long-time commitment should be made.

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