The Wide-Ranged Usage of English throughout the World - Term Paper Example

?Download the original attachment Other 04 May April The motivations of Chinese EFLs Introduction: English is regarded as the global language, thus, this makes it necessary for each person to be able to communicate in English. Whether it is the mother tongue or second language for a person, English holds a very significant value for every individual. People those who cannot converse in English are considered illiterate as they might know only local languages. Though an individual would love his or her mother tongue more and would want to be able to use it all the time, this is not possible as in today’s competitive world and society, English, the world’s official language, is highly crucial and it is what the world works with. People who are fluent in English are given almost celebrity-like honor and value in countries where English is not the official language. The wide ranged usage of English throughout the world be it, mass media, education, Internet, business, tourism, technology and such other fields is what gives the language an authoritative appeal and command over the whole world. Acknowledging the importance of the English language, the government of every country needs to be capable of providing facilities for the children to learn this language. Thus, this is the reason why English is being taught in almost all countries. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the parents to get their children enrolled into schools that teach English. It also becomes the responsibility of these children to learn well and excel in their academics to make their parents feel proud and in turn, serve their nation by staying committed to their jobs, which obviously, would require English as the main language. Therefore, for students to learn languages, other than their mother tongue, they need motivation. The paper at hand focuses on Chinese EFL students. These refer to the students who come from China and settle in America or other such countries where the official language is English, and study English as a foreign language. It also includes EFL students who reside in China itself. Studies show that China accounts for the “largest number of English language learners in the world” (Influence of Instrumental Motivation on EFL Learners in China and its Implication On TEFL Instructional Design 1). According to JUDY F. CHEN in his article called, Motivators That Do Not Motivate: the Case of Chinese EFL Learners and the Influence of Culture on Motivation, the Language learning theory has widely accepted the saying that language learners with superior levels of motivation will be superior achievers. Finding what composes motivation for those who learn the language in a variety of cultural settings remains a significant and difficult task. Motivation study frequently centers on cultural circumstances that are not very different from European values and North American. Language learning motivation study outcomes have tended to support the supreme importance of integrative motivation, which was primarily described by Gardner and Lambert (1972) and the newer version by Shaaban and Ghaith. Integrative motivation is successful because language abilities are perceived as essential to participation in various social groups that employ the target language. Noels, Clement, Pelletier, and Vallerand (2000) make out the preeminent significance formerly granted to the orientation of integrative motivation, but also state that this can be the case only in particular socio-cultural circumstances. Integrative motivation is frequently contrasted by way of the more outwardly affected instrumental motivation (JUDY F. CHEN 2005). The students face a lot of problems in their everyday life in the educational institutions they attend. This is due to the fact that English is totally foreign to them until they go abroad. Thus, there arises a great need for these students to be motivated. This paper therefore addresses various problems that the Chinese EFL students face in learning English, the different types of motivation that they can and should receive, what teachers can do to motivate them and how they can learn English better. Chinese EFL students need motivation as they are the ones who may rise as the next generation leaders. Wen (1997) in his study found that there are extrinsic as well as intrinsic oriented ways of motivations that could guide the Chinese EFL learners to success. Elaborating the ingredients of extrinsic motivation, as in the study of Ryan and Deci (1985), Lin and Warden (2000) it is seen that motivation is an inevitable factor towards the path of success. China is the most populous country and it is obvious that the number of student population of China would be more than anywhere else. These students if given proper guidance and taught all the things that they need to be, can turn into perfect grown up people and have decent jobs that would further develop their country. For this, the first thing that these students need is to be able to communicate and be fluent with English, the one language that connects all individuals irrespective of nationality, ethnicity, caste, creed, gender or religion. China, with such efficient workforce, might just emerge as more of a superpower than it already is. Problems Faced by Chinese EFL students: The Chinese EFL students face a lot of problems in addition to learning a foreign language that holds such prominence. One of the biggest challenge is the atmosphere they are in, their surrounding. According to Wu Man-fat, Manfred in his article, ‘Beliefs about language learning of Chinese ESL learners undertaking vocational education in Hong Kong,’ says that the common studies on viewpoint of language learning (BALLs) always pays attention to all the university level scholars and learners. BALLs' information related to distinctiveness and environment of these learners is mainly lacking. That includes their teacher as well as peers, who mostly would be native speakers. Being amidst native speakers brings along a lot of complications in understanding the language. Firstly, no matter how much attention they pay to the speaker, they will not grasp every word that is being said. The biggest factor here is the speed in which they talk their accent and the dialects they use. Active participation in discussions is difficult as “English native speakers mumble, use slang, other unfamiliar vocabulary, and speak too fast” (Ferris, 1998). Being new to such a competitive surrounding will be very overwhelming for them just like any sudden change is overwhelming for an individual. No matter how much used to they are to such speaking, things will only get worse for them as there is no way for them to comprehend the talks that are going on. This is the key issue faced by the students and they have reported, “content knowledge as one of the hurdles inhibiting their oral participation” (personal interview, June, 2003). Since they do not understand the native English very well, they think that others cannot understand their English. Thus, they restrain themselves from participating too much in discussions and talks. They are afraid to express themselves, partly because they do not know what the native speakers are actually talking and partly because they are ashamed of their own accent. The communication barrier here is two sided and needs a lot of work to be gotten rid off. “Given the aforementioned English learning situation in China, an exploration into it from both academic and commercial perspectives is justified. Based on a brief review of the theories on motivation and second language acquisition studied in the western context, and an analysis of their special characteristics in the Chinese environment, this study explains the power of instrumental motivation among Chinese EFL learners and discusses its implications for TEFL in China” (Influence of Instrumental Motivation on EFL Learners in China and its Implication on TEFL Instructional Design 1). Another problem they face is group discussions. When they are put in big groups, they find it very difficult to open up and talk. They feel shy and introvert. They tend to keep quiet most of the time as they do not know what to talk, how others would react and such things. They must feel intimated amongst the presence of so many students without a teacher nearby. A teacher cannot always be near the same group. When it comes down to group discussion the use of dialects and slang will become more and this will make it more hard for the EFL students. They can look up certain words that they do not know the meaning of, but words that are of a particular dialect do not have their meaning defined in the dictionaries. When the question arises as to why the teacher does not see this problem, the answer is simple, that is “lack of cooperation among teachers and students of uneven language proficiency” (Wang & Cheng). Ferris (1998) observed the ESL students’ awareness of their own aural/oral abilities in their class and their fights to meet the various challenges of aural/oral tasks and talents in academic settings. L2 learners and students articulated their inhibition in participation in class due to a universal lack of self-assurance in their speaking abilities (Ferris, 1998). Scholarly listening and speaking abilities symbolize a complex and challenging job for L2 students. For ESL students and learners, L2 is not a comfy language although they have lived in the civilization and have attended school in the United State. These ESL students and learners still believe that big group conversations and graded projects group in the L2 classroom produce much embarrassment and numerous challenges in their universal education program (Ferris & Tagg, 1996). “These two characteristics contribute to a totally different set of expectations and norms of Chinese learners in their logic of arguments compared to that of native speakers of English. At the same time, they explain why Chinese learners have the tendency of giving a lot of background information before stating their points of views at the end in introducing their arguments” (Wu Man Fat, para 12.). Types of Motivation: The two main types of motivation are “extrinsic and intrinsic” (Psychology of Motivation and Chinese EFL Student). While the former refers to factors that exclude ‘self’ and consists of elements like appraisal, recognition and different types of credit, the latter refers to factors that arise from within such as one’s own drive, desire, goal, competitive spirit etc. An individual feels motivated to complete a task in two ways, based on the outcomes. Motivation on Chinese reading has been studied in numerous aspects or dimensions. Lau (2004) examined the motivational features of extrinsic, self-efficacy, social motivation, intrinsic, and attribution belief on reading Chinese amongst Hong Kong 7th graders, and their alliances with Chinese reading knowledge and academic accomplishment. The results demonstrated that intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, and capability and strategy attribution were powerfully connected to reading understanding and academic accomplishment. These results are normally in line by way of those of Wang and Guthrie (2004). Wang and Guthrie observed the position of motivational procedures in reading comprehension in both Chinese and US cultures. Their outcomes recommended that intrinsic motivation, concerning pleasure obtained from being engaged in all the reading activity itself, optimistically and positively forecasted reading comprehension. In contrast, the type of extrinsic motivation, encircling participation in all the reading activities on the basis on external demands and values, for example well grades, appreciation from others, or required abilities, forecasted reading understanding negatively in both cultures. “Most language teachers believe that motivation is a key factor for success bin language learning. During the last 40 years researchers in various fields have attempted to explore the construct of language learning motivation from many different perspectives” (Language Learning Motivation Of EFL Learners in Japan- A Cross- Sectional Analysis of Various Learning Milieus p 48.). Motivation is also sometimes based on the outcomes that are to occur. An individual might be motivated to achieve the positive outcome, in which he or she works really hard to fulfill their goals and aims. On the other hand, the other type of motivation arises out of the need to stay away from negative outcomes such as punishment for delay in work, detention or being robbed of some privileges they otherwise have. Motivation is also related with expectancy. The students expect immediate results for the hard work they put in. It can be seen that the students are more impatient than the supposed businessmen in expecting fruitful outcomes. In the perspective of Gardner and Lambert (1972), motivation is categorized under “instrumental motivation,” which arises out of considering the language as an instrument and learning it in order to achieve the individual’s respective goals and aims, and “integrative motivation,” which arises out of sheer interest to learn the language and relate with the culture. Gardner (1985), further states that “many individuals second language learning is a relatively uncommon experience, engaged in for only a few years with little immediate pay-off” (p. 3). When the effort the students put in does not bring immediate result, they seem to be demotivated. Factors that Motivate: Motivation is described by Gardner (1985:10) as "the amalgamation of all the efforts plus aspiration to accomplish the aim of learning the language in addition to favorable approaches towards learning the language", which has three interconnected mechanism. Crooks and Schmidt’s (1991) explanation of motivation has four attitudinal factors and internal factors. It is very important that Chinese students be motivated in order to learn English. China, the Chinese government and parents all over the country have understood the importance of English and learning it. This reflects on the students and they also understand the need of learning English. Bachman (1990) describes language skill or proficiency as the language capability or talent in language use. Oller (1983) states that language proficiency or skill is not a single unitary capacity, but that it includes numerous distinct but associated constructs other than a general construct of proficiency in language. Farhady, et al. (1983) explains that the word 'proficiency' denotes to the examinee’s capability in a particular region of competency with the intention of determining the degree to which they can function in an authentic use of language situation. Chinese people are very creative and have made a lot of discoveries, the students being the descendents of these great inventors are sure to have that kind of potentiality in them. If they want to reach at any heights with their inventions, English plays a major role in it. Though there are many motivational factors and ways that have already been pondered and found, there still is scope for it. Considering the growing importance of motivation in learning English, new ways need to be explored to exploit the complete power that motivational factors have. With the changing environment and development in every sector there is place for development in such teaching methods also that will incorporate more motivation rather than mere education in the students. Besides, the stronger the motivation, the greater the outcomes and results will be. So, it is unreasonable to set aside motivation and focus on other factors such as intellectual and the relative background of the students. There are many factors, both internal and external that compel a Chinese EFL student to learn English. These factors are prominent enough to make English the second language of majority of Chinese students. The biggest factor can be seen as the job opportunity that native English speaking countries provide the Chinese youth with. Such opportunities attract youths from all over the world, thus making it a necessity for them to have good knowledge and command over English. Furthermore, the worldwide usage of this language and the fact that almost every class of the society is familiar with it, enables an individual to learn English and this ultimately makes it possible for him or her to survive anywhere in the world. The diversity in culture among China and other native English speaking countries along with the rights that are provided to the citizens, leads to the migration of the Chinese youth to these countries. This migration of population depends on the interest of the mass and difference in the freedom that the citizens of the other countries enjoy. This also increases the demand for knowledge of this language. Increasing population and also the number of unemployed people in China lead to the migration of the young students to migrate to other countries. This would help them to make a better living. This raise in the living standards motivates the EFL students to learn English. China is one of the fastest developing countries in the world. Fast growing technology, most modern scientific discoveries and such other aspects that define a developed country, are all seen in China too. China never stands behind in being one of the fastest growing economies. But when one looks at China from a different perspective, taking into consideration the rights and freedom of its citizens, it can be seen that China does not prove to be a country that rules for the ruled. Apart from all the developmental and industrial activities, the Chinese government pays very little attention to towards serving its citizens. A citizen of the country is supposed to live according to the rules laid down by the government, but other countries provide them rights also. China, being a communist country, does not allow such freedom of expression to its citizens. For example, Qi Yanchen, a Chinese, was sentenced to serve four years in jail just because he expressed his views on the political situations that prevailed in China during that time by “posting articles and parts of his book, The Collapse of China” (Internet in China). Any protest or restrain on the part of the citizens was suppressed immediately and it is still the situation now. Imposition is the prevailing order in China. The Tiananmen Square incident is one example that shows what happens when protests takes place and it was found that “the number killed on Tiananmen Square must be at least a thousand” (Chang 11). The people in China strive to work for the development of their homeland but the rules of the land never give an ear to the voice of the ruled. Thus, in a land where they are treated like this, the students want to go away. Therefore, they choose to migrate to other countries. It can therefore be concluded that the rights, living standards and such other material elements motivate the Chinese students to learn English in order to fulfill their aim of migrating from China. “Most of these studies revealed that Chinese students’ learning strategies consisted of many of the following features: concentration on intensive reading as a basis for language study; a preoccupation with the careful, often painstaking examination of grammatical structure and a corresponding lack of attention to more communicative skills; the use of memorization and rote learning as a basic acquisition technique; a strong emphasis on the correction of mistakes, both written and oral; the use of translation as a learning strategy” (Roa p 86). Lau (2004) “investigated the motivational aspects of self-efficacy, intrinsic, extrinsic, social motivation and attributional belief” to be among the factors that are connected with “reading comprehension” and “academic achievement”. As discussed earlier, extrinsic and intrinsic are the two broad categories of motivation. Apart from that, motivation also arises out of self-efficacy, which is the drive of one’s own self to somehow achieve a desired goal. Self motivation is also self induced like self-efficacy. Attributional beliefs are seen to be “related to achievement-oriented behavior,” (Turner et al.) therefore; motivation is generated from such beliefs as well. How to Motivate Chinese EFL Students: Motivation can thus be seen as a feeling that should be fostered in the students themselves as well as been given to them by their teachers also. Teachers can motivate them by giving them recognition for any improvements they make, or by giving extra credit. Motivation is the “The ability of humans and animals to survive in a constantly changing environment is a testament to the power of biological processes” (Dorman & Guadiana p 3.). What the teachers can do is create a safe environment for the EFL students, that is, an environment which will welcome all their thoughts and ideas as well as not criticize them. The teachers should make them feel that other native speakers as well as the instructors themselves can understand what they are trying to tell. Teachers should make sure that the student’s accent is not made fun by anyone in the class. This relaxed environment will motivate the students to feel more free to communicate with others and it will also enhance their desire to learn English and give a competitive feel to this desire. The teachers should also make it a point to praise each student individually whenever they improve or progress and also to provide basic praise in the beginning to boost their confidence level. The class should not be mostly lecture type and should include presentations, group discussion, oral talks, debates and such other interactive sessions which will make the EFL students understand the content material better and also grasp more of what is being told. The instructor can also tell the native speakers not to use any dialects or slang that cannot be understood by the students. Another thing is that the group discussions should consist of only four to five members. When the number of people staring at a person when he or she talks decreases, they at once feel confident and do not shy away from expressing their views. The groups can then be gradually made bigger once the EFL students become familiar with their peers. When in the beginning itself they are put into big groups there would not be much that they can do. Also, students with similar interests and almost same proficiency level of English should be placed in the same group. The teacher should try maximum not to speak too fast and should advise the English native speaking students to also talk with minimized speed.  Conclusion: English is regarded as the global language, thus, this makes it necessary for every person to be capable to communicate in English. The paper gives attention on the motivations of Chinese EFL students to learn English, the problems that they face in learning and the ways in which teachers can help them learn English much faster and in a better way. The importance of English language has drastically increased since globalization. Thus, understanding the prominence of English, the Chinese EFL students try their best to learn this language. Works Cited Chang, Albert. Revisiting the Tiananmen Square Incident: A Distorted image From Both Sides of the Lens. 2005. Web. 5 May 2012. Dorman, Clark & Gaudiano, Paola. Motivation. n.d. Web. 5 May 2012 English Language Curriculum and Assessment Guide. 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Wang, Hong & Cheng, Liying. The Impact of Curriculum Innovation on The Cultures of Teaching. Asian EFL Journals. 2005. Web. 5 May 2012. < http://www.asian-efl-journal.com/December_05_hw&lc.php> Wu Man Fat, Manfred. Problem Faced by Chinese Learners in L2 English Learning and Pedagogic Recommendation from an Inter-Cultural Communication Perspective. Karen’s Linguistics Issues. 2004. Web. 6 May 2012. Read More