A Research on How to Motivate Freshmen and Promote Their Autonomy in Learning English in Junior Middle Schools

Abstract

This research intends to examine the potential factors that influence the motivation – intrinsic or extrinsic – of freshmen in junior middle schools, hoping to find some effective strategies to motivate them to learn and promote their autonomy in learning English. Data were collected from 204 students randomly selected from an experimental class by using closed-ended questionnaires. The qualitative results were derived from classroom observations and interviews with five primary school teachers and two junior middle school teachers. The findings provide evidence on the factors that might influence students’ motivation; meanwhile, intrinsic motivation and autonomy can be boosted with the full-scale implementation of several effective motivational strategies.