An Exploratory Study on the Relationship between Demotivation and Academic Fields among Chinese EFL Learners

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between demotivation and academic fields among Chinese EFL learners. To this end, a 33-item self-made questionnaire was administered to 128 Chinese tertiary EFL students. The collected data were processed by means of both descriptive and inferential analysis. The results identified eight salient demotivators: Teaching Contents and Teaching Process, Teacher-related Factors, Classroom Learning Environment and Facilities, Deficient English Learning Abilities, Lack of Intrinsic Interest, Undesired Influences of Important Others, Textbooks and Teaching Materials, and Lack of Effective Learning Strategies. The Independent T-test results showed that English majors were significantly different from the students of International Trade in the following four demotivators: Teacher-related Factors, Teaching Environment and Teaching Facilities, Lack of Intrinsic Interest, and Undesired Influences of Important Others. The findings of this study would be implicative for helping English teachers reduce the negative effect of demotivation in college English class in China and beyond.