Tzu- Ning , Rachel, Kao

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). • Research • questions • 1. Which demotivating factor has the most negative • influence in the English writing course? 2.Is there a difference between male and female in the factors of demotivation? Method (quantitative study) Participates: 83, 65 female and 18 male, English major students at University in central Taiwan. Material: Questionnaire with 32 items (5 point Likert scale) Factor 1 (α=.737): Teachers’ traits Data collection: Dec. 2010 Factor 2 (α=.778):  Environment & interaction An exploratory factor analysis was performed (KMO=.872). Result Factor 3(α=.769):  Teaching methods & materials Four main demotivating factors were selected (eigenvalue>1). Factor 4 (α=.852): The appropriateness of textbooks Descriptive statistics Tzu-Ning, Rachel, Kao Factor 1 Factor 2 Factor 4 Factor 3 Factor 1 Factor 2 Factor 3 Factor 4 The highest demotivating factor (factor 3) concerns with teaching methods and teaching materials, followed by teachers’ personalities (factor 1), and the appropriateness of textbooks (factor 4). The factor 2, environment and interaction, is relatively the weakest demotivatingfactors among 4 factors. Result for RQ1: 1. Males and females showed the same highest demotivating factor with factor 3, teaching methods and teaching materials, and the same lowest demotivating factor with factor 2, environment and interaction. 2. There is no significant difference between genders among 4 demotivating factors. (F.1: p= .170; F.2: p= .082; F.3: p= .112; F.4: p= .839) Result for RQ2: 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) In order to facilitate students’ learning effects, reduced the number of students or to increased the number of writing teachers for the English writing course reasonably.