Intrinsic Motivation in English Teaching and Learning

（江西師范大學外國語學院，江西 南昌 330000）

【Abstract】：In China， people learn English out of different reasons， some for examinations， some for jobs and some others for their own interests. This is related to what we call “learning motivation”. It is an important factor in our English language pedagogy， especially the intrinsic motivation.This paper mainly discusses the intrinsic motivation about their definitions， theoretical basis， functions and cases in real English teaching.

【Key words】： Intrinsic motivation； English teaching

Ⅰ.Introduction

In the book Teaching by Principles：An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy， which is written by H.Douglas Brown of Chapter Two， twelve principles are introduced. Twelve overarching principles of second language learning from which sound practice springs and on which teaching can be based. After learning twelve principles， I want to pick up one of them which impressed me most. It is the intrinsic motivation.During the process of learning English， how to arise learners’ interests is very significant. The intrinsic motivation plays an important role in the language teaching， on which the success of language teaching depends in a certain. This paper mainly introduce the intrinsic motivation.

Ⅱ.The Intrinsic Motivation

Motivation can be divided into various kinds according to different criteria. On the basis of internal and external dimension， motivation can be divided into extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation. In the long run， intrinsic motivation plays a more important role in the learning. The definition， theoretical basis， significance and examples in real teaching of intrinsic motivation principle will be introduced as follow.

2.1 The definition of Intrinsic Motivation principle

The most powerful rewards are those that are intrinsically motivated within the learner. Because the behavior stems from needs， wants， or desires within oneself， the behavior itself is self-rewarding； therefore， no externally administered reward is necessary at all.

2.2 The theoretical basis

Those who see human drives as fundamental to human behavior claim that motivation stems from basic innate drives. This kind of opinion is called Drive Theory which was represented by David Ausubel. Another is a system of needs within each human being that propel people onward and upward to higher and higher attainment. This is put forward by Maslow who is famous for Hierarchy of Needs Theory. The last one is the Self-control Theory， which holds the importance of people deciding for themselves what to think or feel or do. The three theories provide the theoretical basis for the intrinsic motivation， which attach much importance to the learners’ inner needs.

2.3 The function of intrinsic motivation

As the saying goes“interest is the best teacher.”Learners with great interest can have a positive attitude towards learning. The intrinsic motivation will stimulate learners’ interests to a large extent， which guides learners to study in the long run. Secondly， it helps learners to overcome difficulties and interference in the process of learning， which is useful to improve learners’ confidence and continuous learning. Thirdly， it does a great favor to the development of students’ autonomous learning ability and conscious learning. Lastly， it plays an important role in the improvement of learning efficiency.

2.4 The case study

When I was in the middle school， my English was poor. After three semesters’ study， a new English teacher was appointed to teach us. The teacher was beautiful and kind and her voice was very gentle. What was the most important was that she never criticized me and looked down upon me even if my English was poor. I liked this teacher so much that I listened carefully and took notes seriously in her classes. And I often asked for suggestions about learning English from her. With her help and encouragement， gradually my English got improved and I made a great progress in the Senior High School Entrance Examination. When I entered into high school， I found English is interesting and I wanted to learn it well. So I studied hard in English and always made good marks. Then， I chose English as my major when I was admitted into college. Now， I am a postgraduate and English is still my major. The reason is simple， I like English and I interested in it. This is the real case happened to me， which vividly shows the influence of intrinsic motivation on my English learning. It is exactly the intrinsic motivation that propels me to make progress step by step on the journey of learning English.

Ⅲ Conclusion

The paper mainly talks about the intrinsic motivation and native language effect principle. Their definition，theoretical basis and function are introduced in the paper. Then，the author combined her own experience to explain these two principles. In our real teaching，teachers should use these two principles in a correct way at appropriate occasions and combine with another ten principles in Chapter two. By doing this，we can have a better angel on the English teaching with a sound foundation for teaching practice and to be better on the journey of being a qualified English teacher.

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