English Learning Demotivation Studies in the EFL Contexts: State of the Art

초록

This paper reviews the studies conducted on English learning demotivation in the EFL contexts. Demotivation research in the EFL contexts is significant given the learners’ less opportunities to use the target language outside school and consequent difficulties in maintaining their interest in learning it. In order to look into how this issue of demotivation has been addressed, the previous EFL demotivation studies are analyzed based on (a) their research methods and (b) perspectives on the definition of demotivation. The research methods adopted by the previous research include quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. In terms of different underlying assumptions on what English learning demotivation refers to, on the one hand, some studies were conducted by adopting cross-sectional research design considering demotivation to be a novel and distinctive construct. On the other hand, other studies focused on decrease in motivational constructs as the process of demotivation, which took a form of quasi-longitudinal analysis. By delving into similar and unique findings from respective research methods and the two different perspectives on demotivation, this paper suggests an alternative approach to demotivation of looking into the process of how learners’ idiosyncratic experience relates to English learning motivation and how their demotivation changes and interacts with their environments. For this purpose, it would be worthwhile to conduct longitudinal research to better trace and capture the process of the changes.

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