Ways to increase students’interest in oral English in junior high school

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【Abstract】English is the common means of communication between peoples of different nations.As Chinaplays an important role in international communication it is necessary for Chinese students to speak fluent English.However，while many students can become good test-takers，they are not able to speak and write competently when they graduate from high school.

In this paper，I attempt to find practical actions to increase student motivation.Based on current research，I will explain reasons for poor oral English and explain the importance of motivation.The most important part is the practical actions needed to increase student motivation.Two actions are recommended student-centered activities and pair work and games.Specific examples to show how the actions can be implemented are also presented.

【Key words】oral English；Student-centered activities；Pairs work and games；Authentic situations through technology

Literature Review

As many people are interested in finding out the best way to motivate students to learn English，I select some practical research papers to read and explain them to you.This consist of three parts：reasons for poor oral English，the importance of motivation to learning English and practical actions to increase student motivation.

Reasons for poor oral English

Ellen Terry Vandrew-Wald（2010）points out that students do not form good study habits for oral English when they are in primary school.They do not practice in vocabulary and listening.They do not have a solid foundation and sometimes can not even use their native language well.Some students have to interrupt their formal education because of family reasons and those students find it difficult to sustain interest in learning English.

Le and Cely（2010）offer another reason.They say that many students have difficulties in their speech production because they are afraid of being criticized and humiliated in front of the class.

Hussin（2000）states that many students become good test-takers，but they are not able to speak and write competently when they graduate from high schools.The current problem is that teachers need to find creative ways to teach the language and increase the student's motivation.Many teachers ignore the importance of factors，such as positive self-concept，high self-esteem，positive attitude，and clear understanding of the goals for language learning.

The importance of motivation

Le and Cely（2010）state that every language has two kinds of skills.The first is the receptive skill which involves two aspects：listening and reading；the other is the productive skill，which involves writing and speaking.In understanding second language acquisition，Kuramoto（2002）states that the importance of motivation has been well known among teachers and researchers and they treat motivation as one of the most important factors that influence students’ study of second/foreign language learning.

Solution and recommendations

After I conclude the researches by Zhao and Le and take the reality of oral English teaching in Junior high school，I will explain two practical methods to increase students’ motivation in oral English.

Student-centered activities based on Zhao’s year research，in order to change the traditional teaching methodology，teachers should change the teacher-centered classroom to the students-centered classroom.They must remember that students are different in backgrounds，intelligence and interests and they need to use practical and effective ways to meet those needs.For example，before class the teachers can let students discuss what they want to learn.In this way，students take initiative and be responsible to themselves.

Pairs work and games Le’s year research project focused on oral games for increasing students' speaking skills.Many experiments show that students will feel more free and confident when they participate in oral tasks，particularly during games.The teacher can chose games on the basis of students suitability in terms of the language practice.They have to communicate with others in complete sentences，give new ideas，and discuss ideas at the same time.Guessing and speculating games are also useful.For example，students can work in pairs or group in which someone knows something and the others must find out what it is.Students are active and improving their fluency and their memory.

References：

Hussin，S，Maarof，N and D'Cruz，J.V.（2000）.Sustaining an Interest in Learning english

and Increasing the Motivation to Learn English：An Enrichment Program

Kuramoto，C.（2002）.Improving motivation in oral communication classroom in Japan：an action research project.

Le，W and Cely，E.（15，2010）.Encouraging teenagers to improve speaking skills through

games in a Colombian Public School.

Razavi.（2014）.Language learning：what motivates us?

Wald，E.（2002）.English learners：motivation and self-confidence.New York City.Departmen

of Education，New York.

Wu，V，L.and Marek，M.（2011）.Using online EFL interaction to increase confidence，motivation，and ability.Educational Technology & Society，14（3），118129.