Demotivating factors in online English-speaking lessons of English major students at FPT University and possible solutions

Abstract

The prominent role of English in communication and its ubiquity in everyday life in Vietnam is indisputable, and in order to adapt to the rising demand of bilinguals for workforces, students have put a huge emphasis on mastering the Speaking skill. Becoming adept at the aforementioned skill is linked with many determining factors, one of which is the motivation of the learner. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the effectuation of online learning by the Vietnamese government, demotivation has become a subject of interest for researchers during this remote study period as it plays an important role in the academic performance of the students. In this study, we have investigated and identified the factors causing demotivation amongst English-major students at FPT University during online Speaking classes and provided possible solutions to solve this issue, in which the negative influences towards motivation were categorized into three aspects: studentrelated, teacher-related and technology-related. An explanatory sequential mixed methods research strategy was utilized and divided in two separate phrases. In the first phase, a survey questionnaire was distributed to 106 students who are participating in the target university’s English Language Bachelor program to acquire the quantitative data, in which the results were examined for key points to build the groundwork for the qualitative data collection in the second phase’s interviewing process. The findings unveiled the facets in remote learning Speaking classes which hindered English-major students from reaching their full studying capabilities: (1) vocabulary, (2) lack of confidence, (3) procrastination, (4) mundane classroom activities, (5) the teacher’s PowerPoint design, (6) slow internet speed, and (7) continuous interaction with the computer. This study will provide substantial information and implications useful for teachers at FPT University in the hopes of further improving online English-speaking classes as well as ameliorate the current e-learning experience for students.