Abstract and Key Words

Abstract：This study aims to investigate EFL motivation of English majors from private colleges. Questionnaires are carried out to identify the intensity of their EFL motivation. The results show that: 1) Among the seven motivation factors (intrinsic interest, immediate achievement, learning situation, going abroad, social responsibility, individual development and information media), the mean score of individual development is the highest, while that of going aroad is lowest. 2) Juniors & seniors have more intense motivation for personal development than freshmen & sophomores, and the difference between them is significant.
  
Key Words：EFL motivation; students in private colleges
                    
摘　要: 本研究通过问卷对民办本科院校英语专业英语学习动机进行调查研究。研究结果如下: 1)在七种动机类型中（内在兴趣、证书动机、信息媒介、个人发展、外部压力、学习情境、及出国），个人发展因素对民办英语专业本科生学习动机影响最大，出国因素影响最小。2）民办本科院校英语专业高年级学生英语学习动机比低年级学生受个人发展因素影响更显著。

关键词：英语专业学习动机; 民办本科学生

Survey on English Majors’ EFL Motivation                        
1.Introduction
Learning motivation is a psychological factor, which affects the foreign language learning behaviors. Different students show different types of learning motivation, which affects the persistence and stability of the learning behaviors. Many studies in this field have been done both abroad and at home by a lot of researchers and educators. However, there is a lack of research on learning motivation of English majors from private colleges. This study aims to investigate the EFL motivation of English majors from private colleges in order to provide useful reference for English teaching and learning.
2. Literature review and theoretical framework
2.1 Definitions of motivation
Motivation seems to be a simple term that people use widely in everyday life. However, so far there has not been a wildly accepted concept on the meaning of motivation. The following is Williams and Burdens' definitions of motivation, which is relatively acceptable in the scientific field.
According to Williams and Burden (1997,120), motivation referred to a state of cognitive and emotional arousal, which led to a conscious decision to act, and which gave rises to a period of sustained intellectual or physical effort in order to attain a previously set goals. From this definition, we can see that a combination of different influences, including the internal and eternal factors lead to the occurrence of motivation.