Investigating Vietnamese high school students’ demotivation in EFL learning

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the specific factors that demotivate Vietnamese high school students in learning English and the factors that help them overcome their demotivation. The study was conducted in the context that there had not been adequate research on students’ demotivation because most researchers had mainly focused on motivation, and especially, the demotivation of high school students had not been examined sufficiently in Vietnam. This study was designed and conducted as qualitative research with an explanatory case study method. The participants who were the students from grade 10 to grade 12 at both public and private high schools in Ho Chi Minh City were interviewed individually in detail. The result showed that there were 7 categories of demotivating factors and 11 categories of remotivating factors that were specifically presented. This result is a good reference for teachers and educators to improve English learning and teaching. Some suggestions for further research were also proposed.