Date of Award
4-30-2026
Degree Type
UG Dissertation (Restricted)
Department
English
Chief Supervisor
Mr. HUNG Tsun Sing, Jason
Abstract
This study investigates the impacts of family factors on mainland Chinese middle school students’ motivation for learning L2 English speaking. Employing a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, the study collected data through an online questionnaire survey of 328 parents and in-depth semi-structured interviews with five student–parent pairs from Jinan, Shandong Province. Three principal findings are reported. First, the quality of family interaction—particularly the emotional climate of parental support and the intentionality of motivational strategies—exerts a stronger influence on students’ spoken English motivation than parental English proficiency or financial investment alone. Second, parents who create low-pressure, encouragement-based learning environments and embed English within meaningful everyday activities foster students’ intrinsic motivation more effectively than those who rely primarily on examination-oriented or drill-based approaches. Third, individual student characteristics—especially intrinsic interest and tolerance of oral anxiety—moderate the impact of family factors, with some students compensating for limited home resources through autonomous self-directed learning. These findings extend existing family capital and cultural capital frameworks by demonstrating that economic capital is a necessary but insufficient condition for motivational development, requiring the mediation of high-quality interactional support. The study offers practical implications for family education practice and for school-level guidance aimed at supporting parents in creating motivationally effective home learning environments.
Keywords
L2 English speaking motivation, family factors, second language acquisition, mixed methods, mainland China
Language
English
Copyright
The copyright of this dissertation is owned by its author. Any reproduction, adaptation, distribution or dissemination of this thesis without express authorization is strictly prohibited.
Recommended Citation
Liu, X. (2026). The impacts of family factors on mainland Chinese middle school students' L2 English speaking learning motivation: A case study of Jinan families (UG dissertation, Lingnan University, Hong Kong). Retrieved from https://commons.ln.edu.hk/eng_fyp/100