A STUDY ON THE USE OF CLASSROOM DISCIPLINE AS MOTIVATION FOR SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION IN THE CONTEXT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEAC

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2.5. Implications to motivation in Second Language Acquisition 31
PART III: CONCLUSION 33
REFERENCE 34
APPENDIX 35
LIST OF TABLES AND GRAPHS
List of tables
Page
Table 1: Opinions on causes of indiscipline 24
Table 2: Choices of disruptive behaviours 26
Table 3: Solutions to classroom indiscipline 27
List of graph
Graph 1: Opinions on causes of discipline 24

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PART I: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale of the Study
Methods to achieve a successfully carried out language lesson have been under
investigation for decades. And as pedagogical theorists go in different directions towards this
ends, they come up with significantly dissimilar results, among which researches into discipline
problems as means of motivation for second language acquisition are increasingly prominent. It
has been pointed out that apparently the success of a given language lesson can be threatened by
any single student who misbehaves in class. Thus, the minimization of these disruptive
behaviors would mean the less chance of rule – breaking as well as the more likelihood of
motivation from the students.
There have been numerous studies in second language acquisition, yet not many of them
refer to the aspects of discipline in motivating second language acquisition. This study would
contribute a different look at one of the factors of second language acquisition that have been
under investigation for ages.
Also, it is the writer’s personal interests, as a language teacher, in the field of managing
discipline in language classrooms and motivating students in their second language acquisition.
Hopefully, the study would become handy for those who share the same interests and concerns
about the problems as well as the solutions suggested.
2. Significance of the Study
Studies on types of motivation for second language acquisition, as pointed out, have
been going on for a long time, among which discipline is rarely under research. This study shall
equip teachers with knowledge about all codes of disciplines and the methods to use them
effectively to motivate students in their study.
Therefore, this study, hopefully, would be of contribution in an area where lots of studies
are needed.

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3. Scope of the Study
The study mainly deals with the practical issues of second language acquisition in the
classroom, therefore only the main theoretical aspects of linguistics shall be under discussion in
the study.
The study seeks to deal with problems occurring in a language classroom in the first
place. It is, therefore, not the writer’s wish to trace the problems as far as the deep – rooted
psychological features of the students, which would otherwise turn the study into a psychology
oriented rather than an applied linguistic one.
4. Aims of the Study
It is the writer’s first and foremost aim to provide theoretical knowledge about discipline
management, motivation maintenance and second language acquisition. This is made possible
by a systematic analysis of language scholars and writers’ studies. A considerable number of
theorists being analyzed would make sure the validity and credibility of the study.
The study is designed in a way that different kinds of possible interferences are under
investigation, and so are ways to maintain discipline and motivate language acquisition in a
language classroom. It also goes further to point out specific steps towards helping teachers in a
certain classroom to make the most use of their lesson time and prevent disruptive behaviors in
class.
5. Overview of the Study
The Study would be developed into two main Chapters, in which Chapter I would be
spent on the theoretical background to the issue under investigation, including theories on
discipline, motivation, second language acquisition and their interrelationships.
The findings from this review of literature would create a basis for the actual research to
follow in Chapter II. The research would be carried out in the form of a questionnaire, supported
by follow up interviews will teachers and students. The data shall be analyzed and discussed in
full details with different options for recommendation.

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PART II: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
1. Classroom discipline
1.1 Definition of ‘discipline’:
The efforts to define discipline have been carried out in a long and exhausting period of
time. A satisfactory definition of discipline, however, has not yet been agreed on. Pedagogical
theorists go in diversed directions to define and come back with significantly different
outcomes, which serves to emphasize that research into this field are yet open and very
promising.
Oxford Learner’s Dictionary (1996) puts discipline as ‘the practice of making people
obey rules or standards of behaviours and punishing them when they do not’.
In Oxford Advanced Dictionary (1995), discipline is referred to as ‘the training or
control, often using a system of punishment, aimed at producing obedience to rules’.
Webster’s New World Dictionary defines Discipline as “training that develop self –
control, character, orderliness and efficiency”, “accepting of or submission to authority and
control”, and “a system of rules or methods or the conduct of members of a monastic order”.
Webster defines “to discipline is to develop by instruction and exercise”. Discipline is teaching
and learning, it is not punishment. Discipline is two-dimensional, for it involves both imposed
and self discipline.
Penny Ur in ‘A Course in Language Teaching’ (1996) accepts the view of discipline as a
synthesis presence of a number of complementary factors. She also emphasizes the equal
importance among the factors as well as pictures the general look of a disciplined classroom (p.
259):
‘ The phrase ‘classroom discipline’ has for most teachers as immediate clear meaning,
but it is in fact quite a complex concept, and hard to define in word. One way into such a
definition is to start by brainstorming all the ideas that seem to you to be comprised in it.
The concept of discipline:
control
agree
contract
accept
(ground) rule
responsibilities

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rewards
respects
norms
obey
authoritarian
routine
smooth
power
consistent
efficient
punishments
behaviour
authority
authoritative
cooperation
Smooth-running process is the main outward manifestation of discipline in the
classroom, as it is in any other organization; and there has to be co-operation of participants in
order to produce this. It must be noted, however, that co-operation between students, or between
students and teacher is not necessarily either willing or democratic: it may well be a result of
coercion or fear. There are all sorts of ways of bringing it about, you have your own ideas about
what methods are ethically, educationally, personally or practically acceptable and which are
not.’
A briefer and possibly more sensible definition is later stated by Penny Ur (1996, p.270)
which has it that ‘Classroom discipline is a state in which both teachers and learners accept and
consistently observe a set of rules about behaviors in the classroom whose function is to
facilitate smooth and efficient teaching and learning in the lesson.’
A course team from Deakin University, Victoria (Expectations about classrooms, 1981),
go further to explain discipline problems in the light of interpersonal relationships between
teachers and learners. In this exhaustive research, they investigate the different theories of
interpersonal relationships, human needs and the therapeutic relationship in teaching and
learning, all of which help pave the ways for discipline problems to be discussed and analyzed.
Jeremy Harmer (1991, p. 249) refers to disruptive behaviours as one way of defining
discipline. His main concerns lie in the reasons for discipline and the trends towards the
emergence of the disruptive behaviors:
‘At some stage of their lives, all teachers encounter disruptive behavior- a student or
students whose behaviors gets in the way of the class. Such outbursts are frequently hostile to
the teacher or the other students and they can be difficult to deal with.’
Disruptive behavior is not confined to one age group. Eleven-year-olds can become
incredibly unruly and noisy, and adolescents may become completely unresponsive and

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uncooperative. Adult students are disruptive in different ways. They may publicly disagree with
the teacher or try to become the class character to the detriment of their peers. There are a lots of
ways of a disrupting a class.’
Whether discipline and discipline problems are discussed either directly or indirectly,
subjectively or objectively, it all boils down to a number of sub factors. First, it is the learners
and the teachers who play the primary role in managing a disciplined atmosphere in the
classroom. In the light of Communicative Language Teaching, where the roles of the learners
and the learner-centred concept are the main concern, the teacher’s importance, seemingly, is
underestimated. When it comes to solving classroom problems, however, the teacher’s role is
more than needed with all the discipline management tools at their disposal. The learning
environment is also an indispensable factor in shaping a smooth- running process in the
language classroom. This may be a composite of the classroom itself, the lesson routines, the
audio-visual aids, etc. The triangle of the teacher, the learner and the environment are the
ultimate subjects concerning classroom discipline that researchers have been trying to filter and
analyze.
I.2. Types of classroom discipline:
“Throughout the history of classroom education, many different types of disciplinary
systems have been applied by teachers and other authority figures in schools for the sole purpose
of controlling student behaviour. These systems include corporal punishment, psychological
abuse or neglect and assertive discipline”.
The types of classroom discipline are different nowadays that corporal punishment has
been considered illegal in some countries. Even in Vietnam, hardly any classes use corporal
punishment as a means of classroom discipline, especially with language classes where students
are all expected to behave themselves. However, discipline is still an issue under investigation in
language classrooms, as this is an important factor leading to the success of learner’s language
acquisition. Once the students behave well in class, they will be more motivated in their study,
thus the chances of success in language learning are greater to them.
Followings are example of some methods for dealing with classroom discipline that have
been investigated in the research.

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 Non-verbal communication: Body language, facial expressions, gestures, eye contact,
and physical proximity all can be effective in promoting self-control by the student
(Jones). It important that a teacher is aware enough to be able to recognize when
misbehavior may occur, and to have non-verbal methods to prevent escalation. Kounin
refers to this level of awareness as "Withitness" .
 Reminders/Requests: It is possible that a verbal reminder of the classroom rules and
consequences will be all that is necessary to stop student misbehavior (Curwin and
Mendler).
 Redirecting Behavior: Upon an act of misbehavior, a teacher may describe the action to
the student and suggest an acceptable alternative action. The student usually only has to
be reminded of what he is supposed to be doing. For example, "Instead of reading that
newspaper, I would like you to work on your homework for the next five minutes. You
can read the paper later."
 Dealing with attention-seeking students: If a teacher ignores an attention seeking
student, the misbehavior usually escalates to a level which eventually cannot be ignored.
Therefore, it is best if the teacher can redirect the student’s behavior, and attempt to give
the student attention when he is not demanding it. This method encourages students to
seek motivation from within, instead of depending on attention from without (Dreikurs)
 Avoid Power Struggles: It is important that the authority figure in the classroom (the
teacher) not engage in power struggles with students. It is best to redirect a power-
seeking student's behavior by offering some position of responsibility or decision
making.
 Address the behavior, not the character of the student: The teacher has the power to
build or destroy student self concept and personal relationships. Good communication
addresses the situation directly, letting the student decide whether their behavior is
consistent with what they expect of themselves (Glasser).
 Invoking Consequences: To be effective, consequences must be applied consistently.
They should never be harmful physically or psychologically to the student. When they

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are invoked, the student should understand that he has chosen them by misbehaving
(Cantor and Cantor).
 Prevent Escalation: Sometimes students are unwilling to listen to the teacher. At this
point, a teacher can help prevent misbehavior from escalating by talking (and listening)
with the student privately, and rationally discuss the problem behavior. The privacy
enhances the possibility for a constructive discussion. Confrontation with an unwilling
student could make the teacher appear weak in front of the class (Curwin and Mendler).
I.3. Definition of ‘motivation’:
Generally speaking, teachers know intuitively what is meant by motivation. They believe
they can tell whether the learners are actively taking part in the activities and performing
fruitfully or not. They are sensitive to any changes in the learners’ psychological manifestation
in the classroom. They react differently to these changes with the hope to re-motivate their
students in their learning process. In all the cases, motivation referred to as the key factor in
eliciting perfect performance from the learners.
As overused as the term may sound, learners’ motivation in language teaching and
learning have been favored by pedagogical theorists for decades. Needless to say, studies into
this very field can be found in a million. Although different theorists come to contact with the
term from different directions, they seem to vote on one single agreement, which has it that
‘Learners’ motivation makes teaching and learning immeasurably easier and more pleasant, as
well as more productive’.
In the book entitled ‘Expectations about classrooms’, the course team from Deakin
University, Victoria (1981) had done a series of researchers and studies before reaching to a
conclusion regarding the definition of motivation (p. 61):
‘Motivation is the term used to describe what energizes a person and directs his activity.
These two notions of energy and direction are at the concept of motivation.’
‘Motivation is one of the factors, like intellectual ability or prior learning that affects
whether the pupil will gain the knowledge we want him to have. The motivated pupil will learn
more effectively, the unmotivated pupil is likely to cause disturbances in the classroom’.

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Penny Ur (1996, p.277-p.280) pays due attention to the outward manifestation of a
motivated classroom rather than its underlying causes. As it is stated, she finds it easier and
more useful to think of the definition of motivation in terms of the motivated learner: one who is
willing or even eager to invest effort in learning activities and to progress.
Interestingly, in the search to avoid the negative extreme of the learners where they
become frustrated, dissatisfied with the class, the teacher and the lesson and want to drop out,
methodologists have restlessly come up with new ideas on boosting, stirring and motivating
learners. In one such study, Bernard Spolsky (1989, p.83) quotes one of Gardner’s remarks:
‘Motivation involves four aspects, a goal, effortful behaviour, a desire to attain the goal
and favorable attitudes towards the activity in question. These four aspects are not
undimensional’.
He then goes on to further analyze the four aspects, which eventually leads him to his
three components of motivation in the socio-educational model: attitudes towards learning the
second language, desire to learn the language, and effort made to learn the language. The
reasons could not be simpler: Readers are open to understanding the term as they wish equipped
with an intensively and extensively possible background information on its lengthy history. The
view can either be shared or be argued but it is worth careful consideration and judgment from
the readers before any conclusion could be reached.
Among the many pedagogical theorists on language teaching methodology and
motivation particularly, the writer would choose to analyze three representatives with their
research into the definition of motivation, in terms of its components, its classification and its
underlying causes.
Generally speaking, the attitudes towards learning the second language will pave ways
for the desire to learn the language and the effort made to learn it. The latter two components
can easily be realised once the attitudes are established. In his analysis of earlier works, Bernard
Spolsky (1898, p. 85) introduces two kinds of attitudes:
‘The first is integrativeness, a cluster of attitudes relating to outgroups and foreign
languages in general as well as attitudes towards the specific language community and

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integrative orientation to language study. The second is attitudes towards the language situation
as a whole, including the teacher and the course itself’.
The choice of attitudes will accordingly affect the other two factors, hence the difference
in ways of motivating a given learner. Being a teacher trainee, one is supposed to be fully aware
of the needs and wants of learners, in order to best motivate them in their study.
Interrelationship between discipline and motivation in the language classroom:
The understanding of the interrelationship between discipline and motivation can be
triggered by considering the following situation which is proposed by the course team from
Deakin University (1981):
Jim has always been bothersome in Mr. A’s class. Jim constantly talks loudly to those
near him, pokes other pupils, drop books and other materials on the floor, fails to complete set
tasks on time and fires wet paper across the room. Then one warm mid-morning, shortly a curt
sharp warning, ‘shut up, Jim!’, Mr. A erupted in an essay period. Jim had knocked his books and
writing materials to the floor during a noisy scuffle with the boy next to him. ‘You clumsy,
stupid, crazy idiot!’ shouted Mr. A as he rushed to Jim’s seat and grabbed him by the scuff of
the neck. ‘Stand up! Get to the back of the room! Yes! There! Stand in that corner away from
everyone! You stay there till lunchtime! When others go for lunch, come to me to fix times for
you to stay in to complete your essay without disrupting others!’.
Were Mr. A’s actions justified? Would you have done the same? Why? What
implications, if any, do Mr. A’s actions have for motivating Jim in the future? Are other ways of
dealing with the situation which would have motivating Jim?
The preceding situation draws attention to the importance of proper motivation devices
towards dealing with discipline problems in the classroom. Evidently, the more proper the
devices are, the more chances there will be for discipline problems to be solved, hence the
increased amount of motivation available. At the first glance, this sounds like a vicious circle
where one thing leads to another before culminating in itself. A more thorough look at the
situation will result in quite a different feeling of the relationship between discipline and
motivation.

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