The Relationship between Undergraduates´ English Performances in School and Motivations to Participate in English Learning Outside of School in China: An Empirical Study

As the world is becoming more global, English as a common language of the world is becoming more and more important in various fields. Nearly all the universities have opened English courses in China; however, there are many students, whether have very poor or very good English performance in school, willing to spend money in participating in English training outside of school. This paper is designed to explore the relationship between undergraduates´ English performances in school and motivations to participate in English learning outside of school in China by empirical methods. The results show: the motivations contain development, interest, showing, to go abroad, situations, to obtain employment, and to escape from reality; among which students at different levels of performance have different motivations on interest, to escape from reality, and situations.