AN INVESTIGATION INTO FACTORS INFLUENCING UFLS THIRD-YEAR STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN STUDYING TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETING ONLINE

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a tremendous impact on people all over the world, leading to a broad-based disruption of education. Most universities in Vietnam including UFLS transferred face-to-face classrooms to online learning. This study was conducted to investigate factors influencing students‘ motivation and the difficulties they encounter when studying Translation and Interpreting in virtual classes. The data was collected by means of a questionnaire. The study employed IBM SPSS Statistics Software for quantitative data analysis mixed with the thematic analysis method for the analysis of open-ended questions. The findings of the study revealed that teachers, classmates, interests in subjects, values and selfregulated learning are factors playing a pivotal role for students in strengthening motivation when taking online classes. Situational problems, the dependence on translation tools as well as lack of interaction and self-efficacy, are found to be detrimental impacts on students' motivation. It is highly recommended that group activities and self-study are effective ways to keep learners motivated in online classes.