A Survey of Boredom in English Classrooms among Non-English Major Students and Optimization Strategies: An Analysis Based on the Production-Oriented Approach

Furong Ma

doi:10.70088/vtfmq877

Authors

Furong Ma School of Foreign Languages, Xizang University, Lhasa, China Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70088/vtfmq877

Keywords:

Non-English major students, Classroom boredom, Production-Oriented Approach, College English teaching, Academic emotions

Abstract

The boredom experienced by students in college English classrooms is often subtle and has long remained on the periphery of pedagogical research. This study surveyed 150 non-English major undergraduates at a university in the western regions of China (with 133 valid questionnaires returned), employing the Foreign Language Learning Boredom Scale developed by Li, Dewaele, and Hu (2023) to examine the current state of boredom in English classrooms across three dimensions: general foreign language classroom boredom, task-underload boredom, and task-overload or meaning-deficit boredom. Results indicated that the mean total boredom score was 44.42 (SD = 14.35), approaching the theoretical median of 48, yet with significant inter-individual variation. The average scores across the three dimensions were nearly identical (ranging from 2.77 to 2.78), suggesting that the boredom experience presents a complex pattern characterized as "overall manageable yet locally prominent, with notable individual differentiation." A lack of classroom engagement, monotonous task design, and a deficiency in perceived value constitute the threefold triggering mechanism for boredom. Grounded in the teaching process of the Production-Oriented Approach (POA)—"Motivating–Enabling–Assessing"—this paper proposes mitigation strategies from four aspects: optimizing the motivating stage, refining the enabling stage, improving the assessment stage, and constructing a supportive classroom environment. It also acknowledges the study's limitations, including a single-source sample, cross-sectional data, and strategies not yet empirically tested.

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