ABSTRACT

Purpose: Higher vocational education in China has been a focus of long-term development and has received significant attention in terms of equipping students with practical oral English skills for the globalised technical industry. Efforts are being made to enhance students' intrinsic motivation in this regard. This study aimed to investigate the impact of two teaching methods, autonomy-supportive teaching (AST) and traditional teacher-oriented teaching (TOT), on the intrinsic motivation and oral English achievement of non-English majored students in a Chinese architectural higher vocational college. Method: The study utilised a quantitative approach based on the principles of self-determination theory (SDT). A group of 40 students participating in AST and another group of 40 students receiving TOT were randomly chosen from the first grade of the building construction major at this college. The pre-test and post-test were administered at the start and conclusion of the semester to facilitate comparison. Two sets of participants underwent an oral English examination and provided feedback on the Speaking Motivation Scale (SMS). The data was processed using the SPSS 26 software through computer analysis. Findings: As a result of the detailed support provided in the intervention, the statistical findings showed that the experimental group outperformed the control group in terms of their motivation and achievement in oral English. Implications for Research and Practice: Based on the specific context of this research, the findings of this study highlight the superior effectiveness of AST over TOT.