Exploring Motivations of English Majors in China to Participate in National Teacher Certification Examinations via Data Mining

As for most English majors in China, it is usually one of the preferred and popular career choices to become English teachers. But with the continuous improvement of the entry threshold for teachers in China, passing the national teacher certification examinations (NTCE) is also becoming increasingly difficult day by day. In this context, drawing on Dörnyei's L2 Motivation Self System (L2MSS) theory and educational data mining technology, this study takes English major students from one of regional universities in Guangdong province, China as the main participants, and analyzes the status quo and type classification of their motivation via the questionnaire. The results suggest that English major students currently have strong motivation in participating in NTCE. The average value of Ideal L2 Self level is 3.747, that of L2 Learning Experience level is 3.934, and that of Ought-to L2 Self level is 3.649. Both the value of Ideal L2 Self and L2 Learning Experience level are relatively high, while that of Ought-to L2 Self level is relatively low. Through exploratory factor analysis, their motivation can be further divided into three types, namely Career Development Motivation Component, Employment-oriented Motivation Component and Situational & Emotional Motivation Component, which roughly correspond to the three dimensions of Dörnyei's L2MSS theory: Ideal L2 Self, Ought-to L2 Self and L2 Learning Experience. This study aims to provide some pedagogical implications for the reform of the English major program in a broader sense.