如何激发大学生在他们的外语学习【关键词】大学生；英语学习；动机；激发 .IntroductionWith Chinas entry into the WTO, China catches up with the world gradually. At the same time, English, as an international language and a communicative tool, becomes more and more important. In the 21st century and the next centuries, English will be used in peoples work, in their study and almost everywhere in their daily life, so learning English well has realistic and far-reaching historic significance to people in modern times.And how can we learn English well? Motivation is the key to the success of English learning. Motivation is the psychological motivation which encourages people to take action. Human activities are derived from fairly motivation. The relevant researches of study theory show that learners themselves play a decisive role in the effect of study. The study activities are learners things in the final analysis. As the college students, how do we learn the foreign language? What is our leaning motivation? How to motivate university students in our FL learning？In my thesis, I will expound the definition of motivation and category of motivation. Then I will give some examples of my classmates learning motivation. After knowing the definition of motivation and university students learning motivation, it will talk about how to promote students motivation in FL learning. According to the discussion of motivation, students know more about their actuality and requirements and teachers know more about their teaching. Motivating students in their FL learning is not only giving a great help to our study, but will also guide us in our future teaching. Overview of MotivationA. Definition of MotivationEnglish learning motivation is closely related to learns achievementstudents who have strong motivation on English learning always have good achievement, and vice versa. Motivation is non-intellective factor, it has instability. English teachers should excavate students motivation of learning English completely, and make their passion of learning English run through the process of the whole study. This is benefit to the students. English teachers want to take measures to motivate students learning passion. First, they should understand the essence of motivation. Williams.M and R.L.Burden1 put forward their motivate model containing the quality of cognitive and social constructivist on the base of discussing various motivate theories. Motivation is a state of cognitive and emotional arousal. It leads to a conscious decision to act and a period of sustained intellectual and/or physical effort.2Therefore, how to definite the motivation in foreign language learning? Canada psychologist professor Gardner has ever pointed that:“Motivation is the integration of the wish that to learn some kind of language and to take a great effort on it and maintain the good attitude of learning some kind of language. Learning motivation is the inner power of driving to promote students learning. As a nonintellectual factor, it makes indirect effect on learning”. 3B. Category of Motivation1. Integrative Motivation and Instrumental MotivationThe experts Gardner and Lambert divided motivation into integrative motivation and instrumental motivation based on lots of researches. 4 Integrative motivation refers to the purpose of learning language is to understand and contact with people who use this language, they are really interested in those peoples culture and ways of life. Macroscopic properties of this kind of motivation is obviously subject to the family, social, cultural, economic, political and other environmental factors. Instrumental motivation refers to the purpose of learning language is to have economic and other benefits, because it is conducive to some of the“instrumental type” goals, such as reading a foreign publications to obtain information, going to work in a foreign enterprise, enhancing the promotion or passing examinations.2. Extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivationAccording to Self-Determination theory of Noels and other researchers, motivation is divided into extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation.5 Extrinsic motivation refers to learners behaviors are based on some purposes of instrumental type, such as winning the reward or avoid punishment. It is divided into three categories: external regulation, interjected regulation and identified regulation. Intrinsic motivation refers to the individual heart is interested in learning activities and satisfied in activities. It is divided into intrinsic motivation of knowledge, accomplishment and stimulation. Illustration of Students Learning MotivationA. Examples of Instrumental Motivation1. Learning English to Increase Career PossibilityTo find a lucrative and well-paid job is the chief concern of college students upon graduation. Career opportunity, nevertheless, is not easy to obtain in the more competitive talent market. An ever-inc