The Effects of Teachers’ Motivational Strategies on Learners’ Motivation: A Controlled Investigation of Second Language Acquisition

Abstract

While consensus exists about the critical role of learners’ motivation in second language acquisition, controlled investigations of the effects of teachers’ motivational strategies are limited. The research reported here used a quasi‐experimental design to assess the effects of motivational strategies used by Saudi English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers (N= 14) on Saudi EFL learners’ (N= 296) self‐reported learning motivation. The experimental treatment involved class‐time exposure to 10 preselected motivational strategies over an 8‐week period; the control group received traditional teaching methods. Multivariate analyses revealed a significant rise in learner motivation over time exclusively or predominantly among experimental vs. control learners, which held robust even when controlling for pretreatment group differences. These results provide compelling evidence that teachers’ motivational behaviors cause enhanced motivation in second language learners.

The Use of PBL (Problem-Based Learning) in Improving the Student Performance in Navigation 3 (Terrestrial and Coastal Navigation)

“…Teaching methods change, is disputed, and new methods are suggested as the pendulum swings between operant conditioning and constructivist theories of education. This supports the general consensus that motivation is critical for students' learning [1].…”

The motivational dimension of language teaching

“…But Guilloteaux & Dörnyei (2008) point out that contrasting results for different (mixed-ability) classes in the same schools strongly suggests it is the teacher doing the motivating. Their argument has been strengthened by the subsequent quasi-experimental studies in which teachers specially trained in MotS produce positive changes in their learners' motivation over the length of a course (Moskovsky et al 2012) and even generate better L2 achievement, at least when compared to 'traditional teaching' as practised in Saudi Arabia (Alrabai 2016).…”

“…The practical and ethical challenges involved in such research no doubt explain why quasi-experimental interventions -involving attempts to control intervening variables and gaining permission form diverse stakeholders (e.g. as in Moskovsky et al 2012;Alrabai 2016) -make up such a tiny proportion of the research reviewed in this paper, yet such studies are to be encouraged because they offer the most persuasive evidence of motivational impact. They do not need to be large-scale, as long as the intervention itself is theoretically sound and implemented consistently, and appropriate statistical procedures are used (see Rosenzweig & Wigfield (2016) for an authoritative review of motivation interventions in science, technology, engineering and maths subjects).…”

“…More sophisticated are those studies which actually evaluate the motivational effectiveness of MotS in terms of learners' behaviour in class and their self-reported motivation (Guilloteaux & Dörnyei 2008;Papi & Abdollahzadeh 2012;Wong 2014). The most ambitious of all are the quasi-experiments (Moskovsky et al 2012;Alrabai 2016) which identify a set of contextually promising MotS, train teachers in using them, and then compare their motivational effects on classes of students against that of traditional teaching. This last type of study has only been conducted in Saudi Arabia to date, possibly because of the difficulties of gaining ethical approval in many contexts.…”

Exploring the Motivational Strategies Practiced by Pakistani EFL Teachers to Motivate Students in Learning English Language

“…The past research studies have confirmed that teachers who practice motivational strategies in L2 learning process can easily Influence the L2 learner's motivation. The study by Moskovsky et al (2013) conducted a study to examine the effects of motivational strategies employed by EFL teachers to stimulate the motivation of learners in context of Saudi Arabia by following framework of Dornyei (1994). The findings of this study portrayed that teacher practiced motivational strategies which highly influenced the motivation of L2 learners.…”