The role of EFL learners’ demotivation, perceptions of classroom activities, and mastery goal in predicting their language achievement and burnout

Abstract

The present study aims at delving into English as foreign language students' demotivation, burnout, mastery goal orientation, and perceptions of classroom activities. This is accomplished by building a causal structural model through which the associations among the constructs are estimated. The Persian version of the 'de-motivation scale' designed by Sakai and Kichuki (System 37:57-69, 2009) is used to assess demotivation. It measures six constructs: teachers, characteristics of classes, experiences of failure, class environment, class materials, and lack of interest. To gauge burnout, student version of 'Maslach Burnout Inventory' (Schaufeli et al., Psychology, 33(5): [464][465][466][467][468][469][470][471][472][473][474][475][476][477][478][479][480][481] 2002) is employed. It measures three dimensions of burnout, namely, emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and academic inefficacy. The Persian version of the 'Students Perceptions of Classroom Activities' scale designed by Gentry and Gable (My class activities: A survey instrument to assess students' perceptions of interest, challenge, choice, and enjoyment in their classrooms, 2001) is utilized in determining student perceptions of their classes. The scale assesses four perceptions: interest, challenge, choice, and joy. Students' goal orientation is measured by the translated version of ' Achievement Goal Orientation Inventory' designed by Midgley et al. (Contemporary Educational Psychology, 23 (2):113-31, 1998). The results display a good overall fit of the proposed model with the empirical data. In particular, demotivators positively and significantly predict student burnout and the two internal demotivators namely, 'lack of interest' and 'experiences of failure' negatively and significantly impact on student mastery goal orientation. The results also indicate that student burnout negatively and significantly predict student mastery goal orientation and positive perceptions of classroom activities. Student perceptions of interest and joy, on the other hand, positively and significantly play an important role in mastery goal orientation. Student perceptions and mastery goal orientation have positive effects on student achievement.

Are Filipino Students’ L2 Learning Goals Performance- or Mastery-oriented? An Explanatory Sequential Analysis

“…Thus, the second issue that warranted further qualitative inquiry is the inconsistency of the present findings with those from previous studies (Jahedizadeh et al, 2016;Macayan, 2012a;Macayan & San Jose, 2013). In contrast with the previous studies, in learning English as L2, it seems the performance orientation is the most adaptive form of goal orientation.…”

“…L2 motivation researchers endorse increasing students' goal-orientedness (Dörnyei & Csizer, 1998), understanding language learning 'goal orientations' or 'the reasons why a task is undertaken ' (p. 466), and raising the explicitness of goal orientation (Griffiths & Oxford, 2014). For one, Jahedizadeh et al (2016) used Midgley et al's (1998 Achievement Goal Orientation Inventory and found that mastery goals, along with other student factors, had positive effects on students' achievement.…”

Turkish High School Students’ English Demotivation and Their Seeking for Remotivation: A Mixed Method Research

“…For about quarter century, researchers have been working on motivating factors in language learning process and how individuals are motivated as well as focusing on factors that decrease their motivation, or the demotivating factors. (Butt, Khosa, Malghani, Khosa, & Bukhari, 2016;Jahedizadeh et al, 2016, Al-Sharief, 2013Challa, 2015;Rashidi, Rahimi, & Alimorad, 2014;Sundqvist & Scheller, 2013). It is a relatively new area of investigation, and it has been suggested to involve different mechanisms from those involved in motivation (Kim & Kim, 2015), and it is accepted as the darker side of the motivation by Hirvonen (2010).…”

“…They have attempted to determine the reasons why some students have problems in FL classes (Mohammadi, 2014). In the domain of education and specifically in the field of foreign language learning (EFL), students may face various obstacles such as learning conditions, teachers' methodologies and behaviors, inappropriate materials, or lack of learning facilities or equipment (Jahedizadeh et al, 2016).…”

“…As a theoretical construct, the concept of motivation is used to explain a process which initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented treatments (Jahedizadeh, Ghanizadeh & Ghonsooly, 2016). Therefore, motivation explains why people decide to do something, how hard they are going to pursue it and how long they are willing to sustain the activity (Dörnyei, 2001: 7).…”