Page 8 - ELG2205 May Issue 480

RESEARCH NEWS .

Wake up, this is your teacher speaking

A look at motivational strategies in the EFL classroom

By Gillian Ragsdale
EFL Students, especially the less
proficient, may not view teachers’ PHOTO BY PIXABAY
motivational strategies as intended,
according to a study by Moon Hong
Min and Yuah Chon, at Hanjany
University, South Korea.
While there have been many
studies proposing motivational
strategies for language teaching,
Min and Chon’s focus was on
the learner’s experience and how
effective such strategies actually
are in improving language
proficiency. To do this, they
developed a 40-item questionnaire
asking students and teachers to
agree or disagree with statements
based on an established model for
developing motivation: ARCS
(Keller 1987).
The four subscales of the
questionnaire were based on the
four ARCS components:
• Attention-getting: eg, ‘Q1. T
makes use of a variety of visual low motivation that may be all Despite the disparity between as becoming a nurse or flight
and auditory materials.’ too familiar: the strategies as overtly intended attendant, requiring specific
• Relevance-promoting: eg, ‘Q 13. Researcher: “What is most and the students’ perception, communication skills.
T explains in detail how successful difficult for you?” confidence building and, to Attention-getting strategies
learning is going to help me.’ Student: “I often miss what the a lesser extent, attention- were the most under-utilised,
• Confidence-building: eg, ‘Q 27. teacher is saying. I feel so sleepy, I getting strategies were strong yet still predicted proficiency,
T allows us to control the pace can’t understand or concentrate.” predictors of student proficiency, indicating that these kinds of
of learning.’ Analyses of the responses although relevance promoting or strategies, using the students’
• Satisfaction-generating: the showed that students’ perceptions satisfaction generating did not interests as well as novelty to
outcome of the previous three of the strategies used in the predict proficiency. arouse their curiosity, have
factors that can relate to extrinsic classroom were significantly The interviews were able to untapped potential. This brings
(eg, grades) or intrinsic (eg, different to those of teachers’ – shed more light on why students’ to mind the popular description
feeling competent) motivations: on all four subscales. Students might not be either perceiving or of ‘the all-singing, all-dancing
eg, ‘Q40. The difficulty of the were generally less aware of the responding to the motivational TEFL teacher’. Such strategies
exams are appropriate, neither strategies being used, but were strategies attempted by their are a major time and energy
easy nor difficult.’ most likely to notice strategies to teachers. When interviewed, investment for teachers, so it’s
build confidence, then relevance, some students reported that good to know that they really do
Two hundred and forty-six satisfaction and, lastly, attention. teachers’ efforts appeared to be motivate students and increase
16-17-year-old students and Teachers’ responses showed focused on the more proficient proficiency.
their 12 teachers from private that attention-getting was in fact students, making lower-level Lack of real-world consequences
high schools in Gangneung, the least-used strategy and cited students feel apathetic and may also be largely why ‘satisfaction’
South Korea, completed the time pressure due to curriculum alienated. The authors suggest scores were low and did not
questionnaires. Students also gave constraints. When interviewed, that tapping into the students’ predict proficiency. Suggestions
their results from a recent national students commented on a lack personal motivations and for improving satisfaction include
English proficiency test and were of variability in both lesson style allowing them more control opportunities for students to apply
further categorised as having high, and content. over their learning may be their proficiency, eg, using stories,
mid- or low-level proficiency. Students’ language proficiency instrumental in reaching the games and collaborative project
Eight of the students were also significantly influenced their weaker students. work, as well as regular feedback.
interviewed in more depth. perception of teachers’ motivational With regard to promoting Simple verbal praise should not be
Throughout the account, these strategies. In particular, more ‘confidence’ and ‘relevance’, underestimated, for both students
classes were typically described proficient students were more likely some students had different ideas and teachers.
as being ‘non-communicative’ to recognise confidence-building of ‘relevance’ compared to their
in style, with several references strategies. Since confidence is teachers, resulting in ‘lack of REFERENCE
to ‘sleep-inducing’ conditions. highly motivating, this suggests motive matching’. While teachers n Min, MH and Chon, Y V (2021),
This in itself is quite a barrier to lower-level students need particular focused on college-entry exams, ‘Teacher motivational strategies for
motivation. One of these student support and are more difficult students often had other, eg, EFL learners: for better or worse’,
interviews gives an example of to reach. vocational goals in mind, such RELC Journal 52(3): 557-573.
8 May 2022