The Impact of EFL Teacher Motivational Strategies on Student Motivation to Learn English in Costa Rica

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher motivational strategies and student motivation. Previous research has shown a positive relationship between EFL student motivation and student acquisition of the target language; however, little work has been done to explore what EFL teachers can do to generate, foster, and maintain the motivation of their students. The present study uses the MOLT scheme (as developed by Guilloteaux and Dörnyei, 2008) in middle and high school classrooms in Costa Rica. Student self-reported questionnaire data was compared to student and teacher classroom observation data. The study found strong positive correlations between student motivation and all aspects of the teacher’s motivational practice except ‘teacher discourse,’ suggesting that a teacher who speaks too frequently in the EFL classroom may impede student motivation.

Jones, Madeline. 2019. The Impact of EFL Teacher Motivational Strategies on Student Motivation to Learn English in Costa Rica. UGA Working Papers in Linguistics 4, 15–33. The Linguistics Society at UGA: Athens, GA.