The Motivational Divide: EFL Teachers’ Beliefs About Student Motivation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1506.24Keywords:
L2 motivation, teachers’ beliefs, motivational divide, classroom motivationAbstract
Researchers and practitioners typically view motivation as a key factor in successful language learning. As teachers strive to motivate their students in language classrooms, they develop divergent opinions regarding the extent to which their students are motivated. Characterizing this as a motivational divide, this study attempts to affirm the existence of this divide and closely investigate other related teachers’ beliefs that may further reinforce it. A questionnaire was employed to explore 48 English teachers’ beliefs about learner motivation. Three groups of teachers were identified: the largest percentage believed that students were motivated, followed by almost equal percentages of those who believed that students were unmotivated or those neutral. Several related beliefs seem to contribute to this divide, especially the stereotypical perceptions of Saudi students and beliefs that students do not appreciate the future value of studying English as a foreign language, along with judgments about the signs of student classroom engagement. Generally, a pattern was observed in the teachers’ responses to most statements, indicating the existence of a motivational divide. This study concludes by stressing the importance of teachers’ beliefs about learner motivation in effective motivational classroom practices.
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