Words That Propel: The Power of Motivational Quotes in the EFL Class
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1601.11Keywords:
digital motivational quotes, EFL learners, motivation, attitudes, perceptionsAbstract
Motivation plays a key role in EFL students’ academic accomplishment and engagement in learning. With a growing interest in exploring various tactics to foster student motivation, teachers’ use of motivational practices has received extensive attention. The present study aimed to explore the influence of digital motivational quotes on Saudi EFL students’ overall attitudes and motivation toward learning English. To this end, one hundred undergraduates majoring in English were selected, through random sampling, to respond to the mini version of the Attitudes/Motivation Test Battery (Gardner & MacIntyre, 1993). Divided into control and experimental groups, the latter received a set of digital motivational quotes for ten weeks. To detect any possible effect, both groups responded to the same scale. Qualitative data was also obtained to further confirm the quantitative data. Results showed that motivation levels were moderate before the treatment and increased significantly among the experimental group students afterward. The increase was evident in all categories of motivation. Qualitative data analysis indicated that the intervention fostered students’ motivation, specifically by empowering them to overcome challenges and maintain a positive attitude and a determined mindset. These findings have informative implications for teachers, educators, and syllabus designers.
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