Motivational behaviors of teachers in Turkish EFL classes: Perception of students

Year 2014, Volume: 10 Issue: 2, 120 - 133, 31.12.2014

Elçin Ölmezer Öztürk Selami Ok

Abstract

Motivation is regarded as one of the most important factors in language learning process and teachers try a lot to motivate their students in language classes. There have been a number of studies in the field of education to prove that teachers play important roles on student motivation (Christophel, 1990; Williams & Burden, 1997; Dörnyei, 2001a; Trang & Baldauf, 2007). In this respect, this study aimed to identify the most and least motivating teacher behaviors and their effects in language classes according to students. Participants of the study included 314 pre-intermediate students of the English preparatory program of a state university. The data were collected by means of a questionnaire administered to these participants, and 19 students were also interviewed to get in-depth data on teacher motivational behaviors. The quantitative data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, and content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. The results presented some significant insight on the most and least teacher motivation behaviors that would serve teachers as a guide for classroom implications.

Keywords

Motivation, teacher motivational behaviors, Turkish EFL students

References

• Chesebro, J. L., & McCroskey, J.M. (2001). The relationship of teacher clarity and immediacy with student state receiver apprehension, affect, and cognitive learning. Communication Education, 50(1), 59-68. DOI: 10.1080/03634520109379232.
• Christophel, D.M. (1990). The relationships among teacher immediacy behaviors, student motivation, and learning. Communication Education, 39 (4), 323-340. DOI: 10.1080/03634529009378813
• Davis, B. G. (1993). Tools for teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
• Dörnyei, Z. (1990). Conceptualizing motivation in foreign language learning. Language Learning, 40, 46-78. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-1770.1990.tb00954.x
• Dörnyei, Z. (1994). Motivation and motivating in the foreign language classroom. The Modern Language Journal, 78, 273-284. DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-4781.1994.tb02042.x
• Dörnyei, Z. (1998). Motivation in second and foreign language learning. Language Teaching, 31, 117- 135. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S026144480001315X.
• Dörnyei, Z., & Csizér, K. (1998). Ten commandments for motivating language learners: Results of an empirical study. Language Teaching Research, 2, 203-229. DOI: 10.1177/136216889800200303
• Dörnyei, Z. (2000). Motivation in action: Toward a process-oriented conceptualization of student motivation. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 70, 519- 538. DOI: 10.1348/000709900158281
• Dörnyei, Z. (2001a). Motivational strategies in the language classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Dörnyei, Z. (2001b). New themes and approaches in second language motivation research. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 21, 43-59. DOI: 10.1017/S0267190501000034
• Gardner, R. C. (1985). Social psychology and second language learning: The role of attitude and motivation. London: Edward Arnold.
• Gardner, R. C., Lalonde, R.N., & Moorcroft, R. (1985). The role of attitudes and motivation in second language learning: Correlational and experimental considerations. Language Learning, 35, 207- 227. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-1770.1985.tb01025.x
• Ginot, H. (1972). Teacher and Child. New York: Avon Books.
• Gorham, J. (1988). The relationship between verbal teaching immediacy behaviors and student learning. Communication Education, 37, 40-53. DOI: 10.1080/03634528809378702
• Gorham, J., & Christophel, D.M. (1992). Students’ perceptions of teacher behaviors as motivating and demotivating factors in college classes. Communication Quarterly, 40, 239- 252. DOI: 10.1080/01463379209369839
• Hsu, L. (2010). The impact of perceived teachers’ nonverbal immediacy on students’ motivation for learning English. Asian EFL Journal, 12 (4), 188-204.
• Levin, J., & Nolan, J. F. (1996). Principles of classroom management: A Professional decision- making mode (2n ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
• Madrid, D. (2002). The power of the FL teacher’s motivational strategies. Revista de Filología y su Didáctica, 25, 369-422.
• Oxford, R. L., & Shearin, J. (1994). Language learning motivation: Expanding the theoretical framework. The Modern Language Journal, 78, 12 -28. DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-4781.1994.tb02011.x
• Scarcella, R. C., & Oxford, R. L. (1992). The tapestry of language learning: the individual in the communicative classroom. Boston: Heinle and Heinle.
• Trang, T. T. T., & Baldauf, R. B. (2007). Demotivation: Understanding resistance to English language learning- the case of Vietnamese students. The Journal of Asia TEFL, 4(1), 79-105.
• Top, E. (2009). Motivatioanal effect of teacher strategies from the teachers’ and students’ points of view (Unpublished master thesis). Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon.
• Velez, J. J., & Cano, J. (2008). The relationship between teacher immediacy and student motivation. Journal of Agricultural Education, 49(3), 76-86.
• Vural, S. (2007). Teachers’ and students’ perceptions of teacher motivational behavior (Unpublished master thesis). Bilkent University, Ankara.
• Warden, C., & Lin, H. J. (2000). Existence of integrative motivation in Asian EFL setting. Foreign Language Annals, 33(5), 535- 547. DOI: 10.1111/j.1944-9720.2000.tb01997.x
• Williams, M., & Burden, R. (1997). Psychology for language teachers. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
• Winke, P. M. (2005). Promoting motivation in the foreign language classroom. Center for Language Education and Research, 9(2), 2-11.
• Yabancı dil sınıflarında motive edici öğretmen davranışları: Öğrencilerin Algısı