What Factors Contribute to a Lack of Motivation among Low-level Learners in Saudi Arabia? (DipTESOL research project) (original) (raw)
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English is hailed as one of the most popular second language among people living in different parts of the world, where it does not enjoy the status of the native language. Countries in the middle east especially Saudi Arabia has made noticeable changes in their education system, nearly at all levels to accommodate teaching of English in the curriculum. They are striving hard to make programs of teaching of English as Second language (ESL) a success. Despite all these continuous efforts low motivation level among the English learners especially females is a cause of worry for educationist in countries like Saudi Arabia. The present study is focused to look at some of the possible reasons for low motivation level in the female learners of Saudi Arabia, who study English as a second language at post-secondary level. The present study is based on personal experience, continuous observation and interaction with the students of various level and faculty members of College of Education fo...
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Motivation is essential because it highly contributes to achievement. Teachers need to motivate their students in order to develop a positive outcome. Research on motivation for foreign language learning has shown that teachers should be aware of their actions and behaviors in classroom because it is very likely that they can demotivate learners. This study explores how motivational strategies used by English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers could increase the motivation of students to learn English as a foreign language. Participants included five EFL teachers along with one hundred first-year female students. The students completed a survey while the teachers took part in an interview. Both measures aimed to explore the attitudes of both teachers and students towards motivation in the foreign language classroom. Results showed that the most used motivational strategies were: resources that satisfy the students’ needs and interests, group work, active participation in class, and praises and rewards. The findings of this study can contribute to teachers’ knowledge of the motivational strategies that work best for students especially those that are pertinent to the Saudi context to improve their current teaching methods and can contribute also to further research on motivation.