Teachers’ motivational practice and student motivation in the EFL classroom: A literature review

Abstract

The aim of this review is to survey the research area on motivational strategies for teachers in different EFL settings. Research on motivation in the L2 has for a long period of time focused on the role of motivation in the L2 learning process and has established its great importance for learning. Early research focused to a great extent on defining motivation and identifying important components. In the early 90s, a shift of focus took place with a new interest in strategies, making the teacher role a central aspect. This paper analyses research on teachers’ beliefs regarding the importance of motivational strategies and frequency of use in the EFL classroom in different cultural contexts. It compares the results to evaluate what motivational strategies teachers believe to increase student motivation the most when learning English as a foreign language. The review shows that there is agreement among teachers from different cultural backgrounds on which strategies are most important. However, few studies to date have tested the strategies in relation to English achievement and learning benefits.