Teacher enthusiasm is considered one of the most important qualities of effective teachers. An enthusiastic teacher excites students and sparks their curiosity and motivation to learn. Teacher enthusiasm can lead to better teaching evaluations, improved student performance, and better classroom behavior. Several studies have shown that teacher enthusiasm promotes student engagement in lessons and is positively related to student achievement. Enthusiastic teachers serve as role models for students and help students develop positive attitudes and enjoyment of learning. To examine the effects of teacher enthusiasm, the researcher will survey 165 college students and 20 teachers about perceptions of instructor enthusiasm, student engagement, and motivation to learn.

1. Teaching with Enthusiasm in EFL Classes
Kamil Aksoz

2. Teacher enthusiasm is mostly
accepted as one of the most crucial
qualities and characteristics of
effective teachers. Derived from the
Greek origin meaning “possessed by
a god,” the term“enthusiasm often is
used in instruction to connote a
motivating, energetic, passionate,
and dynamic teaching style.

3. An enthusiastic teacher often spices
the class with excitement,
enjoyment, and anticipation;
engages students to participate; and
stimulates them to explore. Thus,
teacher enthusiasm sparks the
curiosity of students and jumpstarts
their motivation to learn.

4. Teacher enthusiasm can lead to
better teaching evaluations, positive
attitudes toward teachers, better
student performance, and improved
classroom behavior.

5. Teacher enthusiasm has been identified
as a prominent teacher behavior that
affects student learning (Carlise &
Phillips, 1984). Although enthusiasm is a
difficult behavior to label, it is an
important behavior for teachers to
exhibit. "Enthusiasm affects student
learning and attitudes" (Caruso, 1982, p.
47).

6. teachers enthusiastic behaviors promote
students engage in the lessons. Student
engagement is widely regarded as an effective
antidote to declining academic motivation
and performance and increasing alienation
and boredom. Behaviors that indicate
enthusiasm can be described as a group of
both positive verbal and nonverbal behaviors,
which convey an inner attitude of the teacher
outwardly, to the students.

7. the students of those teachers who
scored high on such behaviors as
“stimulating”, “energetic”, “mobile”,
“enthusiastic”, and “animated” have high
achievements. Furthermore, the
frequency of teachers’ movement,
gestures, variation in voice, and eye
contact were also positively related to the
achievement of pupils.

8. Teacher support and caring have been
found to be pivotal to student
engagement. According to Bettencourt
et al. (1983) demonstrative gestures,
varied, dramatic body movements, or
uplifting vocal delivery can hold the
attention of students more effectively
than less enthusiastic behaviors.

9. . According to the explanation (Frenzel
et al., 2009), enthusiastic teachers
become role models for their students.
In this way teacher enthusiasm helps the
students to adopt the teachers’ attitudes
in terms of enjoyment and enthusiasm
which lead to higher level of learning
activity and more positive feelings
toward learning

10. Students can be intrinsically or
extrinsically motivated to learn. For
intrinsically motivated students, they
learn for reasons such as mastery,
challenge, curiosity, and enjoyment.

11. However, extrinsically motivated
students, engaging in a learning they
learn for reasons such as
performances, grades, rewards, and
evaluations relative to others.

12. To examine the effects of teacher enthusiasm on
student engagement and motivation to learn, I will
recruit 165 college students and 20 teachers to
complete a survey in reference to the class
immediately preceding the research session. Students
will be asked to rate their perceptions of the
enthusiasm the instructor display in the classroom;
provide a self-assessment of their behavioral,
cognitive, and emotional engagement and rate their
intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to learn.