This document provides an introduction, theoretical background, research methodology, results, and conclusion for a study on motivating secondary English language students. Specifically: 1. The introduction describes the researcher's experience with demotivated English students and her interest in exploring methods to further motivate them. 2. The theoretical background section reviews concepts of motivation, theories of motivation, teacher motivational influence, motivation to learn a second language, student demotivation, and motivational strategies. 3. The research methodology section defines the research problem, questions, participants, tools, methods, strategies, and data analysis used in the study. 4. The results and conclusion sections summarize the findings of applying motivational strategies and their

1. Lebanese International University
School of Education
Department of Education
Teaching English Language and Literature at Secondary Classes
Manal Sharab Ramadan
The Effects of Selected Motivational Strategies on Student Motivation to
Become Gradually More Interested in Learning the Second Language
Mini Thesis
Submitted in partial Fulfillment to
Dr. Anwar Kawtharani
Educational Practices
Fall 2013
Beirut Campus

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TABLE OF CONTENT:
1. Introduction …………………………………………………………………...3
2. Theoretical Background ………………………………………………….…6
3. Research Methodology ………………………………………………………..20
4. Results of the research ………………………………………………………45
5. Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………. 55
6. Appendix 1
Chart 1 ……………………………………………………………….……60
Chart 2 …………………………………………………………………… 61
Chart 3 …………………………………………………………….………62
Chart 4 …….................................................................................................63
Chart 5..........................................................................................................64
7. Bibliography …………………………………………………………………. 65

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1. Introduction
The researcher started her secondary school teaching in September 2006 and
from the very short teaching experience in secondary classes, she has come across some
demotivated learners studying English and hence the interest in this subject arose. On
the basis of personal experience in the classroom, the researcher came to the opinion
that it would be possible to better motivate these students to learn English and hence
more fully engage them in the subject matter.
At the end of the school year 2006/2007, the researcher asked grade 10 learners
3 simple questions, “What did you like in my classes?”, “What did you not like in my
classes?”, and “What would you change in my classes?”. She was surprised by their
responses. Some of them said they had started to like English and that they could
finally understand the subject matter, so the researcher started to be interested in the
reasons why the learners’ attitudes had changed; as a result, she decided to explore the
possible methods to further motivate current and prospective students.
The researcher conducted study to find out whether a teacher is able to motivate
his or her students and, if so, how alongside with whether it is possible to motivate all
the demotivated students as well as the less interested ones all in the aim of turning the
passive learners into active ones and to turn the reluctant learners into willing ones.
As a result, the researcher conducted an experimental longitudinal research at a
Secondary School in Beirut, where she teaches 5 different secondary classes. Initially,
she wanted to conduct the research in all groups, but upon realising that it would not be
feasible because the students had already been under the researcher’s teaching influence
for six months, and she did not know the initial state of their motivation and
demotivation. Therefore, the decision was to conduct the research on the new students –
the first secondary grades of the scholastic year 2007/2008.

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The study has required the collection of quantitative data, and as a measuring
tool to use questionnaires with closed-ended questions.
At the beginning of the school year 2007/2008, the researcher administered
grade 10 students a questionnaire focused on their attitudes towards learning English
and towards the sources of their motivation or demotivation to study the subject matter.
After that, she started directing a longitudinal study, lasting from September 2007 to
February 2008 applying 14 selected motivational strategies to enhance students’
motivation and grow their interest in the subject matter during the study. At the end of
the research, the researcher administered the same questionnaire again with the aim of
comparing the students’ responses from September to February to see whether their
attitudes had changed and whether they had become more interested in learning the
English language.
The researcher’s presumption before the research had been that it is possible to
motivate demotivated students of English to become more interested in learning
English. The aim of this study was to confirm this presumption and to evaluate the
effectiveness of the selected motivational strategies.
The second part of the study outlines the theoretical background on motivation,
the main challenges of motivation research, theories of motivation in psychology, the
teachers´ motivational influence, motivation to learn a foreign/second language, student
demotivation, four big barriers to motivation and motivational strategies. The
theoretical part was important for the practical part, which follows.
The third part of the research deals with research methodology. First, the
research problem was defined, and then the research questions, which were crucial for
the results of the research. Participants of the research, research tool, method of the
research, used strategies and analysis of the data are also described in this part.

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The fourth part shows general results of the research and answers the research
questions.
The fifth part sums all the results of the longitudinal research into the conclusion
and relates to the presumption of the study which had been expressed at the beginning.

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2. Theoretical Background
This chapter outlines crucial concepts on motivation, motivation research,
theories of motivation in psychology, the teachers’ motivational influence, motivation
to learn a foreign/second language, student demotivation, four big barriers to motivation
and motivational strategies.
2. 1 Motivation
Motivation is one of the key issues in language learning and skills to motivate
learners are crucial for language teachers. Motivation is an abstract, hypothetical
concept that we use to explain why people think and behave as they do). Because
human behaviour has two basic dimensions – direction and magnitude (intensity) –
motivation by definition concerns both of these. It is responsible for the choice of a
particular action and the effort expended on it and the persistence with it. Therefore,
motivation explains why people decide to do something, how hard they are going to
pursue it and how long they are willing to sustain the activity.
A process-oriented approach is a novel approach in L2 motivation research; it
means that it takes a dynamic view of motivation, trying to account for the changes of
motivation over time. What most teachers find is that their students´ motivation
fluctuates; going through certain ebbs and flows. Such variation may be caused by a
range of factors, such as the phase of the school year or the type of activity that the
students face. The main assumption underlying the process oriented approach is that
motivation consists of several distinct phases. First, it needs to be generated because
generated motivation leads to the selection of the goal or task to be pursued. Second,
generated motivation needs to be actively maintained and protected while the particular
action lasts. This motivational dimension has been referred to as executive motivation,
and it is particularly relevant to learning in classroom settings, where students are

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exposed to a great number of distraction influences. Finally, there is a third phase
following the completion of the action – termed motivational retrospection – which
concerns the learners’ retrospective evaluation of how things went. These different
motivational phases appear to be fuelled by different motives.
Motivating someone to do something can involve many different things, from
trying to persuade a person directly to exerting indirect influence on him/her by
arranging the conditions or circumstances in such a way that the person is likely to
choose the particular course of action. In classroom context, it is typically a series of
nuances that might eventually culminate in a long-lasting effect.
Most discussions about motivating techniques are based on the idealistic belief
that “all students are motivated to learn under the right conditions, and that we can
provide these conditions in our classrooms (McCombs and Pope 1994: vii).
Unfortunately, this assumption is not necessarily true in every case. Realistically, it is
highly unlikely that everybody can be motivated to learn everything and even generally
motivated students are not equally keen on every subject matter.
Sometimes the best motivational intervention is simply to improve the quality of
our teaching. Similarly, no matter how competent a motivator a teacher is, if his/her
teaching lacks instructional clarity and the learners simply cannot follow the intended
programme, motivation to learn the particular subject matter is unlikely to blossom.
Given the reality of constant time pressure in many school contexts, the question
of “Whose job is it to improve motivation?” is a valid one. Teachers are supposed to
teach the curriculum rather than motivate learners, and the fact that the former cannot
happen without the latter is often ignored. It is every teacher’s responsibility to motivate
learners if they think of the long-term development of his/her students. In the short run,
preparing for tests might admittedly produce better immediate results than spending

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some of the time shaping the motivational qualities of the learner group and the
individual learners. But motivational training might be a very good investment in the
longer run, and it may also make our own life in the classroom so much more pleasant.
Teachers’ own motivation and the motivation of our learners are to a very large
extent mutually dependent. It’s not just for the learners’ sake that we want to get them
motivated to attend, arrive on time, engage with the learning and hand work in; it’s for
our own sakes, too. Because motivating learners to learn is central to who we are and
what we do as teachers, it becomes essential to our won motivation that we succeed in
this (Wallace, 2007, 1-2).
Research in this domain suggests that motivation both produces and is produced
by positive achievement (Allwright and Bailey, 1994, 184).
Motivation is the process whereby goal-directed activity is instigated and
sustained (Pintrich and Schunk, 2002, 5).
Corder´s phrase, “Given motivation, anyone can learn a language” brings out the
importance of motivation (Skehan, 1989, 49)
2. 2 Main challenges of motivation research
Researchers disagree strongly on virtually everything concerning the concept of
motivation. There are six main challenges that researchers have been confronted with,
these are,
1. consciousness vs unconsciousness – i.e. distinguishing conscious vs unconscious
influences on human behaviour
2. cognition vs affect – i.e. explaining in a unified framework both the cognitive and
the affective/emotional influences on human behaviour
3. reduction vs comprehensiveness – i.e. mapping the vast array of potential
influences on human behaviour onto smaller, theoretically driven constructs

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4. parallel multiplicity – i.e. accounting for the interplay of multiple parallel
influences on human behaviour
5. context – i.e. explaining the interrelationship of the individual organism, the
individual’s immediate environment and the broader sociocultural context
6. time – i.e. accounting for the diachronic nature of motivation – that is,
conceptualising a motivation construct with a prominent temporal axis
Although an adequate theory of motivation ought to address all these issues, no
psychological theory has even attempted to do so. There are, however, some important
ongoing changes in this respect: with the gradual decrease of the overpowering
dominance of the cognitive approach in motivation research, a number of alternative
perspectives have been put forward, and there is an increasing tendency to draw up
more balanced and integrated constructs.
2. 3. Theories of motivation in psychology
There are two focal research traditions investigating the causes of human behaviour
in psychology:
1. motivational psychology, which links behaviour to motives stemming from human
mental processes
2. social psychology, which looks at action in the light of a broader social and
interpersonal context, as reflected primarily by the individual’s attitudes
2. 3. 1 Expectancy-value theories
Underlying expectancy-value theories is the belief that humans are innately active
learners with an inborn curiosity and an urge to get to know their environment and meet
challenges, and therefore the main issue in these value theories is not what motivates
learners but rather what directs and shapes their inherent motivation. According to the

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main principles of expectancy-value theories, motivation to perform various tasks is the
product of two key factors:
- the individual’s expectancy of success in a given task
- the value the individual attaches to success on that task
The expectancy dimension of various theories is associated with the question of Can
I do this task? Researchers have emphasised a number of different factors that
determine the expectancy of success, and from an educational point of view the most
important aspects include:
- processing one´ past experiences (attribution theory)
- judging one´ s own abilities and competence (self-efficacy theory)
- attempting to maintain one´ s self-esteem (self-worth theory)
2. 3. 2 Goal theories
A great deal of early research on general human motivation focuses on basic
human needs, the most important such paradigm being humanistic psychologist
Maslow´s (1970) need hierarchy (which distinguishes five classes of needs:
physiological, safety, love, esteem, self-actualisation). In current research the concept of
a “need” has been replaced by the more specific construct of a goal, which is seen as the
“engine” to fire the action and provide the direction in which to act. Accordingly, in
goal theories the cognitive perceptions of goal properties are seen as the basis of
motivational processes. During the past decade two goal theories have become
particularly influential:
1. Goal-setting theory
2. Goal-orientation theory

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2. 3. 3 Self-determination theory
One of the most general and well-known distinctions in motivation theories is that
of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation deals with behaviour
performed for its own sake in order to experience pleasure and satisfaction, such as the
joy of doing a particular activity or satisfying one’s curiosity. Vallerand (1997) and his
colleagues have posited the existence of three subtypes of intrinsic motivation:
- to learn
- towards achievement
- to experience stimulation
Some psychologists argue that it’s possible to locate and nurture the sense of
intrinsic motivation in all learners. Carl Rogers suggests that the best way to achieve
this is by building a positive relationship between teacher and learner. One of his
famous phrases is “unconditional positive regard”. What he meant by this is that if the
teacher is able to build up a relationship of mutual trust with the learner and
demonstrate and unconditional acceptance of the learner just as he or she is, the learner
will feel sufficiently safe and valued to begin to develop his or her full potential, not
only as a learner, but also as a balanced and fulfilled human being. This process also
requires teachers to be honestly and authentically themselves and not to hide behind the
role or mask of The Teacher (Wallace, 2007, 34-35).
Extrinsic motivation has traditionally been seen as something that can undermine
intrinsic motivation: several studies have confirmed that students will lose their natural
intrinsic interest in an activity if they have to do it to meet some extrinsic requirement.
Many of our actions are probably prompted by a mixture of both intrinsic and
extrinsic reasons. In considering the relative importance of extrinsic and intrinsic

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motivation to learning, it is likely that most teachers would agree that both have a part
to play, and are in fact linked (Williams and Burden, 1997, 123).
I do not believe that the concept of intrinsic motivation is feasible to serve as the
primary concepts underlying models of motivation in education. This concept
applies best when people are freely engaging in self-chosen activities. Usually
these are play or recreational activities rather than work or learning activities
(Brophy, 2004, 12).
Deci and Ryan (1985) replaced the intrinsic/extrinsic dichotomy with a more
elaborate construct following the main principles of what the authors called self-
determination theory. According to this, various types of regulations exist and these can
be placed on a continuum between self-determined (intrinsic) and controlled (extrinsic)
forms of motivation, depending on how “internalised” they are. As Deci and Ryan
argue, if they are sufficiently self-determined and internalised, extrinsic rewards can be
combined with, or can even lead to, intrinsic motivation. Finally, Deci and Ryan /1985)
report on consistent findings that people will be more self-determined in performing a
particular behaviour to the extent they have the opportunity to experience
- autonomy (i.e. experiencing oneself as the origin of one’s behaviour)
- competence (i.e. feeling efficacious and having a sense of accomplishment)
- relatedness (i.e. feeling close to and connected to other individuals)
The theory also mentions a third type of motivation, amotivation, which refers to the
lack of any regulation, whether extrinsic or intrinsic, characterised by a “there is no
point …” feeling.
2. 3. 4 Social psychological theories
In social psychology a key tenet is the assumption that attitudes exert a directive
influence on behaviour since someone’s attitude towards a target influences the overall
pattern of the person’s responses to the target. Two theories in particular detailing how
this process takes place have become well known:

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1. The theory of reasoned action (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980)
2. The theory of planned behaviour (Ajzen, 1988)
2. 4 The teachers´ motivational influence
The teachers´ role in shaping student motivation is just as complex as that of the
parents. This is so because teachers also act as key figures, or authorities, who affect the
motivational quality of the learning process by providing mentoring, guidance,
nurturance, support and limit setting. The focus in research on the motivational impact
of teachers has traditionally been on trying to distil the unique characteristics or traits
that distinguished successful practitioners from unsuccessful ones. These “trait
approaches” have by and large proved inconclusive because motivational effectiveness
appears to be determined by an interplay of several broad factors (related to the
teacher’s personality, enthusiasm, professional knowledge/skills and classroom
managerial style), whose various combinations can be equally effective. However, one
thing with which everybody would agree is that teachers are powerful motivational
socialisers.
A useful way of organising the multiple influences teachers have on student
motivation is by separating four interrelated dimensions:
1. The personal characterises of teachers determine the rapport between teacher and
students and largely responsible for the affiliative motive, which refers to the students´
need to do well in school in order to please the teacher or other superordinate figures.
2. Teacher immediacy has a considerable effect on student motivation. Immediacy
refers to the perceived physical and/or psychological closeness between people, and
cumulative results from several studies indicate that teachers verbal and non-verbal
immediacy behaviours that reduce the distance between teacher and students

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3. Active motivational socialising behaviour, by which teacher can exert a direct and
systematic motivational influence by means of actively socialising the learners´
motivation through appropriate modelling; task presentations and feedback/reward
system.
4. Classroom management: Teachers are in almost total control of the running of the
classroom, including setting and enforcing rules, establishing procedures and organising
grouping activities. Smoothly running and efficient classroom procedures enhance the
learners´ general well-being and sense of achievement and thus promote student
motivation.
Two aspects of the managerial role are particularly important:
- setting and maintaining group norms
- the teacher’s type of authority (autonomy supporting or controlling)
2. 5 Motivation to learn a foreign/second language
The mastery of a L2 is not merely an educational issue; comparable to that of the
mastery of other subject matters, but it is also a deeply social event that requires the
incorporation of a wide range of elements of the L2 culture. There has been a
considerable diversity of theories and approaches in the study of the motivational
determinants of second language acquisition and use. Depending on their research
priorities, scholars have highlighted different aspects of L2 motivation and, just like in
the arena of mainstream motivational psychology, few attempts have been made to
synthesise the various lines of enquiry.
The most influential motivation theory in the L2 field has been proposed by Robert
Gardner, who together with his colleagues and associates in Canada, literally founded
the field. A key issue in Gardner´s (1985) motivation theory is the relationship between
motivation and orientation (which is Gardner´s term for a “goal”). It is two orientations

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labelled as integrative and instrumental that have become the most widely known
concepts associated with Gardner´s work in the L2 field.
2. 6 Student demotivation
The number of demotivated L2 learners is relatively high. A “demotivated”
learner is someone who was once motivated but has lost his or her commitment/interest
for some reason. Similarly to “demotivation”, we can also speak of “demotives”, which
are the negative counterpart of “motives”: a motive increases an action tendency
whereas a demotivation decreases it.
Demotivation does not mean that all the positive influences that originally made
up the motivational basis of behaviour have been annulled; rather, it is only the resultant
force that has been dampened by a strong negative component, and some other positive
motives may still remain operational.
Although the term “demotivation” is virtually unused in motivational
psychology, a related concept, “amotivation” is a constituent of Deci and Ryan´s (1985)
self-determination theory. “Amotivation” refers to a lack of motivation caused by the
realisation that “there is no point…” Thus, “amotivation” is related to general outcome
expectations that are unrealistic for some reason, whereas “demotivation” is related to
specific external causes.
Stradling et al. provide the following characteristics of the “reluctant learner”
(Chambers, 1999, 6):
 non-completion of assignments
 lack of persistence and expectation of failure when attempting new tasks
 high level of dependency on sympathetic teachers
 signs of anxiety, frustration and defensive behaviour
 disruptive or withdrawn behaviour

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 apathetic non-participation in the classroom
 non-attendance and poor attendance
 frequent expression of view that school is boring and irrelevant
2. 7 Four big barriers to motivation
Four big barriers to motivation are Fear; Boredom; Previous Negative
Experience and Lack of Hope. There is a range of strategies to beat them: Reward;
Relationship; Respect and Razzmatazz. We need to be able to use a combination of all
these strategies, if we are to succeed in motivating as many learners as possible
(Wallace, 2007, xi).
It takes quite a pragmatic approach, acknowledging that there will be some
learners whom you may never succeed in motivating. But they are a tiny
minority, with whom the best you might achieve is to prevent them from
undermining the motivation of the rest (Wallace, 2007, 3).
Here are some of things learners might be frightened of (Wallace, 2007, 11):
 you
 being ridiculed by the group for appearing clever
 being ridiculed by the group for appearing stupid
 discovering they’re “not clever enough” to do the work
 being ostracized by the group for breaking rank
 failure
 drawing any kind of attention to themselves in case they’re asked to do
something embarrassing, like read aloud (and remember that at certain ages just
about everything can seem embarrassing)
There is no doubt that anxiety affects L2 performance. Most scholars would agree
with Arnold and Brown’s (1999, p. 8) conclusion that anxiety is quite possibly the
affective factor that most pervasively obstructs the learning process.
Here are some reasons they might be bored (Wallace, 2007, 11):

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 the work is too easy and isn’t challenging them
 the work is too difficult and makes no sense to them
 other learners are causing disruption or slowing down the pace of the lesson
 the topic is being taught in an unimaginative, tedious way
 there’s not enough learner activity built into the lesson plan
 the lesson is a long one with no breaks
 they’re not interested in the topic/subject
Their experience of learning so far may have been a negative one and so (Wallace,
2007, 12):
 They come to lessons with no expectation of enjoyment.
 They see themselves as someone for whom education is irrelevant.
 They see you, the teacher, as The Enemy, and their disengagement is a form of
sabotage or aggression.
 They’ve discovered in the past that “winding up” the teacher is more fun – and
as easier option – than getting down to some work.
 Their previous experience has given them the impression that education or
training is about teaching rather than learning. Their learning is the teacher’s
responsibility, so as long as you’re doing your bit, why should they have to
bother?
They won’t be motivated to engage with learning if they think they’ve no hope of
(Wallace, 2007, 12):
 succeeding in the short term (“can’t do this task”)
 succeeding in the medium term (“wont get this qualification”)
 succeeding in the long term (“never get a good job/income etc.”)
 praise

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 respect
 enjoyment
Some practical strategies for dealing with Fear (Wallace, 2007, 13):
 Be approachable.
 Demonstrate a sense of humour, but make sure if you aim it at anybody it´s only
at yourself.
 Don’t publicly expose the weakness of any individual.
 Challenge the culture that derides “cleverness”.
 Start from where the learners are.
 Cultivate a sense of team in which the teacher and learners are “us” rather than
“me and them”.
 Don’t purposely embarrass anyone.
Some practical strategies for dealing with Boredom (Wallace, 2007, 14):
 Identify those who want to work, and keep them engaged.
 Be dynamic. Go for maximum impact. Surprise them.
 Don’t always and all the time teach from the front.
 Plan your lesson so there’s lots of learner activity.
 Build in frequent changes of activity or focus.
 Discover what they’re interested in, and start there.
Some practical strategies for dealing with Previous Negative Experience (Wallace,
2007, 14):
 As far as it´s possible to do so, make the learning enjoyable.
 Take every opportunity to encourage the learners to think of themselves as
successful at learning.
 Avoid conflict and blame; emphasize that teacher and learner are a team.

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 Don’t allow yourself to be antagonized. Refuse to react to wind-ups. Use
humour to deflect them.
Some practical strategies for dealing with Loss of Hope (Wallace, 2007, 15):
 Plan your lessons so that tasks are broken down into doable steps that learners
can have some hope of succeeding at.
 Take every opportunity to boost the learner’s confidence.
 Praise learners whenever you can.
 Treat learners with respect.
 Act as though you enjoy teaching them.
 Plan your lesson to contain activities that are potentially enjoyable for the
learners.
2. 8 Motivational strategies
Motivational strategies are methods and techniques to generate and maintain the
learners´ motivation and promote the individual’s goal-related behaviour. In developing
one’s motivational repertoire it is not the quantity but the quality of the selected
strategies that matters. Motivational strategies refer to those motivational influences that
are consciously exerted to achieve some systematic and enduring positive effect. Key
units in this process-oriented organisation include:
 creating the basic motivational conditions
 generating initial motivation
 maintaining and protecting motivation
 encouraging positive retrospective self-evaluation
Motivational strategies, even those which are generally the most reliable, are not
rock-solid golden rules, but rather suggestions that may work with one teacher or group
better than another, and which may work better today than tomorrow.

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3. Research Methodology
This chapter depicts research problem and research questions; description of the
participants; the choice of research tool and method; use of the motivational strategies
and analysis of the data.
3. 1 Research Problem
The research problem has been defined as The Effects of Selected Motivational
Strategies on Student Motivation to Become Gradually More Interested in L2.
The research problem was looking for an answer that was stated before the
research had begun. The question was what effects the selected motivational strategies
(that were applied in a longitudinal experimental research) had on student motivation to
be more interested in English language.
3. 2 Research Questions
1) To what degree are students interested in the English language?
2) What are the students’ attitudes towards learning English?
3) Are some of the students intrinsically motivated to study English language at the
beginning of the research?
4) Are some of the students extrinsically motivated to study English language at the
beginning of the research?
5) Are some of the students demotivated to study English language at the beginning
of the research?
6) What is the source of their motivation?
7) What is the source of their demotivation?
8) Have their attitudes and opinions changed after applying the motivational
strategies?
9) Is the number of intrinsically motivated students the same at the end of the
research?

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10) Is the number of extrinsically motivated students the same at the end of the
research?
11) Is the number of unmotivated students the same at the end of the research?
All 11 research questions were formulated after careful reading of the primary
sources for this study. To be able to find any difference in the students´ attitudes to
studying English, it was necessary to learn what their initial attitudes and motivation or
demotivation to study English were. Whether the students were intrinsically or
extrinsically motivated or demotivated at the beginning of the research was also
investigated. The possible sources of their motivation or demotivation were sought
after. After applying the selected motivational strategies it was considered crucial for
this study to detect if there happened to be any changes in the learners’ attitudes,
motivation and demotivation. It was also researched whether there were more
intrinsically and extrinsically motivated and fewer demotivated students at the end of
the research.
3. 3 Participants
Participants of the research were grade 10 secondary students, aged 14 – 16. All
of them had some previous experience with learning English; all of them had been
learning it up to grade 9. The respondents were 30 students.
3. 4 Research Tool
Quantitative longitudinal data were collected by using a questionnaire. Answers
to attitudinal questions concerning students’ interest in English language, attitudes
toward learning English, intrinsic and extrinsic motivations to study English, and
demotivation to study English were looked for.
3. 4. 1 Creating, administering and piloting the questionnaire
The creation of the questionnaire started by drawing up an “item pool”. The
sources for this item pool were items borrowed from established questionnaires and

22. 22
some items were based on personal experience. The items were aimed to be short and
written in simple sentences and containing only one question converted into an
affirmative sentence. Negatively worded items were also included to avoid a response
set in which the respondents mark only one side of a rating Likert scale.
After constructing the questionnaire they were administered in 1 pilot group of
respondents who were similar to the target sample to collect feedback about how the
instrument worked. The pilot groups were 10 students of the same age at different
schools; however, taught by different teachers who were administering the
questionnaires there.
After piloting the questionnaires, item analysis was conducted and some items
that did not work properly were corrected or removed. When administering the
questionnaire in the target samples, first the reason for the research was explained.
Afterwards, the instructions were read aloud with the students and checked whether
they were understood. When collecting the questionnaires from the students, they were
thanked, and they were informed about the possibility of getting the results from the
research.
3. 4. 2 Items in the questionnaire
A. Interest in English language
1. If I were visiting an English speaking country, I would like to be able to speak the
language of the people.
2. I wish I could speak the English language perfectly.
3. I want to read the literature of an English language in the original language rather
than a translation.
4. I wish I could read newspapers and magazines in the English language.
5. If I planned to stay in an English speaking country, I would make a great effort to
learn the language.
6. I would study the English language in school even if it were not required.
7. I enjoy meeting and listening to people who speak the English language.

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All 7 items regarding interest in English language were based on AMTB (The
Attitude/Motivation Test Battery) by Robert Gardner (1985). The only difference being
English language instead of Gardner’s a foreign language.
B. Attitudes toward Learning English
1. I really enjoy learning English.
2. English is an important part of the school programme.
3. I plan to learn as much English as possible.
4. I hate English.
5. I would rather spend my time on subjects other than English.
6. Learning English is a waste of time.
7. When I leave school, I shall give up the study of English entirely because I am not
interested in it.
Also these 7 items were borrowed from ATMB by R. Gardner (1985).
C. Intrinsic motivation to study the English language
1. I prefer class work that is challenging so I can learn new things.
2. It is important for me to learn what is being taught in this class.
3. I like what I am learning in this class.
4. Even when I do poorly on a test I try to learn from my mistakes.
5. I think that what I am learning in this class is useful for me to know.
6. I think that what we are learning in this class is interesting.
7. Understanding this subject is important to me.
8. I have chosen English language because I’ve been to an English speaking country and
I want to be able to communicate with the people more.
9. I have chosen English language because I like the language.
10. I have chosen English language because I want to be able to communicate with
native speakers and foreigners.
The first 7 items were borrowed from Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire
(MSLQ) by Paul R. Pintrich and Elisabeth V. De Groot (1990). The items 8 – 10 were
based on a discussion with last year students.
D. Extrinsic motivation to study the English language
1. The reason why I want to learn the English language is that it will help me to get a
better job.
2. The reason why I want to learn the English language is that I want to please my
parents.

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3. The reason why I want to learn the English language is that I will need it for my
university studies.
4. The reason why I want to learn the English language is that I will need it for working
abroad.
5. Studying English is important to me because other people will respect me more if I
have knowledge of it.
6. The reason why I study the English language is that it is a compulsory subject.
7. I have chosen the English language because I did not want to study French language.
The first 4 items were based on Teaching and Researching Motivation. The item 5 was
borrowed from AMTB by R. Gardner (1985) and the items 6-7 were based on a
discussion with last year students.
E. Demotivation to study the English language
1. I don’t like English because I haven’t got talent for languages.
2. I don’t like English because I am not good at it.
3. I don’t like English because I think that I will not need it.
4. I don’t like English because I think I had bad teachers.
5. I don’t like English because I think it’s difficult.
6. I don’t like English because I don’t understand it.
7. I don’t like English because it’s boring.
All these item were based on a discussion with last year students. The only difference in
the items was item E4 where I changed the tenses – at the beginning of the research I
used past simple and at the end present simple.
3. 5 Method
The research was of experimental design. First, the initial state of the
researcher’s students’ motivation and their attitudes towards studying English was
found out by means of a questionnaire. Following the research timetable (which is
provided in Appendix) and applying 14 selected motivational strategies to affect the
students and thus raise their interest to study English were next steps. The research took
around 20 weeks. At the end of the research the same questionnaire was administered
again to find out whether the strategies have had any impact on the students.

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3. 6 Used strategies
The primary theoretical background was the work Motivational Strategies in the
Language Classroom.
The first step was choosing the strategies and creating a timetable to be
instrumental when applying them. The timetable was a point of reference in terms of the
order of the strategies. The numbers of the weeks were rather flexible because some
days the students were not present at school (because of various extra school activities).
Most of the strategies are inter-related and one do not work without the other; therefore,
the timetable was created in terms of concentrating on the particular strategy, it did not
mean that the other were not employed.
There are 35 motivational strategies within four motivational aspects. Here is an
overview of the strategies which were included in the research:
1. Creating the basic motivational conditions
Strategy 1: Develop a personal relationship with your students.
Strategy 2: Formulate group norms explicitly, and have them discussed and accepted
by the learners.
Strategy 3: Create a pleasant and supportive atmosphere in the classroom.
2. Generating initial motivation
Strategy 4: Raise the learners´ intrinsic interest in the L2 learning process.
Strategy 5: Promote the students´ awareness of the instrumental values associated
with the knowledge of an L2.
Strategy 6: Increase the students´ expectancy of success in particular tasks and in
learning in general.
Strategy 7: Take the students´ learning very seriously.
Strategy 8: Make the curriculum and the teaching materials relevant to the students.

26. 26
3. Maintaining and protecting motivation
Strategy 9: Make learning more stimulating and enjoyable by breaking the monotony
of classroom events.
Strategy 10: Make the learning stimulating and enjoyable for the learner by
increasing the attractiveness of the tasks.
Strategy 11: Build your learners´ confidence by providing regular encouragement.
Strategy 12: Help diminish language anxiety by removing or reducing the anxiety-
provoking elements in the learning environment.
4. Encouraging positive self-evaluation
Strategy 13: Provide students with positive information feedback.
Strategy 14: Use grades in a motivating manner, reducing as much as possible their
demotivating impact.
3. 6. 1 STRATEGY 1: Develop a personal relationship with your students.
Concerning a good relationship with the students, teachers who share warm,
personal interactions with their students, who respond to their concerns in an empathic
manner and who succeed in establishing relationships of mutual trust and respect with
the learner, are more likely to inspire them in academic matters than those who have no
personal ties with the learners. However, developing a personal relationship with the
students and achieving their respect is easier said than done.
Developing a personal relationship is a gradual process built on a foundation whose
components include:
 the teacher’s acceptance of the students
 ability to listen and pay attention to them
 availability for personal contact

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The teacher’s acceptance of the students
Acceptance involves a non-judgemental positive attitude. It is not to be confused
with approval; we may accept a person without necessarily approving of everything
he/she does.
Ability to listen and pay attention to the students
Students need to feel that teachers pay personal attention to them. With a whole
class to look after, we cannot spend too much time with individual students, but there is
a whole variety of small gestures (greet students, remember their names, smile at them,
ask them about their lives outside school, include personal topics about students etc.)
which can convey personal attention.
Availability for personal contact
It is recommended giving the students the teacher’s email address, to invite them
to see the teacher in her/his office etc.
From the very beginning a personal relationship was worked on. First, it was
started with introducing each other. Then, a discussion on learning English followed.
The students’ likes and dislikes about learning English were elicited. The rules
concerning classroom management were introduced. The students were given the
researcher’s email address and were encouraged to contact her when needed.
In sum, establishing a good relationship with the students was worked on from
the start
3. 6. 2 STRATEGY 2: Formulate group norms explicitly, and have them discussed and
accepted by the learners.
The students were given a handout with a list of rules; there were six rules for
the students; three rules for the teacher and four rules for everybody. All rules were
agreed on, there were no objections. The consequences for violating these agreed norms

28. 28
were argued as well. The most welcome rules were the rules for the teacher. The best
accepted rule was that there would always be advance notice of a test.
The rules for the students
The rules for the students were as follows: to be punctual; always do homework;
apologise at the beginning of the class in case of not having the homework; some extra
work in case of not having the homework; speak only English. They were allowed not
to have homework once a term; otherwise, they would have to read a paper by heart in
front of the whole class or to create an activity on a relevant topic for their peers.
Students missing longer than a week due to illness were excused for not having their
homework. However, they were encouraged to email the teacher and ask about the
intended assignment.
The rules for the teacher
To finish classes on time; to mark tests within a week; to give advance notice of
a test.
The rules for everybody
The rules for everybody included: to listen to each other; to help each other; to
respect each other’s ideas; not to make fun of each other courteously.
The students had to be constantly reminded of the following: not to speak
Arabic; apologise in case of not having the homework; not to make fun of each other
while talking, but listen to each other.
Overall, constructive group norms were established. The rules were introduced,
discussed and accepted by the students. Attention was paid to the enforcement of the
established norms in the classes, and the group norms were observed consistently all the
time.

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3. 6. 3 STRATEGY 3: Create a pleasant and supportive atmosphere in the classroom.
Language learning is one of the most face-threatening school subjects because of
the pressure of having to operate using a rather limited language code. Language
anxiety has been found by research to be a powerful factor hindering L2 learning
achievement. The recommended solution is to create a pleasant and supportive
classroom atmosphere.
A lot of effort was made to create such an atmosphere to enable L2 learners to
feel safe in their learning environment.
The learners were encouraged to ask questions whenever they didn’t understand.
It was explained that mistakes are important when learning a language; they were not
corrected when practising fluency only when practising accuracy. Instructions were
always checked, attention was paid to each student.
The psychological environment of the classroom is usually made up of a number of
different components; these are:
 teacher’s rapport with the students
 students´ relationship with each other
 the use of humour
Teacher’s rapport with the students
The teacher’s rapport with the students was worked on from the very beginning,
as described in the motivational strategy 1. All of the learners were accepted equally;
they were listened to, attention was paid to all of them, and availability for personal
contact was offered.
Students´ relationship with each other
Learners’ relationship with each other was considered highly important. Some of
the learners had to be disciplined when making fun of the other students.

30. 30
There are two very important aspects of group dynamics that have direct
motivational bearings: group cohesiveness and group norms.
Group cohesiveness
A cohesive learner group is one which is “together”; in which learners are happy
to belong to. Cohesiveness is often manifested by members seeking each other out,
providing mutual support and making each other welcome in the group.
The learners were encouraged to learn about each other. They were helped to get
to know each other better by including special “ice-breaking activities” and by
personalising certain language tasks. Activities such as pair work and small group work
were included to allow the students to come into contact and interact with one another.
The seating pattern was changed (sitting in a circle) to bring the group closer, to enable
everybody to see their peers and thus communicate better.
Group norms
The second aspect of the group dynamics - group norms - is described in the
motivational strategy 2.
The use of humour
Humour in the classroom was used and encouraged. The main point about
having humour in the classroom is not so much about continuously cracking jokes but
rather having a relaxed attitude about how seriously we take ourselves. If students can
sense that the teacher allows a healthy degree of self-mockery and does not treat school
as the most hallowed of all places, jokes will come.
In total, attention was paid to create a pleasant and supportive atmosphere in the
classroom by working on the teacher’s rapport with the learners and on their
relationships among themselves.

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3. 6. 4 STRATEGY 4: Raise the learners´ intrinsic interest in the L2 learning process.
Intrinsic orientations refer to reasons for L2 learning that are derived from one’s
inherent pleasure and interest in the activity; the activity is undertaken because of the
spontaneous satisfaction that is associated with it.
It was considered to be important to generate the learners´ intrinsic interest in
learning English because some of the students, as the results or the research show, were
either demotivated to study the language or only extrinsically motivated; they were very
much interested in good grades, which could be judged by their comments.
Most of the students were used to (from their elementary schools) memorizing
words and grammatical rules (this was stated by them in a discussion on this topic)
because of tests. Instead of memorizing lists of words they were taught new words from
articles which had been read and discussed and from lyrics which had been listened to.
They were also encouraged to try to understand their favourite songs when listening to
the radio to show them the importance of grammar which appears not only in their
course books but also in the songs. They were advised to watch their favourite music
videos on YouTube with lyrics.
To arouse their curiosity in L2, students were encouraged to translate the songs
we had listened to at home. The students were also encouraged to watch films in
English language with native and English subtitles.
In sum, the students were shown that studying English language can be pleasant
and their inquisitiveness in the language was highly supported.
3. 6. 5 STRATEGY 5: Promote learners’ awareness of the instrumental values
associated with the knowledge of an L2.
Instrumental values are related to the perceived practical, pragmatic benefits that
the mastery of the L2 might bring about such as

32. 32
 earning extra money
 getting a promotion
 pursuing further studies where the L2 is a requirement
 improving one’s social position
 pursuing hobbies and other leisure activities which require the language (e.g.
computing)
Jennifer Alison claims (1993), “It is often difficult to motivate these pupils with the
fact that one day they may visit the country. I don’t want to go there anyway is a
common retort.”
This assertion was also heard from some of the learners and it was regarded
difficult to convince them that one day the knowledge of a second language might be
really useful.
Advantages of knowing the language were discussed with the learners; the research
shows that some of the students are aware of the fact that if they know the language, it
can help them be more employable.
Discussions on knowing the language were included from time to time. The
learners were encouraged to seek the company of English speaking people on the
internet.
All in all, discussions on the efficacy of knowing English language were included,
and some real life examples were provided.
3. 4. 6 STRATEGY 6: Increase the students´ expectancy of success in particular tasks
and in learning in general
It is a well-known fact that we do things best if we believe we can succeed.
Similarly, we learn best when we expect success. Expectancy of success is not enough
in itself if it is not accompanied by positive values; we are unlikely to initiate a task,

33. 33
even if we expect to succeed in it that we do not enjoy and that does not lead to valued
outcomes. A potentially fruitful area of motivating learners is to increase their
expectancies by consciously arranging the conditions in a way that they put the learner
in a more positive or optimistic mood. Besides the obvious prerequisite that we should
not give learners tasks that are too difficult for them, there are several other methods for
achieving heightened success expectations; such as,
 Provide sufficient preparation.
 Offer assistance.
 Let students help each other.
 Make the success criteria as clear as possible.
 Consider and remove potential obstacles to success.
Provide sufficient preparation
Before writing a test or doing an exercise, some pre-test and pre-task activities
were included, and thus, the new piece of language was revised.
Offer assistance
Learners were encouraged to ask for help whenever it’s needed. They were
monitored when doing exercises and various activities to see whether they knew what to
do and to see how they were doing. Help outside the classroom was also offered.
Let students help each other
When practising a new piece of language, learners were encouraged to work
collaboratively, and they were led to cooperate, and thus, learn from each other.
However, students were not forced to work with others if they did not wish to do so.
Make the success criteria as clear as possible
Learners were informed about the success criteria. They knew when there would
be a test; they were always given advance notice. The learners were also well informed

34. 34
about the description of the test and the grading system. The learners were often
encouraged to ask for some extra assignment to be more successful in the prospective
tests.
Consider and remove potential obstacles to success
Every effort was made to remove potential obstacles to success such as a lack of
time when writing a test, no time limit was set.
In sum, certain strategies regarding preparation, assistance, and criteria were
consummated to enable the learners to succeed in particular tasks.
3. 6. 7 STRATEGY 7: Take the students’ learning very seriously.
If students sense that the teacher doesn’t care, this perception is the fastest way
to undermine their motivation. The spiritual (and sometimes physical) absence of the
teacher sends such a powerful message of “It doesn’t matter!” to the students, that
everybody, even the most dedicated ones, are likely to be affected and become
demoralised. It is important that everybody in the classroom should be aware that you
care, that you are not there just for the salary, that it is important for you that your
students succeed, and that you are ready to work just as hard as the students towards this
success.
The following tasks were employed.
 Offering to meet students individually to explain things
 Correcting tests and papers promptly
 Encouraging extra assignments and offering to assist with these
 Showing concern when things aren’t going well
Offering to meet students individually to explain things
Each lesson learners were encouraged to ask about things they didn’t understand
either in the class or by email.

35. 35
Correcting tests and papers promptly
The rules established at the beginning of the year for the teacher were followed
and the tests and projects were corrected within a week as agreed.
Encouraging extra assignments and offering to assist with these
The learners were continually encouraged to ask about things unclear to them
and to do extra homework. The extra homework corresponded to what was done at
school. Students who performed poorly on tests were encouraged via a positive note
on the test to ask for extra work on the topic. The learners’ emails were generally
answered within a maximum of two days. All extra work was corrected and suggestions
for enhancement were provided. Tailor made tasks were provided for students who
asked for them.
Showing concern when things aren’t going well
Special attention was paid to those students who were showing no signs of
improvement. This was done by speaking to the students after class and writing detailed
comments on their work. However, as Susan Wallace comments, unlimited help will not
always make a difference: …it takes quite a pragmatic approach, acknowledging that
there will be some learners whom you may never succeed in motivating. But they are a
tiny minority, with whom the best you might achieve is to prevent them from
undermining the motivation of the rest.” (2007, 3)
Showing interest in their opinions
At the end of the first term (in January), a very short and simple questionnaire
was administered asking the learners what they liked and disliked in their English
lessons so far and what they would change. This tried to show the students that their
opinions count.
Altogether, every effort was made to show the students that their learning is
taken seriously.

36. 36
3. 6. 8 STRATEGY 8: Make the teaching materials relevant to the students.
One of the most demotivating factors for learners is learning something that they
cannot see the point of because it has no seeming relevance whatsoever to their lives.
Students will be motivated to learn only if they regard the material they are taught as
worth learning.
As Brophy states, most schools’ curricular topics and learning activities are
selected primarily on the basis of what society believes students need to learn, not on
the basis of learners’ preferences, abilities, and needs.
The teaching of the new learners was started by carrying out a needs analysis by
means of interviews and short tests to find out what was needed and wanted in English
classes. The majority expressed the desire to use songs more in the classroom. As
concerns the language itself, students were not equal in their ability; therefore, more
advanced learners were asked to be patient and accept a slower pace.
Attention was paid to the topics of articles chosen. The students, predominantly
girls, were reluctant to read articles dealing with, for example, computers and artificial
intelligence. When a topic of interest was chosen, a lively discussion followed. The
chapters used in class were carefully selected based on the learners’ interests. Although
the grammar covered in the course book was sufficient, it still had to be supplemented
with supplementary material.
In sum, making the teaching materials relevant to the learners, means bringing
different articles, representations, doing various “amusing” activities on the related
topic, and also bringing more training material according to their needs.
3. 6. 9 STRATEGY 9: Make learning more stimulating and enjoyable by breaking the
monotony of classroom events.

37. 37
3. 6. 10 STRATEGY 10: Make learning more stimulating and enjoyable by increasing
the attractiveness of the tasks.
People are usually quite willing to spend a great deal of time thinking and
learning while pursuing activities they enjoy. Learning does not necessarily have to be a
boring and tedious chore. If we could somehow make the learning process more
stimulating and enjoyable, that would greatly contribute to sustained learner
involvement. This is an assumption that most motivational psychologists subscribe to
and which also makes a lot of sense to classroom teachers – indeed, many practitioners
would simply equate the adjective “motivating” with “interesting”.
Accordingly, there are three main types of motivational strategies that have been
found to be effective in livening up classroom learning. These are:
 breaking the monotony of learning
 making the tasks more interesting
 increasing the involvement of the students
Breaking the monotony of learning
In order to break the monotony of learning a variety of tasks were tackled in a
lesson e.g. a grammar task followed by a listening task; or a speaking task followed by
a task focusing on writing. Effort was made to vary the language tasks and to break
familiar routines in the classes concentrating on the organisational format and thus
varying whole-class tasks, pair work and individual work were implemented.
Effort to vary the channel of communication was made: varying auditory and
visual modes of dealing with learning by utilizing up-to-date visual aids from
newspapers and magazines; YouTube was also used as a useful tool for both auditory
and visual practice.
The learners weren’t told in advance that there would be a game, a film or a song
activity next class to surprise them.

38. 38
Making the tasks more interesting
It was strived to make the tasks interesting to prevent the students to be bored,
e.g. by using contemporary materials, which helps the learners to relate to the tasks and
by personalizing the tasks.
There was effort made not to employ the same games and activities; instead,
new and different activities, which were unfamiliar or totally unexpected, were used to
eliminate boredom. A useful source book where hundreds of communicative activities
for all levels and various materials was used for the purpose of jazzing up ESL classes.
Increasing student involvement
People usually enjoy a task if they play an essential part in it. Thus, effort was
made to create learning situations where learners were required to become active
participants. When playing a game, all learners were involved. Attention was also paid
to all the learners. The less active learners were carefully monitored to make sure they
were participating.
In sum, it was sometimes explained to the learners that some exercise couldn’t
be more exciting, and the utility of the new piece of language was discussed with them.
From time to time some fun activities, games, songs, music videos, films and
documentary films were involved in classes.
3. 6. 11 STRATEGY 11: Build your learners’ confidence by providing regular
encouragement
Self-esteem and self-confidence are social products that are created and shaped
by people around us. Starting when we are young children, our identities evolve to a
great extent from the feedback we receive. Therefore, the opinion of significant figures,
such as the teacher, plays an important role in reinforcing (or reducing) the learners’
self-image.

39. 39
James Raffini says: “Self-esteem grows from the beliefs of others. When
teachers believe in students, students believe in themselves. When those you respect
think you can, you think you can.
It is the positive persuasive expression of the belief that someone has the
capability of achieving a certain goal that can explicitly make the learner aware of their
personal strengths and abilities or can indirectly lead them to communicate that we do
trust them as learners. Indeed, sometimes a small personal word of encouragement will
suffice. Some students need regular encouragement more than others. A show of faith
can have a powerful effect on them and can keep them going, even against the odds, to
demonstrate what they are capable of doing.
Both the slower and the more advanced learners were encouraged. This was
done by writing them positive notes on their tests, with talking to them, and in a
nonverbal way (with a look or smile). The learners who improved were praised, and the
ones who didn’t make progress were encouraged to keep trying and never regret to seek
help. The poor results of some students were never commented on in front of the class.
The learners who didn’t do well in some tests, but had, however, prepared for them,
were told not to give up.
Also those rather passive learners were praised for their participation and
contributions in class.
Overall, regular encouragement of the learners was considered very important
and when there was an opportunity to encourage them, either verbally, non-verbally, or
on paper, they were encouraged.
3. 6. 12 STRATEGY 12: Help diminish language anxiety by removing or reducing the
anxiety-provoking elements in the learning environment

40. 40
The language classroom is an inherently face-threatening environment, in which
learners are being expected to communicate using a severely restricted language code.
As a result, language mistakes of various sorts abound in the learners´ speech and the
communicative content is often well below the level of their intellectual maturity. This
is further augmented by the general apprehension associated with the grading system
and the unease caused by the public nature of most teacher-student interaction.
Consequently, by reducing or removing the factors that can lead to anxiety and
fear, we can turn the language classroom into an “anxiety-free zone”. In other words, if
the class has a generally warm and supportive climate, we are already halfway there.
To create a climate of support, social comparison was avoided, cooperation was
encouraged instead of competitiveness, mistakes were encouraged as chances for
learning, and assessments were viewed as non-judgemental means to monitor progress.
To make a long story short, effort was made to diminish language anxiety by
avoiding social comparison; by promoting cooperation; by helping learners to accept the
fact that mistakes are an important part in the learning process, and by making the tests
clear and focused.
3. 6. 13 STRATEGY 13: Provide students with positive information feedback
Besides grades, it is the feedback we give our students in class or on their
written papers that has the most salient role in bringing about changes in their learning
behaviours. Nevertheless, from a motivational perspective not every type of feedback is
equally effective and on occasions, if we are not careful enough, our comments might
be counterproductive. Feedback is an essential ingredient facilitating learning.
Ford calls this the “Feedback Principle”, stating that people simply cannot
continue to make progress toward their personal goals in the absence of relevant

41. 41
feedback information. When there is no feedback, it is easy for goals – even important
goals – to lose salience and priority, and eventually end up “on the shelf” (1992).
1) Feedback can have – when it is due and appropriate – a gratifying function, that
is, by offering praise it can increase learner satisfaction and lift the learning
spirit.
2) By communicating trust and encouragement, feedback can promote a positive
self-concept and self-confidence in the student.
3) Motivational feedback should prompt the learner to reflect constructively on
areas that need improvement and identify things that he/she can do to increase
the effectiveness of learning.
Positive information feedback
Positive information feedback involves positive, descriptive feedback regarding
student strengths, achievements, progress and attitudes. This feedback provides students
with information rather than judgements against external standards or peer achievement.
Therefore, a student’s poor test score was never compared to the average score
of the class, nor the need to work harder to be able to catch up with the others was
stressed. Instead, the poor score was rather compared to his/her previous results to
demonstrate his/her (a lack of) progress. When talking to the learner with bad results,
he/she was told that he/she could do better but that he/she needed to be more hard-
working. His/her strong qualities were mentioned, for example that she/he was an active
student or that she/he did the homework. When giving feedback to both hard-working
and less hard-working students, the interview was always started with positive
evaluation of his/her performance in classes.

42. 42
In addition, pity after a learner’s failure was never expressed; the learner was
rather encouraged to try again. On the other hand, the learners were not always praised,
especially not after success in easy or everyday tasks.
In total, effort was made to support learners’ with positive and descriptive
information feedback when appropriate.
3. 6. 14 STRATEGY 14: Use grades in a motivating manner, reducing as much as
possible their demotivating impact
Covington and Teel point out that for motivational psychologists “grade” is
definitely a “four-letter word”. Grades are seen as the ultimate “baddies”, representing
everything that is wrong with contemporary education, with its emphasis on the product
rather than on the process, and with its preoccupation with comparing, rank ordering
and pigeon-holing students rather than accepting them on their individual merits.
Because of their ultimate importance in every facet of the education system, grades
frequently become equated in the minds of school children with a sense of self-worth;
that is, they consider themselves only as worthy as their school-related achievements,
regardless of their personal characteristics such as being loving, good or courageous
(1996).
It was observed that some of the learners were concerned very with good grades
and for some of them grades other than As were inadmissible. The idea that grades are
important but the knowledge of the subject matter is even more important was strived to
be conveyed by demonstrated examples from own experience.
There are many concerns, as Brophy highlights, about grades and grading that are
often mentioned by teachers and researchers (1998):
 Getting good grades can become more important than learning; grades tend to
focus students’ attention on concerns about meeting demands successfully rather

43. 43
than on any personal benefits that they might derive from the learning
experience.
 Grades may put students and teachers into two opposite camps and often make it
difficult for teachers to follow modern, student-centred principles.
 Grades may encourage cheating or uncritical student compliance since learners
may be under extreme pressure to live up to the set standards. Furthermore,
grades often reflect the teacher’s perception of a student’s compliance or good
behaviour rather than academic merit.
 Grades are often highly subjective and sometimes are not applied for the right
reasons. For example, in the field of language education, test scores rarely
reflect the level of communicative competence.
 Grades tend to aggravate social inequality as the strong get stronger and the
weak get weaker.
 Grades tend to focus students’ attention on ability rather than effort.
 The knowledge of being assessed increase student anxiety.
As a result, some strategies to use grades in a motivating manner were implemented.
There was effort made to make the rating system absolutely transparent by
explaining the system to the students. There were many short tests to give the learners’
more chances to improve their grades. The learners knew that there were always ten
items either in a vocabulary test or in a grammar one. If they made one mistake, they
still got A; if they had half of the test correct, they received C- (A being the best grade,
E being the lowest). Once a term the learners had to write a long test, which was
assessed according to a scale, which was approved by the headmaster, and they were
explained the system (how many percents they needed to receive to get A, B, C etc.).

44. 44
When marking written assignments, grades were complemented with comments that
delivered praise and suggestions for improvement.
Every effort was made to make the grades reflect as much as possible, the student’s
relative progress.
The learners were involved in the process of ongoing evaluation. For example, when
a student should have been given C as a final grade yet it was obvious that she/he tried
hard, always brought homework, regularly did the extra homework, he/she participated
in the lessons; therefore, it was decided that to give him/her B.
The rating was also complemented by the students’ self-assessment. This was
applied when deciding upon their final grade. Before discussing the final grades, they
were asked if they wanted to discuss it in front of each other or outside the classroom.
The learners were talked to individually and were asked what grade they deserved, and
whether they could have a better one and what was necessary to do to achieve it. The
learners were welcome to disagree with the teacher’s evaluation on condition that they
had valid arguments.
Explicitly, effort was made to use grades in a motivating manner by making the
assessment system clear, by allowing students to express their disagreements on the
grades, by commenting on their results, by making sure that grades reflect their effort,
by applying continuous assessment, and by negotiating the grades with the students.

45. 45
4. Results of the Study
In this section, general results of the research and answers to research questions are
presented.
4. 1 General report
The students’ opinions and attitudes in September 2007, which was the
beginning of the research, and in February 2008, which was the end of the research are
presented in this section. The opinions marked by the students as either “I strongly
agree” or “I strongly disagree” are given here because these two options were
considered significant. In some cases the answer “I agree” is presented because it was
considered also relevant.
4. 1. 1 Interest in English language
In September 2007, 28 learners claimed that if they were visiting an English
speaking country, they would like to be able to speak the language of the people. In
February 2008, the number of the learners who strongly agreed with this assertion was
the same.
24 learners expressed their wish to speak English language perfectly in
September 2007. However, in February 2008, 25 pronounced the same wish.
1 learner in September 2007 wanted to read the literature of English language in
the original language rather than a translation. In February 2008, 6 learners proclaimed
their interest to do so.
8 learners wished to be able to read newspapers and magazines in English
language. However, in February 2008, 11 learners expressed this wish.

46. 46
In September 2007, 21 learners asserted that they would make a great effort to
learn the language if they planned to stay in an English speaking country. In February
2008, 11 learners claimed this.
11 learners claimed, in September 2007, that they would study English language
in school even if it were not required; in February 2008, 17 learners did.
In September 2007, 9 learners said to enjoy meeting and listening to people who
speak English language. In February 2008, it was 1 learner more.
4. 1. 2 Attitudes toward Learning English
In September 2007, 4 learners out of 30 said to really enjoy learning English. In
February 2008, it was 5 learners in this group. In February 2008, it was 12 learners.
In September 2007, 18 learners strongly agreed with the assertion that English is
an important part of the school program. In February 2008, it was 28 learners did.
12 learners planned to learn as much English as possible in September 2007. In
February 2008, it was 24 learners.
In September 2007, 16 learners strongly disagreed with the assertion that they
hate English. In February 2008, it was 18 learners.
4 learners would rather spend their time on subjects other than English, as they
claimed in September 2007. In February 2008 it was only 1 learner.
In September 2007, 21 learners didn’t agree with the statement that learning
English is a waste of time. In February, it was 13 learners.
Only 1 learner planned to give up the study of English after leaving school, as
he/she claimed in September 2007. However, in February 2008, there was no learner
who expressed this opinion.

47. 47
4. 1. 3 Intrinsic motivation to study English language
In September 2007, 6 learners preferred class work that is challenging, so they
can learn new things. In February 2008, it was 11 learners did.
9 learners considered it important to learn what was being taught in class in
September 2007. In February 2008, the number increased by 4 learners.
In September 2007, only 2 learners liked what they were learning in English
classes. In February 2008, it was 15 learners.
21 learners asserted that they tried to learn from their mistakes when doing
poorly on a test in September 2007. In February 2008, 20 learners asserted to do so.
In September 2007, 17 learners thought that what they were learning in English
classes was useful for them to know. In February 2008, 19 learners had this opinion.
8 learners were of the opinion that what they were learning in English classes
was interesting in September 2007. However, it was 15 in February 2008.
In September 2007, 22 learners considered it important to understand English;
however, in February 2008, it was 19 learners.
Both in September 2007 and February 2008, 5 learners maintained that they
have chosen English language because they’ve been to an English speaking country and
they wanted to be able to communicate with the people more.
In September 2007, 12 learners indicated that they have chosen English
language because they like the language. In February 2008, 17 learners did.
Both in September 2007 and February 2008, 20 learners asserted that they have
preferred English language because they wanted to be able to communicate with native
speakers and foreigners. It became 21 in February 2008.

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4. 1. 4 Extrinsic motivation to study English language
In September 2007, 21 learners gave the reason why they wanted to learn
English language that it will help them to get a better job. In February, it was 3 learners
more.
In September 2007, only 1 learner claimed that the reason why he/she wanted to
learn English language was to please his/her parents. In February, it was no learner.
Both in September 2007 and February 2008, 17 learners wanted to learn English
language because of university studies. The number was less by 2 in February 2008.
In September 2007, 19 learners wanted to learn English language to be able to
work abroad. In February, it was 21 learners.
In September 2007, 3 learners considered studying English important because
other people will respect them more if they have knowledge of it. In February, it was
only 1 learner.
In September, 1 learner claimed that the reason why he/she studies English
language is that it is a compulsory subject. In February 2008, it was no learner.
7 learners claimed that they had preferred English language because they did not
want to study French in September 2007. In February, it was 15.
4. 1. 5 Demotivation to study English language
In September 2007, 4 learners didn’t like English because of not having any
talent for languages. In February, it was 2 learners.
4 learners didn’t like English because of not being good at it, as they claimed in
September 2007. In February 2008, only 1 learner had this opinion.
In September 2007, 25 learners strongly disagreed with the assertion that they
didn’t like English because they thought they will not need it. In February 2008, it was
27.

49. 49
9 learners strongly disagreed with the assertion that they didn’t like English
because they had bad teachers in September 2007. However, in February 2008, it was
25.
In September 2007, 8 learners agreed with the statement that English is difficult
,and therefore, they didn’t like it. In February 2008, 3 learners engaged this opinion.
4 learners didn’t like English because they didn’t understand it, as they claimed
in September 2007. In February 2008, 1 learner claimed this assertion.
Both in September 2007 and in February 2008, 18 learners strongly disagreed
with the statement that they didn’t like English because it’s boring as contrasted to 12
learners in February 2008.
4. 2 Answers to research questions
4. 2. 1 To what degree are students interested in English language?
The interest in English language in September 2007 modest as compared to
how it improved In February 2008. In other words, the sample seemed to be more
interested in English language in comparison with their opinions 6 months ago.
4. 2. 2 What are the students´ attitudes towards learning English language?
Attitudes towards learning English were rather positive to neutral in September
2007. In February 2008, this sample’s attitudes changed significantly to show more
positive attitudes.
4. 2. 3 Are some of the students intrinsically motivated to study English language
at the beginning of the research?

50. 50
In September 2007, students seemed to be a little intrinsically motivated to
study L2. A good number of students were intrinsically motivated to study English.
That is, they engaged in studying English without obvious external incentives.
4. 2. 4 Are some of the students extrinsically motivated to study English language
at the beginning of the research?
In September 2007, there were almost no students who could be referred to as
extrinsically motivated.
4. 2. 5 Are some of the students demotivated to study English language at the
beginning of the research?
Some of the students seemed to be demotivated in September 2006 with little
improvement in February 2008.
4. 2. 6 What is the source of their motivation?
When looking for the possible sources of students’ motivation to study the
content of English in classes. The results demonstrated
 endeavour to learn from past mistakes
 utility of the content of English classes
 to understand the subject matter
 desire to communicate with native speakers and foreigners
 vision of a good job
 need for university studies
 need for working abroad
In February 2008, the sources of motivation to study English were, in addition to
the mentioned ‘enjoying the classes’ and ‘ enjoying the content’

51. 51
4. 2. 7 What is the source of their demotivation?
When looking for the potential sources of the students’ demotivation to study
English, the research showed,
In September 2007 the sources of demotivation to study English were
 no talent for languages
 not being good at English
 bad teachers
 no understanding of English
However, there was improvement observed in all items in February 2008, the most
significant one was concerning the teachers.
4. 2. 8 Have their attitudes and opinions changed after applying the motivational
strategies?
Here is the presentation of the extents of the changes and both previous
(September 2007) and later (February 2008) means in tables here.
the extent of the
change item previous mean later mean
no change A1 1, 07 1, 07
no change A5 1, 30 1, 30
no change C7 1, 40 1, 40
the extent of the
change item previous mean later mean
a slight change for the
better A2 1, 23 1, 17
a slight change for the
better A4 2, 30 2, 07
a slight change for the
better B3 1, 30 1, 27
a slight change for the
better B4 4, 27 4, 60
a slight change for the B6 4, 60 4, 83

52. 52
better
a slight change for the
better B7 4, 37 4, 63
a slight change for the
better C2 1, 93 1, 63
a slight change for the
better C5 1, 47 1, 37
a slight change for the
better C6 2, 27 1, 90
a slight change for the
better C8 3, 30 3, 23
a slight change for the
better C9 2, 20 1, 90
a slight change for the
better C10 1, 57 1, 50
a slight change for the
better D4 1, 63 1, 47
a slight change for the
better E3 4, 80 4, 90
the extent of the
change item previous mean later mean
a slight change D2 3, 90 3, 80
a slight change D5 3, 10 3, 03
a slight change D7 2, 93 2, 67
the extent of the
change item previous mean later mean
a slight change for the
worse C4 1, 30 1, 33
a slight change for the
worse D1 1, 37 1, 50
a slight change for the
worse D3 1, 63 1, 93
a slight change to
worse E7 4, 50 4, 37
the extent of the
change item previous mean later mean
a significant change for
the better A3 3, 23 2, 63
a significant change for
the better A6 2, 27 1, 77
a significant change for
the better A7 2, 47 1, 90
a significant change for
the better B1 2, 97 1, 77
a significant change for
the better B2 1, 70 1, 30

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a significant change for
the better B5 3, 23 4, 03
a significant change for
the better C1 3, 70 2, 87
a significant change for
the better C3 2, 83 1, 53
a significant change for
the better D6 3, 80 4, 47
a significant change for
the better E1 3, 33 4, 10
a significant change for
the better E2 3, 00 3, 90
a significant change for
the better E4 3, 00 4, 63
a significant change for
the better E5 3, 43 4, 07
a significant change for
the better E6 3, 00 4, 13
Hereafter, it can be concluded that after applying the motivational strategies,
more students want to read the literature of English language in the original language
rather than a translation. More students would study English language in school even if
it were not required. More students enjoy meeting and listening to people who speak
English language.
More students really enjoy learning English. More students consider English an
important part of the school program. Fewer students would rather spend their time on
subjects other than English.
More students prefer class work that is challenging so they can learn new things.
Significantly more students like what they are learning in English classes.
Fewer students claim that they study English language because it is a
compulsory subject.
Fewer students claim not to have talent for languages and thus not like English.
Fewer students claim not being good at English and thus not like it. Significantly, fewer
students claim not to like English because of the teacher. Fewer students consider

54. 54
English difficult. Substantially, more students claim to understand English and thus like
it more.
4. 2. 9 Is the number of intrinsically motivated students the same at the end of the
research?
The number of intrinsically motivated students was slightly higher at the end of
the study.
4. 2. 10 Is the number of extrinsically motivated students the same at the end of the
research?
The number of extrinsically motivated students went down in both samples as
there were almost no students who could be referred to as extrinsically motivated in
February 2008.
4. 2. 11 Is the number of unmotivated students the same in the end of the research?
Demotivation decreased in a significant way.

55. 55
5. Conclusion
The main aim of this study was to confirm a presumption that it is possible to
motivate demotivated students of English to become more interested in learning
English. The second aim of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of the selected
14 motivational strategies.
In the theoretical part of the study, some underlying facts and past research
findings on motivation to study L2 were compiled. The main challenges that motivation
researchers have been confronted with, such as consciousness vs. unconsciousness,
cognition vs. affect, reduction vs. comprehensiveness, parallel multiplicity, context and
time were highlighted. Theories of motivation in psychology (Expectancy-value
theories, Goal theories, Self-determination theory and Social psychological theories)
were then presented. Teachers act as influential figures in shaping student motivation
and therefore the teachers´ influence was stressed here, separated into four interrelated
dimensions: the personal characteristics of teachers, teacher immediacy, active
motivational socialising behaviour and classroom management. Robert Gardner’s
influential motivation theory in the L2 field (the relationship between motivation and
orientation) was introduced in this section. The facts on student demotivation were
mentioned as well. Susan Wallace’s four big barriers to motivation (Fear; Boredom;
Previous Negative Experience and Lack of Hope,) were described alongside with 14
motivational strategies were presented.
After gaining some knowledge from the theoretical foundation, the research
problem and the research questions were formulated. The research problem had been
expressed as Effects of Selected Motivational Strategies on Student Motivation to
Become Gradually More Interested in Learning L2. To be able to depict the effects of

56. 56
the strategies better, 11 research questions were articulated, all of them based on the
theoretical background.
The researcher decided to conduct a longitudinal experimental research and as a
measuring tool, she used a questionnaire with close-ended items to get quantitative data.
The participants of the research were 30 grade 10 secondary students, aged 14–
16.
After constructing the questionnaire, the researcher administered it in a pilot
group of 10 respondents who were similar to the target sample to collect feedback about
how the instrument worked. The experimental research took almost twenty weeks, and
the results were presented in graphs and descriptively analysed.
Students seemed to show more interest in English language after applying the
motivational strategies as they expressed wishes to command the language perfectly and
to understand English speaking people.
When discerning the students’ attitudes towards learning English, it was
discovered at the beginning of the research that they possessed rather positive to neutral
attitudes to enjoyment of learning the language, considering English an important part
of the school program and plan to learn as much English as possible. After applying the
strategies, it was found that their attitudes have enhanced because they had rather
positive to positive feelings about learning the subject matter.
Before applying the motivational strategies, learners seemed to be slightly
intrinsically motivated to study the language. Some of them might have been motivated
to master the language because of the language’s sake not because of some external
incentives such as rewards and punishments. After applying the strategies, there was no
significant shift detected.

57. 57
At the beginning of the research, learners appeared to be less extrinsically
motivated than intrinsically, and this could have been interpreted as though they were
not interested in extrinsic rewards, such as good grades. I consider the result, after
applying the strategies in terms of extrinsic motivation, worthy further research
extrinsic motivation went down.
Crucial for the research was to find out whether there were any demotivated
students. At the beginning of the research, students appeared to be demotivated to study
the English language. At the end of the research, a significant shift in the students’
demotivation had been observed, which detected that it improved significantly.
When looking for the demotivating factors at the beginning of the research,
demotivation could be attributed to claims of not having a talent for languages, not
being good at the subject matter, not understanding English and to having had bad
English teachers; however, at the end of the research, a significant shift was observed in
the opinions on teachers as a demotivating factor as learners seemed not to consider the
teacher as a demotivating incentive anymore.
When investigating the possible sources of students’ motivation to study
English, it was found that students were motivated by the importance and utility of
English classes and by seeing knowledge of English as a means toward being
employable in the future, communicating with native speakers, and a necessity for
university studies. After applying the strategies, the sources for their motivation
remained almost unchanged with one more source mentioned, the students seemed to be
motivated to study English because they liked what they were learning in English
classes, which the researcher has considered an important result because it was one of
the aims of the study. At the end of the research, there were some more incentives, such

58. 58
as considering the content of English classes important, enjoyable, interesting and
claiming to be fond of languages.
The goal of this study has been to establish the extent to which motivational
strategies affect students’ motivation to become gradually more interested in the subject
matter.
As previously mentioned, the strategies did not affect students’ extrinsic
motivation very much, and therefore the researcher supposed that this issue would be
worth further research. When doing this research, the researcher would suggest
combining both quantitative data and qualitative ones to gain as objective results as
possible.
However, the motivational strategies appear to have had impact on students’
demotivation as almost none of them considered him/her being demotivated because of
various reasons.
It can be concluded that the assertion that teachers are powerful motivational
socialisers proved correct and that it is feasible to motivate almost all the unmotivated
students and the less interested ones. It seems that the teacher is able to raise the
learners’ general interest in English language, such as the desire to read books and
magazines in English and to understand native speakers, as learners demonstrated
improvement in this concern. The teacher appears to be able to enhance students’
attitudes towards learning English and make the learning enjoyable for the students as
learners showed a significant shift in their opinion on this matter. It can be assumed that
the teacher can increase students’ intrinsic motivation to study English pupils claimed to
consider the content of the classes important and useful and to like the English classes.
However, the teacher might not have much impact on the students’ extrinsic motivation
numbers showed slight deterioration, it might be ascribed to the low age of the students

59. 59
when they do not think about their future job or university, yet studies but this was not
researched. The teacher seems to be the key figure in influencing the student’s
demotivation. The students no longer claimed that English was difficult,
incomprehensible, boring, nor did they assert that they did not like English because of a
bad teacher.
Thus, the researcher’s presumption proved right and the strategies can be
claimed to be effective.

60. 60
6. Appendix 1
Data Result in Graphs
Chart 1
This chart shows the differences in the students´ interest in English.
The lower the number, the more required it was.
Interest in English
0
1
2
3
4
5
A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7
2007
2008

61. 61
Chart 2
Chart 2 pictures the shifts in the students´ attitudes towards learning English.
B1 – B2 were desired to be as low as possible, whereas items B4 – B7 were desired to
be as high as possible.
Attitudes toward Learning English
0
1
2
3
4
5
B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7
2007
2008

62. 62
Chart 3
Chart 3 shows the differences in the students´ intrinsic motivation. The desired value
was number 1.
Intrinsic motivation to study English
0
1
2
3
4
5
C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10
2007
2008

63. 63
Chart 4
Chart 4 portrays the shifts in the students´ extrinsic motivation. Value number 1 was the
most desired.
Extrinsic motivation to study English language
0
1
2
3
4
5
D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7
2007
2008

64. 64
Chart 5
Chart 5 displays the move in the students´ demotivation. The desired value was number
5.
Demotivation to study English language
0
1
2
3
4
5
E1 E2 E3 E4 E5 E6 E7
2007
2008

65. 65
7. Bibliography
Primary sources
Chambers, G. N. (1999). Motivating language learners. Clevedon: Multilingual
Matters.
Wallace, Susan. (2007). Getting the buggers motivated in FE. Continuum.
Secondary Sources
Dick Allwright and Kathleen M. Bailey. (1990). Focus on the Language Classroom:
An Introduction to Classroom Research for Language Teachers. CUP.
Marion Williams and Robert L. Burden. (1997). Psychology for Language Teachers:
a Social Constructivist Approach. CUP.
Jere Brophy. (2004). Motivating Students to Learn. LEA.
Peter Skehan. (1989). Individual Differences in Second-Language Learning. Edward
Arnold.
Paul R. Pintrich and Dale H. Schunk.(2002). Motivation in Education. Merrill
Prentice Hall.
R. C. Gardner. (1985). The Attitude/Motivation Test Battery. University of Western
Ontario.
Paul R. Pintrich and Elisabeth V. De Groot. (1990). The Motivated Strategies for
Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Journal of Educational Psychology, 1990, Vol. 82,
No. 1,33-40.
Electronic sources
http://www.tefl.net/esl-articles/motivation-esl.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Descriptive_statistics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivation_in_second_language_learning
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/