Abstract:
Students’ motivation in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom is
affected by their perceptions of the teaching strategies used. These perceptions are
influenced by the context in which they learn. This study aims to explore both
tertiary students’ and their lecturers’ perceptions of teaching strategies that both
groups consider impact on students’ motivation in learning EFL in an eastern region
of Indonesia.
This study used a qualitative research methodology. The case was composed of one
cohort of student-teachers and their EFL lecturers in one Teacher Training and
Education Faculty of one private university in the area of Sulawesi Island of
Indonesia. The data were collected from semi-structured individual interviews with
EFL (English as a Foreign Language) lecturers and focus groups with student-
teachers.
Both the lecturers and the student-teachers agreed that creating and maintaining
relationships was a highly effective strategy to motivate students in an EFL
classroom. However, the findings also showed that the two groups of participants put
different values on the teaching strategies employed by EFL lecturers in this context.
The study also found that some EFL lecturers were not aware of how some of the
strategies that they used in teaching English impacted on their learners’ motivation.
Lecturers’ time commitments outside this university proved to be a significant
challenge in maximizing the use of some motivational teaching strategies in teaching
English. These findings raise implications for lecturers’ practice. By being more
aware of how students view specific teaching strategies in the EFL classroom,
teachers can enhance students’ motivation, by generating, maintaining and building
on initial motivation.
