A Study Of Motivational Strategies Used By Junior High School Teachers In EFL Classrooms

Motivation plays an important role in foreign language learning achievement, so motivational strategies used by teachers in classroom settings deserves great attention.In the present study, an investigation of motivational strategies used by junior high school teachers in EFL classrooms was conducted. Three questions are addressed:(1)which motivational strategies are frequently used and underused from the perception of teachers in EFL classroom?(2) what is the effectiveness of the motivational strategies frequently used by teachers?(3) whether students’ English level will influence the effectiveness of the frequently used motivational strategies?95 junior high school teachers in Jiangsu Province and 156 students from 4 junior high school teachers’ classrooms were surveyed. The study combines the questionnaire survey and interview. The questionnaire used in the present study is from the questionnaire in Dornyei and Csizer’s(1998) study and has been modified. Then,SPSS 19.0 was used to check the reliability for further modification. The modified questionnaire contains 49 items, which were grouped into 12 scales. The valid questionnaire responses were analyzed by SPSS 19.0.The results show that there are 28 strategies are frequently used and half of those strategies are in the scales of teacher, effort and self-confidence, and 9 strategies are least frequently used. In addition, it is found that the frequencies of used strategies in the scales of goal, group, L2- related values, interesting and feedback and evaluation are unbalanced, some at high levels and some at relatively low levels. Meanwhile, the motivational strategies mainly in the categories of teacher, climate, self-confidence and interest are more effective. However, four strategies are less effective including :prepare for the lessons properly regularly, demystify mistakes: they are a natural part of learning, include regular group work in your class and review the classroom rules with your students. Meanwhile, the effectiveness of most frequently used motivational strategies was quite different in high-level and low-level students.Based on the findings of theoretic studies and empirical studies, the author discussed the implications for junior high school teachers using motivational strategies in English teaching in China. To sum up, the present study can be of significance to the teaching reform and teachers’ self-development.