An Activity-theory-informed Study On The Motivation Of College English Teachers Using Teaching Strategies

As one of the most vital parts of teaching,teachers play a guiding and implementing role in the teaching activities,and their choice of teaching strategies has become the essential part to improve the quality of English teaching.In recent years,scholars at home and abroad have paid more attention to the significance of teaching strategies,and the research on teaching strategies has gradually increased.Foreign research on teaching strategies mainly includes the definition of teaching strategies,the classification of these strategies,the influence on learners and the effectiveness of teaching strategies.Domestic research mainly includes the study on the construction of teaching strategies and the study of teaching strategies for teachers and students.In the domestic research on teaching strategies,only a few scholars have explored the influence of teaching styles and teacher beliefs on teachers’ use of teaching strategies.However,the research of teaching strategies on teachers at home and abroad is not sufficient,especially little research on the motivation of strategy choice.At home and abroad,there is still a lack of research on teachers’ motivation.Few studies have explored the motivation behind the teaching strategies used and the relationship between the teaching strategies and the motivations for using these teaching strategies.This thesis uses activity theory as the theoretical perspective to explore the relationship between the use of teaching strategies and the motivations of using them.These research questions are as follows:(1)What are the teaching strategies used by college English teachers?(2)What are the motivations for their use of teaching strategies and what are the relationships between teaching strategies used by teachers and their motivations to use these strategies?(3)What are the factors that influence teachers’ motivations to use these teaching strategies? Through classroom observation and interviews,an empirical research,concerning teaching strategies used by four college English teachers who teach the same course,is conducted in a target college.The final results are as follows: through classroom observation,it is found that teachers use direct teaching strategies most,followed by indirect teaching strategies,and finally cooperative teaching strategies.Then,it is illustrated that teachers using the same teaching strategy or different teaching strategies are driven by different motivations or the same motivation.According to the activity theory,the relationships between the use of teaching strategies and the motivations for using them are analyzed from three horizontal modes of activity,the relationship among the structural elements,and the mutual conversions within the activity system.The stronger the motivations are,the more types and frequencies of teaching strategies are used;the weaker the motivations are,the fewer types and frequencies of teaching strategies are applied.Last but not least,teachers’ teaching styles,teachers’ beliefs,teachers’ academic background and interests,students’ feedback,examination system,syllabus requirements affect teachers’ motivations to use teaching strategies in the classroom.This research analyzes the relationships between the use of teaching strategies and the motivations of using them from the perspective of activity theory.It is hoped that the research results can provide references for college English teachers’ teaching design and use of teaching strategies,and can promote teaching effects and guide teaching.