EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of Intermediate Learners’ Demotivation and the Strategies Used to Reduce Demotivation in an Iranian Context

Abstract

Demotivating factors can negatively influence the learners' attitudes in learning English language. In the present study, demotivating factors and the strategies used to reduce demotivation among Iranian EFL learners were explored through both qualitative and quantitative research methods. İn the qualitative part of the study, semi-structured interviews including two main open-ended questions were done to construct two Sources of Demotivation and Demotivation Reduction Strategies Questionnaires. Then, in the quantitative part of the study, the correlations between EFL learners', novice and experienced teachers' perceptions of demotivating factors and strategies learners use to reduce demotivation were explored. Forty Intermediate level EFL learners including 22 female and 18 male learners who attended the classes at Iran Language Institute (ILI) in Tehran, Iran and 200 teachers including 137 experienced teachers and 63 novice teachers who worked at different branches of Iran Language Institute (ILI) in Tehran, Iran were participated in the research project. The qualitative data were analyzed through coding and factor analysis. İn addition to 40 strategies to reduce demotivation in EFL classrooms, quality of teaching, teachers' characteristics, classroom environment, institute's facilities, language anxiety, and students' characteristics were identified as the demotivating factors. Additionally, the findings showed a statistically significant correlation between EFL learners and teachers' perception of learners' demotivation and strategies to reduce demotivation and between experienced and novice teachers' perception of learners' demotivation and strategies to reduce demotivation too. It was concluded that demotivation is a multidimensional construct containing six components in Iranian context of foreign language learning.