Moskovsky Et Al-2013-Language Learning
Moskovsky Et Al-2013-Language Learning
Moskovsky Et Al-2013-Language Learning
ISSN 0023-8333
Fakieh Alrabai
King Khalid University
Stefania Paolini
The University of Newcastle
Silvia Ratcheva
The University of Newcastle
While consensus exists about the critical role of learners motivation in second language
acquisition, controlled investigations of the effects of teachers motivational strategies
are limited. The research reported here used a quasi-experimental design to assess the
effects of motivational strategies used by Saudi English as a foreign language (EFL)
teachers (N = 14) on Saudi EFL learners (N = 296) self-reported learning motivation.
The experimental treatment involved class-time exposure to 10 preselected motivational
strategies over an 8-week period; the control group received traditional teaching methods. Multivariate analyses revealed a significant rise in learner motivation over time
exclusively or predominantly among experimental vs. control learners, which held robust even when controlling for pretreatment group differences. These results provide
compelling evidence that teachers motivational behaviors cause enhanced motivation
in second language learners.
Keywords foreign language motivation; teacher strategies; EFL; language teaching
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Christo Moskovsky, The University
of Newcastle, School of Humanities and Social Science, University Drive, Callaghan, New South
Wales 2308, Australia. Internet: [email protected]
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Moskovsky et al.
Introduction
The study of second language (SL) acquisition has in the past 40 years been
among the most dynamic and rapidly expanding sciences within the humanities. Few issues have seen as much attention by SL researchers as the role that
motivation plays with regard to the attainment of nonprimary languages. In a
field that is notorious for its lack of agreement on almost anything, there is
essentially a consensus that SL motivation is related to achievement and that
SL motivation is the driving force that enables learners to expend the continuous sustained effort language learning requires. It is widely accepted that,
everything else being equal, more motivated learners would be more successful
at learning the second/foreign language than less motivated learners, and that
without sufficient motivation even highly competent and cognitively capable
individuals may be unable to accomplish long-term goals (Dornyei & Csizer,
1998; Wlodkowski, 1999; see also Cheng & Dornyei, 2007; Guilloteaux &
Dornyei, 2008). It has also been suggested that motivation influences the whole
range of learner-internal and learner-external factors that are involved in second/foreign language acquisition, such as attitudes, aptitude, self-confidence,
language anxiety, intelligence, learning strategies, communication strategies,
and so on, and has the potential to determine to what extent these factors are
realized (Gardner, 2001; Oxford & Shearin, 1994, among others). Motivation
for learning a second/foreign language, however, is not a given: Levels of motivation have been found to vary, sometimes substantially, among individual
learners, as well as among groups of learners (see, e.g., Guilloteaux, 2007,
among many others).
In light of the undeniable importance that motivation has for learning outcomes, the need to find effective means of reinforcing and sustaining learners
motivation does not seem to require justification. The amount of research on
practical applications designed to enhance learner motivation however has been
extremely limited. The current study looks in particular at the role that teachers
can play in that regard by implementing specific motivational strategies in their
classrooms.
Motivational Strategies
Dornyei (2007) distinguishes three phases in SL motivation research: a socialpsychological period, a cognitive-situated period, and a process-oriented period. Historically motivation research in SL acquisition is associated with
35
Moskovsky et al.
Gardners social-psychological approach and the highly influential integrativeinstrumental motivation dichotomy (originally proposed in the early 1960s),
which dominated the field for quite a while (e.g., Gardner & Tremblay, 1994).
From around the 1990s on there has been a significant shift in the focus and
nature of research on SL motivation. This shift gave rise to a range of new
theories of SL motivation typically drawing on related research in the field
of psychology, including expectancy-value theories, attribution theories, selfefficacy theories (Dornyei, 2001; Oxford & Shearin, 1994), self-worth theories
(Stipek, 2002), and value of success theories. Overall, the cognitive-situated
period of SL motivation research shifted the attention to classroom-specific
aspects of motivation and created a fertile ground for educational implications
directly relevant to classroom practice (Dornyei, 2007, p. 111).
It deserves to be noted that, even though these theories may take different perspectives on motivation and often disagree in relation to how to
define SL motivation theoretically and how to explain its operation, they all
acknowledgeexplicitly or implicitlythe crucial role that the teacher can
play in enhancing his/her learners motivational levels. In light of this the question of what teachers can do to enhance their learners motivation assumes
critical significance. This brings us to the most central issue of the current
study: teacher motivational strategies.
Dornyei (2001) defines motivational strategies as the motivational influences that are consciously exerted to achieve some systematic and enduring
positive effect (p. 28). Guilloteaux and Dornyei (2008) propose that motivational strategies fall into two categories: (a) instructional interventions applied
by the teacher to elicit and stimulate student motivation and (b) self-regulating
strategies used purposefully by individual learners to manage the level of their
own motivation. Our study is specifically concerned with the former.
Literature abounds with sources defining and categorizing motivational
techniques to be used in the language classroom (e.g., Alison, 1993; Brown,
2001; Chambers, 1999; Dornyei, 2001; Williams & Burden, 1997; see also Alison & Halliwell, 2002). As Cheng and Dornyei (2007) acknowledge, however,
the studies that have actually looked at practical applications of such motivational strategies are disappointingly few, and regardless of how much intuitive
appeal the idea of motivational strategies may hold their usefulness can only
be established empirically (Gardner & Tremblay, 1994).
The only three studies that we are aware of which have actually attempted
to empirically test the effectiveness of motivational strategies are Dornyei
and Csizer (1998) in Hungary, Cheng and Dornyei (2007) in Taiwan, and
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Moskovsky et al.
Guilloteaux and Dornyei (2008) in South Korea. In the first two studies, relatively large groups of English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers were asked
to rank 50 odd motivational strategies according to their perceived importance
and also according to how frequently the EFL teachers thought they actually
used them in their language classes. Notably, neither of the two studies based
its findings on actual observation and evaluation of teachers classroom motivational practices or learners behaviors, but rather just on teachers responses
to a self-report questionnaire. As suggested by critics (e.g., Bernaus & Gardner,
2008), such studies are unrevealing with regard to the actual motivational effect
that teachers classroom behaviors can have on learners.
The third of these studies (Guilloteaux & Dornyei, 2008), which involved 27
EFL teachers and over 1,300 EFL learners in South Korea, is to our knowledge
the only one so far that has attempted to assess empirically the effects of
motivational strategies on learners motivation in language classes, using a
range of instruments, as follows:
(a) a 20-item self-report questionnaire designed to measure the learners
situation-specific motivational disposition (e.g., attitudes toward their
current SL course, linguistic self-confidence, SL classroom anxiety,
etc.);
(b) a classroom observation instrument used to assess both the quality of
the teachers teaching practices and the levels of the learners motivated
behavior; and
(c) a postlesson teacher evaluation scale developed to provide a post hoc
evaluation of the teachers motivational practices.
Guilloteaux and Dornyei (2008) found a strong positive correlation between
teachers motivational teaching practices and their learners learning motivation in the actual classroom. It is necessary to recognize, however, that even
though in comparison with the other two the Guilloteaux and Dornyei study
employed a much more rigorous methodology, it still had a cross-sectional
design (with data collected once at the end of the term and no experimental
treatment) and did not involve a control group. This type of methodology does
not allow for stringent causality inferences. These can only be established experimentally and/or via a longitudinal study. It is also noteworthy that the study
was concerned with the teachers general motivational practice in the classroom
and did not specifically target the implementation of motivational strategies.
Hence, to the best of our knowledge, there has not so far been a controlled (i.e.,
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Moskovsky et al.
experimental and/or longitudinal) study that has addressed the issue of the effect
of the implementation of motivational strategies in the language classroom.
The Present Study
This article reports on the main findings of a quasi-experimental study with
a prepost intervention plus control design specifically conducted to fill this
gap. The project involved a relatively large number of participants (14 teachers
and nearly 300 EFL learners in Saudi Arabia) split into an experimental and
a control group. Learners in the former were exposed to 10 preselected motivational strategies over an eight-week period, while the latter only received
traditional teaching methods. Motivation questionnaires were administered to
learners at the start and the end of this treatment period. To strengthen our interpretations with potentially nonequivalent groups, a careful matching procedure
of experimental and control teachers and learners was implemented during
data collection. Moreover, statistical control was carried out during analyses
to further minimize the impact of any preexisting differences between groups
and to ascertain that any posttreatment advantage in motivational levels of the
experimental group over the control group was independent from confounding
factors. We expected the analyses to reveal a significant rise in motivational
levels over time exclusively, or to a greater extent, among experimental (vs.
control) learners.
In light of the design and the careful procedure and analytical approach used,
we believe that our results provide a compelling test for the most fundamental
assumption in each and all motivational theories: that teachers motivational
behaviors cause enhanced motivation in their SL learners.
Method
Participants
The selection and recruitment of participants was aimed at capturing as much
variance as possible in terms of school levels, the teachers age, qualification,
and teaching experience, the learners age and learning experience, and the
social and regional backgrounds of both teachers and learners. Potential
participants were informed that the research project was about the role that
teachers motivational strategies play in enhancing learner motivation, and
were given a broad outline of its methodology and its relevance for the study of
SL motivation. While no material incentives were offered to participants, the
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Moskovsky et al.
FQ
Experimental 2
Control
2
Total
4
MA
Teaching experience
PhD
510y
1015y
over 15y
FQ
FQ
FQ
FQ
FQ
28.60
28.60
28.60
4
4
8
57.10
57.10
57.10
1
1
2
14.30
14.30
14.30
4
4
8
57.10
57.10
57.14
2
2
4
28.60
28.60
28.58
1
1
2
14.30
14.30
14.28
Note. FQ = frequency. Sample sizes: 153 (experimental group), 143 (control group),
and 296 (total).
research project was generally well received by both the teachers and learners
that were approached.
Invitations for participation in the project were extended to a large number
of educational institutions all over Saudi Arabia. Seven of them provided their
formal consent to take part in the research. These institutions were located in
three parts of Saudi Arabia as follows. Two high schools and two university
colleges were in Riyadh (the capital city), one university college and one
technical institution were in the southern region in Saudi Arabia, and another
technical institution was in the western region.
Fourteen EFL teachers between 20 and 50 years of age took part in this
study. They were holders of several qualifications and had a range of teaching
experience from as little as 5 years to over 15 years. Social demographic
information about participating teachers is reported in Table 1.
The participating learners were 296 Saudi EFL students of different ages
(from 12 to over 25 years), different levels of study (secondary and tertiary),
and of different levels of English proficiency (beginner, intermediate, and advanced). Learner participants were all males and all spoke Arabic as their first
language. They had different regional backgrounds (rural and urban). Social
demographic information about participating learners is reported in Table 2.
Moskovsky et al.
Control
(N = 143)
Frequency
Frequency
4
33
93
20
3
2.60
21.60
60.70
13.10
2.00
1
24
97
18
3
0.70
16.80
67.80
12.60
2.10
17
123
13
11.10
80.40
8.50
19
116
8
13.30
81.10
5.60
34
57
62
22.20
37.30
40.50
24
45
74
16.50
31.50
51.70
72
32
49
41.10
20.90
32.00
45
26
72
31.50
18.20
50.30
procedure was aimed at ensuring that the single key difference between the two
groups was the implementation of the motivational strategies.
Learner participants were almost evenly divided between the experimental
and the control groups (153 and 143, respectively). The allocation of learners
to different groups naturally followed from the allocation of the teachers (i.e.,
learners were assigned to their own teachers).
Effective matching of teachers and learners to the two study conditions
along key social demographic variables can be appreciated in Tables 1 and
2. Effective matching along these (categorical and ordinal) variables was also
statistically tested through a set of chi-square tests performed on the teachers
and students demographic data, which revealed that condition had a null effect
on all but one of the variables. Students from the capital city were significantly
Language Learning 63:1, March 2013, pp. 3462
40
Moskovsky et al.
Moskovsky et al.
7. Make learning tasks more attractive by adding new and humorous elements to them.
8. Remind students of the importance of English as a global language and
the usefulness of mastering the skills of this language.
9. Relate the subject content and learning tasks to the everyday experiences
and backgrounds of the students.
10. Consistently encourage students by drawing their attention to the fact that
you believe in their effort to learn and their capabilities to succeed.
Implementation Guide
Based on the results of the pilot study and the identified key motivational
strategies, an advisory guide was constructed to assist the teachers who taught
in the experimental groups in strategy implementation. The guide comprised a
range of specific techniques to translate the preselected motivational strategies
in the classroom context. For this operational translation, we drew on leading
textbooks on motivation, educational psychology, and motivation in education
(e.g., Malouff, Rooke, Schutte, Foster, & Bhullar, 2008; Pintrich & Schunck,
2002; Plax & Kearney, 1992; Woolfolk & Margetts, 2007) and also consulted
a number of experts in the field of SL motivation, psychology, and education,2
as well as some participating teachers. Thus for Strategy 3, for instance, the
guide specified a range of teacher behaviors, such as:
(i) show respect to your students in the way that you address them or
comment on their work and behavior;
(ii) help your students get to know and appreciate you as a person by
sharing some of your background, life experiences, interests, and
opinions with them;
(iii) get to know your students: learn their preferred names quickly and
use these names frequently as you interact with them;
(iv) show warmth to students (e.g., by greeting your students with a smile
when you enter class or wherever you meet them).
Prior to the implementation of the experimental treatment, the teachers
in the experimental group were provided with instructions on how to use the
advisory guide. They were also equipped with a checklist of strategies designed
to ensure that they were using the strategies regularly in their classes during
the intervention period. Teachers were required to consult the implementation
guide before every class and to make sure that they used all (or, at least, most)
in each individual lesson. Structured classroom observations conducted by one
of the coauthors over the experimental period established that the experimental
Language Learning 63:1, March 2013, pp. 3462
42
Moskovsky et al.
teachers did follow the implementation guide and did engage in at least some
of the designated behaviors. Classroom observations in the control group on
the other hand showed little evidence of similar behaviors occurring on a
spontaneous basis.
Learners Motivation Questionnaire
To assess learners motivation in the class, a motivation questionnaire was constructed in line with the view that learner motivation can have either a trait
or state orientation (Brophy, 1987; Tremblay, Goldberg, & Gardner, 1995),
and that learners task motivation involves both situation-specific and general motives (Dornyei, 2002; Julkunen, 2001). The full questionnaire (in the
English translation) can be found in Appendix S1 in the Supporting Information online. The questionnaire consists of three individual parts. Part A (32
items) targeted learners trait motivation for learning generally; Part B (44
items) targeted learners situation-specific motivational dispositions for learning English; and Part C (four groups of altogether 56 items) targeted learners
attitudes to: (i) their English language teacher, (ii) the English course, (iii)
the group of EFL learners in their class, and (iv) themselves as EFL learners.
Most of the questionnaire items were drawn from Dornyeis (1994) Model of
SL motivation, although in the construction of the instrument a range of other
sources were also consulted (AlMaiman, 2005; Al-Shammary, 1984; Clement
& Baker, 2001; Clement, Dornyei, & Noels, 1994; Dornyei, 1990; Gardner,
Tremblay, & Masgoret, 1997; Guilloteaux, 2007; Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope,
1986; Jacques, 2001; Moskovsky & Alrabai, 2009; Pintrich & Groot, 1990;
Schmidt & Watanabe, 2001; Schmidt, Boraie, & Kassabgy, 1996; Tremblay &
Gardner, 1995).
While the instrument included questions about trait motivation and language attitudes, there was a greater representation of items targeting state
motivation, which we expected to be particularly sensitive to the experimental treatment. All items used a 17-point Likert-type scale where high scores
indicated high statement endorsement and low scores indicated low statement
endorsement. The tool was administered in the learners native language, Arabic, in order to eliminate the risk that some learners limited competence in
English could affect their ability to respond to all questions. An English version of the questionnaire can be found in Appendix S1 in the online Supporting
Information.
Intervention Schedule and Data Collection
The intervention period was over eight weeks during the 2009 autumn term of
the Saudi academic year, including a 2-week semester break in the middle. The
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Moskovsky et al.
study commenced in the 3rd week of the term to make sure that students had
enrolled at their institutions and started their actual classes. The study concluded
three weeks prior to final exams to make sure that exam arrangements would
not affect the study and to avoid the course withdrawals that might occur at
the end of the semester. The learner motivation questionnaire was administered
to participating learners twice: once at the start of the treatment (Time 1 or
T1) and a second time at its end (Time 2 or T2). The same member of the
research team was involved in the administration of the questionnaire with all
groups. Participating learners received ample reassurance of the anonymity and
confidentiality of the responses they provide. To avoid undue influences and
possible bias in learners responses, their teachers and/or other representatives
of the participating institution were not allowed in the classroom during the
administration of the questionnaire. This, and the anonymous nature of the
questionnaire, ensured that learners would be in a position to provide honest
responses to all questionnaire items, including some that could be described
as sensitive, such as providing an evaluation of their teacher. It took learners
between 60 to 90 minutes to complete the whole questionnaire booklet at each
point in time. To diminish possible fatigue effects, learners were given a short
break after completing each section of the questionnaire.
Results and Discussion
Preliminary Data Analyses
Preliminary analyses were conducted to check for out-of-range and missing
values. Principal component analysis with oblimin rotation was conducted on
the evaluation of English teacher and evaluation of the EFL group of learners scales (in part C of the questionnaireboth consisting of a larger number
of items than the rest of the scales) in order to identify their underlying dimensions (the final groupings of specific questionnaire items which loaded
on each factor are shown in Appendix S1 in the online Supporting Information). The results indicated that evaluation of English teacher was comprised
of two factors. The first factor (49.53% variance explained) loaded on items
like organized, intelligent, and competent, and we labeled it teacher
teaching style and competence. The second factor (7.77% variance explained)
loaded on items such as trusting and lenient, and we labeled it teachers
personality. Similarly, two factors were found to underlie evaluation of the
EFL group of learners and we labeled these collectivist (50.17% variance explained; loading on items like considerate, respectful, and obedient) and
individualist (10.08% variance explained; loading on items like ambitious,
Language Learning 63:1, March 2013, pp. 3462
44
Moskovsky et al.
45
5
4
3
8
5
6
4
1. Learning anxiety
2. Learning self-efficacy
7. English self-efficacy
Construct
No. of
items
I usually feel uneasy whenever my teacher
asks me a question.
I am confident I can master hard learning
tasks if I try.
If I do well in my study, it will be
because I have high ability to do so.
When classes end, I often
wish they would continue.
It embarrasses me to volunteer answers
in English classes this semester.
I have been working hard to
learn English this semester.
I feel confident that I can do an excellent
job on the problems and tasks we do in
English class this semester.
I would study English even if it were not
required by this school/university.
Example(s)
4.91
(1.39)
2.10
(1.46)
5.61
(.92)
5.61
(1.05)
4.83
(1.07)
2.34
(1.45)
4.48
(1.19)
5.28
(1.13)
T1
Mean
(SD)
5.05
(1.33)
2.49
(1.52)
5.71
(.87)
5.66
(1.06)
4.94
(1.14)
2.19
(1.64)
4.54
(1.33)
5.48
(1.12)
T2
Mean
(SD)
.90
.83
.80
.84
.79
.60
.69
.81
T1
()
.67
.64
.67
.53
.64
.58
.58
.50
(Continued)
.90
.87
.86
.90
.84
.71
.75
.86
T2
()
Table 3 Means (and standard deviations), internal consistency (alphas), and test-retest reliability (rs) for the motivational indices across the
whole sample at Time 1 and Time 2
Moskovsky et al.
The Effects of Teachers Motivational Strategies
46
47
5
7
18
23
No. of
items
Construct
Table 3 Continued
Example(s)
5.49
(1.22)
5.53
(1.31)
5.34
(1.38)
4.76
(1.54)
5.59
(1.26)
5.18
(1.35)
5.85
(1.09)
T1
Mean
(SD)
5.69
(1.31)
5.75
(1.31)
5.46
(1.52)
4.84
(1.61)
5.64
(1.17)
5.47
(1.24)
5.97
(1.02)
T2
Mean
(SD)
.90
.76
.96
.95
.86
.83
.76
T1
()
.62
.55
.62
.64
.48
.50
.63
(Continued)
.92
.84
.96
.97
.85
.84
.76
T2
()
Moskovsky et al.
The Effects of Teachers Motivational Strategies
15
Example(s)
4.97
(1.26)
5.10
(1.29)
4.72
(1.59)
5.11
(1.88)
5.35
(.70)
5.39
(.65)
T1
Mean
(SD)
5.29
(1.22)
5.45
(1.23)
4.97
(1.67)
5.21
(1.34)
5.62
(.65)
5.58
(.71)
T2
Mean
(SD)
.84
.58
.90
.85
.83
.88
T1
()
.87
.58
.94
.88
.85
.87
T2
()
.98
.80
.75
.47
.44
.51
Note. SD = Standard deviation, = Cronbach alpha coefficient, r = test-retest reliability. All indices ranged between 1 and 7; high scores
indicate high representation of the construct. All values reported for total N = 296.
Isolated items were discarded from this construct due to low (.30) item-total correlations (numbers of items refer to items retained in
aggregated indices).
State motivation
No. of
items
Construct
Table 3 Continued
Moskovsky et al.
The Effects of Teachers Motivational Strategies
48
49
1. Learning anxiety
2. Learning self-efficacy
3. Positive attributions for
learning
4. Intrinsic motivation for
learning
5. English class anxiety
6. English motivational intensity
7. English self-efficacy
8. Intrinsic motivation for
learning English
9. Positive attributions for
learning English
10. Instrumental motivation for
learning English
11. Integrative motivation for
learning English
Construct
.00
.01
.00
.00
.00
.00
.00
.00
.00
.02
.03
11.21
27.81
13.30
248.86
22.12
95.28
6.11
4.69
9.55
7.64
132.33
F
(1,152)
.03
.04
.39
.16
.08
.62
.13
.07
.06
.05
.47
6.49
6.58
6.54
3.21
4.62
5.39
5.09
4.98
3.36
6.50
5.77
T1
Mean
EXPERIMENTAL Time
6.55
6.64
5.75
2.75
4.91
6.54
5.45
5.18
3.05
6.56
6.57
T2
Mean
.26
.44
.59
1.27
.00
162.02
.15
.01
.00
.25
.87
.03
2.11
7.10
203.49
1.36
.00
.77
.00
9.41
.09
161.34
F
(1,142)
.01
.004
.53
.02
.05
.59
.01
.000
.06
.001
.53
6.50
6.57
6.44
3.47
4.32
5.15
4.72
4.66
3.66
6.46
5.44
T1
Mean
CONTROL Time
6.46
6.59
5.17
3.66
4.13
6.35
4.63
4.67
3.97
6.46
6.44
T2
Mean
5.08
1.07
13.80
17.32
20.01
.22
16.99
5.41
18.92
3.13
3.71
F
(1,294)
.02
.00
.05
.06
.06
.00
.06
.02
.06
.01
.01
p2
(Continued)
.03
.30
.00
.00
.00
.64
.00
.02
.00
.08
.06
Time by Condition
INTERACTION
Table 4 F and descriptive statistics for experimental vs. control learners motivational variables as a function of Time and
Time Condition interactions
Moskovsky et al.
The Effects of Teachers Motivational Strategies
.00
.00
.00
.06
.00
.00
.00
.00
.00
.00
37.03
3.72
32.68
26.71
19.61
30.33
67.57
133.20
155.56
54.43
F
(1,152)
.31
.47
.17
.11
.15
.20
.02
.17
.51
.26
5.47
5.58
5.30
4.96
5.26
5.83
5.19
5.19
5.88
6.59
T1
Mean
EXPERIMENTAL Time
5.82
5.92
5.69
5.52
5.70
6.29
5.38
5.67
6.75
6.76
T2
Mean
20.88
6.54
.00
.01
.01
.58
.31
7.05
.00
.06
.69
.09
.00
.41
8.63
3.69
.16
2.87
176.74
.70
F
(1,142)
.13
.04
.05
.002
.06
.03
.001
.02
.55
.01
5.22
5.19
4.91
4.46
4.92
4.81
4.31
4.79
5.07
6.36
T1
Mean
CONTROL Time
5.40
5.22
4.69
4.38
5.18
4.59
4.26
4.94
6.30
6.33
T2
Mean
8.46
31.35
31.68
12.10
2.18
24.64
2.41
7.52
9.58
27.02
F
(1,294)
.00
.00
.00
.00
.14
.00
.12
.01
.00
.00
.03
.10
.10
.04
.01
.08
.00
.03
.03
.08
p2
Time by Condition
INTERACTION
Note. F = variance of the group means, p = significance value, p2 = Partial Eta square, 2 = Eta square. All indices ranged between 1 and
7; high scores indicate high representation of the construct. N = 153 (experimental group), 143 (control group), and 296 (total).
Construct
Table 4 Continued
Moskovsky et al.
The Effects of Teachers Motivational Strategies
50
Moskovsky et al.
Moskovsky et al.
52
Moskovsky et al.
predicted direction. This pattern of findings speaks for the substantial capacity
of motivational strategies of the type used in our study to increase learners
motivation.
Group Differences in Learners Motivation at T2 Due to Treatment (and
Independent of Preexisting Group Differences)
First, it is worth noting in Table 4 that all the variables that had no significant
differences between the experimental and control groups at T1 (i.e., learning anxiety, English class anxiety, learning self-efficacy, English self-efficacy,
instrumental motivation, and integrative motivation) became significantly different at T2, as a result of the treatment. This means that the variables that in
this study were most directly comparable displayed the expected advantage of
the experimental group over the control group. Moreover, across all variables,
the size of the Condition effect (i.e., the difference between the experimental
and control condition, as expressed as p 2 ) was larger at T2 than T1 in 16 out
of 18 variables that significantly changed at T2. Together, these results already
indicate that any minor preexisting differences between experimental and control groups were glossed over by the positive effects on learners motivation of
the experimental treatment.
Yet, we carried out a final and more incisive set of analyses to better deal
with any preexisting group differences potentially clouding our key effects. For
this, we ran a set of 2 Condition (experimental vs. control) between-subjects
analyses of covariance on each T2 index with T1 data as covariate. These
analyses were carried out to identify key posttreatment differences between
experimental and control learners at T2 that held after the impact of any group
difference at T1 had been controlled for (i.e., statistically removed). The results
are shown in Table 5.
As indicated in Table 5, after controlling for preexisting group differences
at T1, the Condition factor (intervention variable) had a significant effect on
all the variables at T2, except on instrumental motivation for learning English.
Because these analyses control for any residual group differences, they are
capable of capturing the net effects of the experimental treatment.
The only null finding in Table 5 on instrumental motivation for learning
English deserves some commentary. Many previous studies that investigated
the role of SL motivation in the Saudi EFL context (e.g., Al-Amr, 1998; AlOtaibi, 2004; Alrabai, 2007; Al-Shamary, 1984) found that Saudi EFL learners
were instrumentally motivated in the first place. This fact was confirmed by the
extremely high (and almost equal) marginal mean values this variable scored
at T1 in both the experimental and control groups (M = 6.58 for experimental,
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Moskovsky et al.
Control
(N = 143)
M Mean
SD
M Mean
SD
F
(1,293)
p2
3.14
6.55
1.41
.26
3.87
6.48
1.50
.29
31
7.85
.00
.01
.10
.03
6.54
.31
6.47
.35
4.60
.03
.02
5.06
1.04
4.81
1.18
9.39
.00
.03
2.84
1.44
3.57
1.72
25
.00
.08
4.80
1.24
4.26
1.31
28
.00
.09
6.52
.31
6.38
.35
22
.00
.07
5.33
1.18
4.76
1.36
33
.00
.10
5.67
1.07
5.26
1.34
10
.00
.03
6.63
.33
6.60
.34
1.57
.21
.005
6.55
.36
6.46
.37
6.50
.01
.02
6.68
.26
6.37
.40
89
.00
.23
6.70
.27
6.40
.40
83
.00
.22
6.01
.89
4.88
1.57
75
.00
.21
5.12
1.33
4.54
1.68
16
.00
.05
(Continued)
Language Learning 63:1, March 2013, pp. 3462
54
Moskovsky et al.
Table 5 Continued
Experimental
(N = 153)
Construct
16. Evaluation of the
EFL group of
learners
17. Collectivist
18. Individualist
19. EFL learners
motivational
self-evaluation
Trait motivation
State motivation
Control
(N = 143)
F
SD (1,293)
p2
M Mean
SD
M Mean
5.52
1.06
5.04
1.28
21
.00 .07
5.60
5.39
5.56
1.08
1.45
1.06
5.29
4.52
4.84
1.33
1.69
1.41
8.34
30
47
.00 .03
.00 .09
.00 .14
5.74
5.79
.58
.53
5.49
5.36
.65 25.79
.70 62.96
.00 .08
.00 .18
Note. M Mean = Marginal means are means that adjust for the removal of the covariates
influence, SD = standard deviation, F = variance of the group means, p = significance
value, p2 = Partial Eta square. All indices ranged between 1 and 7; high scores indicate
high representation of the construct.
6.57 for control, on a 7-point scale). Given these originally existing high values,
we had limited expectations of change on this indicator.
The single largest group difference ( p 2 = .23) in Table 5, scored for the
evaluation of English teacher, is most noteworthy. There is a huge amount
of theoretical research that recognizes teacher behavior as the most powerful
means for motivating learners (see, e.g., Brophy, 2004; Burden, 2000; Oxford
& Shearian, 1994; Wlodkowski, 1999). In Dornyeis (2001) words, [a]lmost
everything a teacher does in the classroom has a motivational influence on
learners, which makes teacher behavior the most powerful motivational tool
(p. 120). Based on the findings from research on motivational strategies (e.g.,
Chambers, 1999; Cheng & Dornyei, 2007; Dornyei & Csizer, 1998), EFL
teachers also overwhelmingly acknowledge the crucial importance of what they
do in the classroom with regard to their learners motivation. These findings
are additionally reinforced by the results of our pilot study with Saudi EFL
teachers (briefly referred to in the Method section) and the 10 key strategies
they identified. As far as our current study is concerned, the data presented
here leave little doubt that the teachers enhanced motivational behaviors in
the experimental group were responsible for a significant increase in learner
motivation along a range of motivational dimensions at the end of the eightweek English course. The experimentally induced advantage in motivation of
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Moskovsky et al.
the experimental group over the control group remained significant even when
controlling for weak preexisting advantages of the experimental group over the
control group. The experimentally induced advantage overrode the effects of
mere maturation processes and of traditional teaching methods as they were
captured by motivational changes in our control group.
Summary of Main Findings and Contributions
The present research built on scant prior empirical investigations on the effects
of motivational strategies in EFL contexts (Cheng & Dornyei, 2007; Dornyei
& Csizer, 1998; Guilloteaux & Dornyei, 2008). It used a prepost treatment
quasi-experimental design with a control group to provide a methodologically
controlled investigation of the effects that 10 preselected teachers motivational
strategies, as implemented in an 8-week teaching program in an experimental group, had on SL learners motivation above and beyond the effects of
traditional teaching methods (and maturation processes), as implemented in a
control group. To minimize the impact of group nonequivalence and strengthen
data interpretation, a careful matching procedure was implemented during data
collection, and statistical control for minor preexisting group differences was
maintained during data analysis.
Self-reported motivational levels in Saudi EFL learners were recorded both
prior and post experimental treatment with motivational strategies. When subjected to multivariate statistical analyses, these data indicated that, overall,
increases in learners motivation over time were significantly more pronounced
in the experimental than control conditions, and they were in the predicted
direction of a relative greater increase in the experimental group. Importantly,
this experimentally induced advantage remained significant even when controlling for weak preexisting group differences, suggesting that it was not a mere
reflection of a positive selection bias among teachers (and as a consequence
among learners) due to lack of complete randomization to groups, but rather
reflected a net benefit on motivation of the experimental treatment.
In particular, we were able to discard simple maturation as an explanatory
variable. Namely, the time factor had a strong positive effect on nearly all of
the variables in the experimental group while in the control group less than a
third of all variables changed overtime, and some of the changes in that group
were, in fact, in the negative direction. Importantly, even where positive changes
occurred in both groups, the size of the change in these variables was statistically
larger in the experimental group. Likewise, the results concerning the effects of
the condition/treatment in the analysis of covariance also reflect very sizeable
differences between the two groups. With the exception of one variable, at T2
Language Learning 63:1, March 2013, pp. 3462
56
Moskovsky et al.
the treatment factor produced meaningful and sizeable group differences on all
other variables and in favor of the experimental group. Notably, these effects
held after controlling for preexisting group differences at T1, thus capturing
net effects of the motivational strategies intervention. Overall, in light of the
quasi-experimental design of our study, it is clear that the Time/Condition
differences obtained for the two groups can only be attributed to the treatment
that the learners in the experimental group received. Finally, as far as the
trait/state motivation dichotomy is concerned, our data show that regardless of
any preexisting differences found between learners in the two groups at T1, the
experimental treatment produced a large and statistically significant positive
effect on both the trait and state motivation of learners in the experimental
group. Notably, this effect was larger in the state motivation variable than in the
trait variable, suggesting that especially learners state motivation was strongly
influenced by the treatment and that changes in trait variables might need
prolonged or repeated interventions over time to show a comparable degree of
change.
Overall, therefore, the results of the present investigation provide compelling evidence that implementing motivational strategies in Saudi EFL classrooms resulted in a significant positive change in the learners SL motivation
in these classes. More generally, these results speak not for mere correlational
evidence but for the causal influence of teachers motivational practices on
learners motivated behaviors. They reinforce and significantly extend the correlational findings of Guilloteaux and Dornyei (2008) in the South Korean EFL
context, which established that EFL teachers motivational practices covary
positively with learners motivation. The present study is the first to shed light
on the exact direction and causal nature of such covariations. Because of our
reliance on a quasi-experimental prepost treatment design, with multiple control mechanisms (i.e., a base-line control group, a matching procedure, and the
statistical assessment and control for group differences), we are confident that
the motivational practices of our experimental EFL teachers as predicted caused
increases in learners motivation. Our confidence stems from the fact that our
research design, data collection procedure, and choice of statistical analyses
were geared toward obtaining stringent and unequivocal results. Moreover, because we moved away from Guilloteaux and Dornyeis general focus on the
teachers motivational practice as a whole toward a range of individual motivational strategies, we believe that the present investigation is the first to
appropriately respond to Gardner and Tremblays (1994) call for empirical tests
of the effectiveness of motivational strategies in language classes. In so doing,
our study is one of few set out to test empirically the fundamental assumption
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Moskovsky et al.
Notes
1 With minor changes/modifications in the wording of some of the strategies to adapt
them to the Saudi educational, cultural, and social context.
Language Learning 63:1, March 2013, pp. 3462
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Supporting Information
Additional Supporting Information may be found in the online version of this
article:
Appendix S1. Learners Questionnaire (English Version).
Please note: Wiley-Blackwell are not responsible for the content or functionality
of any supporting materials supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than
missing material) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
62