Exploring the Motivational Strategies in Second Language Teaching

Abstract

Initiating and sustaining motivation in a collective and innovative style has been a challenge for English language teachers anywhere in the globe. This paper explored the common motivational strategies employed by English language teachers in the classrooms as reported by both teachers and their students from the peripheral district multiple secondary zones in certain school divisions in the Philippines. Anchored on Sugita and Takeuchi’s (2010) findings and supporting literature, teachers’ motivational strategies were surveyed from 256 10th grade student and thirty (30) English teachers. Results confirm teachers and students’ observed engagement with the motivational strategies in the L2 classrooms. Although there were some variations, similarities and connections on the way students and teachers perceived the L2 motivational strategies in the classrooms, the use of a variety of motivational strategies with the focus on promoting pleasant and supportive environment, holistic assessment, differentiated tasks, and humor, remains to be valuable and critical enablers in sustaining successes in the second language classrooms. Implications for language teachers and future study considerations are then shared.