Research Perspectives on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Learning Motivation in Turkish Context: A Systematic Review of Studies between 2010 and 2021

Abstract

Motivation has been demonstrated to be an important affective factor in language learning process and its importance has led to the emergence of diverse research perspectives in both foreign and second language learning contexts. In addition to the research studies investigating language learning motivation of learners, review studies presenting the picture of how and in what ways this phenomenon has been studied as a research focus make a significant contribution to the understanding of it. Based on this, this study aims to scrutinize how English as a foreign language (EFL) motivation has been studied as a research matter in Turkish context. Aims of the studies, the participant groups and contexts, research methodologies, motivational frameworks followed and major findings were examined to find out the general trends in EFL motivation research. For these purposes, 14 research studies and nine master’s thesis and doctoral dissertations in the last 10-year period were selected based on certain criteria, and they were systematically analyzed in the light of the research questions. The findings showed that motivational research in Turkish EFL context mainly concentrate on university context, and some of the findings related to motivational orientations of Turkish EFL learners are inconsistent and need more investigation.