Fostering EFL Learners’ Motivation: A Comparison of Facilitating Negotiation Interaction and Maximizing Learning Opportunities

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of English, CT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Boosting EFL learners’ motivation has been and continues to be a prominent theme in the theory and praxis of language teaching. Accordingly, this study sought to investigate the comparative impact of maximizing learning opportunities (MLO) and facilitating negotiation interaction (FNI) on Iranian EFL learners’ motivation through a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest comparison group design. Following a pilot administration of a sample Cambridge English Key Test (KET) with 25 learners, the modified test was administered to 90 EFL learners. Sixty three learners whose scores fell within one standard deviation above and below the mean were selected through non-random convenience sampling. Of these participants, 32 learners were assigned randomly to the MLO group and 31 learners to the FNI group. The learners’ motivation was measured using a validated Persian translation of Gardner’s (1985) Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) administered as both the pre- and posttest. During the treatment period, each group received instructions through tasks and activities designed in accordance with the principles of its respective instructional approach. The one-way ANCOVA indicated that both MLO and FNI had a significant impact on enhancing EFL learners’ motivation. However, no significant difference was found between the two approaches in terms of their motivational effects (F = 0.620, p = 0.434 > 0.05). The study suggests the application of both procedures in the ELT environment to boost EFL learners’ motivation

Keywords


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