The Relationship Between EFL Teachers’ Professional Identity and their Motivational Strategy Use[Latin Thesis]

Fereshte Rezvani

With motivation being one of the most important features determining success in foreign/second language (L2) learning, strategies in motivating learners should be perceived as a significant feature of the study of L2 instruction. However, experimental studies concentrating on motivational strategies are limited in L2 research with few exceptions. Besides, teacher professional identity is a burgeoning field of study capturing increasing attention. Therefore, the present study aimed to shed light on the relationship between Iranian EFL teachers’ professional identity and their motivational strategy use. A total number of 100 male and female Iranian EFL teachers, of varying age and experience, participated in this study. In two quantitative and qualitative phases, the participants responded to Teachers’ Motivational Strategy Use and Teachers’ Professional Identity questionnaire and were observed in practice using the Motivation Orientation of Language Teaching (MOLT) classroom observation scheme. The results of Pearson Product Moment correlation and Multiple Regression indicated a positive direct correlation among Iranian EFL teachers’ professional identity and their motivational strategy use while gender did not significantly affect the relationship between the two variables. The qualitative analysis of the observation data showed that some motivational strategies including individual competition, signposting, creativity/interesting, fantasy, and group work were more favored by Iranian EFL teachers than others. Also, it was indicated that teachers’ professional identity influenced the type of strategy and the time that each teacher devoted to the strategy. The study provides a number of implications for teachers’ professional development and several suggestions for further research.