Universidad Tecnológica Nacional

INSTITUTO NACIONAL SUPERIOR DEL

PROFESORADO TÉCNICO

How to Guide Adolescent Learners into Finding

and Developing Intrinsic Motivation for Learning
English

CÁTEDRA: Trabajo de Campo II

TUTOR: Prof. Alfredo Bilopolsky

Ivan Buchniev

2017

How to Guide Adolescent Learners into Finding and Developing Intrinsic Motivation for
Learning English
Ivan Buchniev
UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017

1
 Abstract
About 100% of teenagers who study a foreign language with a magnitude of
relevance as is English should be made aware and conscious of the
importance of such learning. Moreover, it is often the case that students fail
to realize the significance and multiple benefits knowing another language
carries, ranging from the direct ability to communicate with others and
understand different cultures, as well as the positive impact a second
language has on the brain. Reasons such as those should be more than
enough to motivate a person to become able to dominate a language.
However, more often than not this is not the case. For that reason, this paper
aims to uncover, define and explain the factors as well as to provide
techniques and practical suggestions that can lead to motivated, and
consequently better working, secondary school students who are under the
pressure of learning, understanding and manipulating the English language
with the objective of incorporating it to their inner way of viewing and
reasoning the world. A study was carried out among professional English
teachers; it suggests that all agreed upon the fact that motivation is crucial in
the class. They backed up that view by indicating they often apply
“motivating” activities to help their students.

How to Guide Adolescent Learners into Finding and Developing Intrinsic Motivation for
Learning English
Ivan Buchniev
UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017

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 Resumen
Aproximadamente un 100% de estudiantes que aprenden un idioma
extranjero con una magnitud de relevancia como lo es el idioma Inglés
deberían ser conscientes de la importancia de tal aprendizaje. Además,
suele ocurrir que los estudiantes no logran darse cuenta del significado y los
múltiples beneficios que saber otro idioma posee: la habilidad directa de
comunicarse con otros y comprender distintas culturas, el impacto que un
segundo idioma en el cerebro, entre otras. Razones como esas deberían ser
más que suficientes para motivar a una persona a volverse capaz dominar
un idioma. Sin embargo, en la mayoría de los casos esto no suele ser así.
Por esa razón, el objetivo de este documento de investigación ha sido
descubrir, definir y explicar los factores así como también proveer técnicas y
sugerencias prácticas que puedan lograr estudiantes de nivel secundario
más motivados, y consecuentemente más activos, que se encuentran bajo
la presión de comprender y manipular el idioma Inglés con el objetivo de
incorporarlo de manera interna a su forma de ver y razonar el mundo. Un
estudio se llevó a cabo entre docentes profesionales de la enseñanza del
idioma Inglés, el cual mostró que todos estaban de acuerdo sobre el hecho
de que la motivación es crucial en una clase. Sostuvieron su postura
indicando que suelen aplicar actividades “motivadoras” para ayudar a sus
estudiantes.

How to Guide Adolescent Learners into Finding and Developing Intrinsic Motivation for
Learning English
Ivan Buchniev
UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017

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 Table of Contents

1) Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 5
2) What is Motivation? ............................................................................................................. 6
3) Is motivation important? ..................................................................................................... 8
4) How does motivation work? .............................................................................................. 9
5) Types of motivation ........................................................................................................... 10
6) What is extrinsic motivation? ......................................................................................... 12
7) What is intrinsic motivation? ........................................................................................... 14
8) What are the different types of students? .................................................................. 16
9) Some strategies for boosting motivation in students .............................................. 16
10) Is motivation a teacher responsibility? ...................................................................... 19
11) A) The study ..................................................................................................................... 20
11) B) Procedure .................................................................................................................... 22
11) C) Analysis of questions ………..................................................................................... 22
11) C) I) Questions 1 and 2 …….......................................................................................... 23
11) C) II) Question 3 .............................................................................................................. 23
11) C) III) Question 4 ............................................................................................................. 23
11) C) IV) Questions 5 and 6 .............................................................................................. 24
11) C) V) Question 7 ….......................................................................................................... 24
11) C) VI) Question 8 …......................................................................................................... 25
11) C) VII) Question 9 ………................................................................................................ 25
11) C) VIII) Question 10 ….................................................................................................... 26
12) Results ............................................................................................................................... 27
13) Conclusion ……….............................................................................................................. 30
14) References ........................................................................................................................ 31
15) Appendix 1: Questionnaire …….................................................................................... 32
16) Appendix 2: Data matrix ................................................................................................ 33

How to Guide Adolescent Learners into Finding and Developing Intrinsic Motivation for
Learning English
Ivan Buchniev
UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017

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How to Guide Adolescent Learners into Finding and Developing
Intrinsic Motivation for Learning English

1) Introduction

For many decades now, formal education as it is known has suffered a great
number of changes. Especially in the field of English as a Foreign Language
(EFL), many of those brought about varied and divergent methods and
approaches which came with a set of activities that corresponded to a belief of
how teaching in the classroom should be tackled. Countless theories of
learning, classroom tasks, seating arrangements, for example, have had the
prime objective of aiding educators in passing down the contents to be taught to
their students. Also, many of these theories attempted to explain how it was
best to expose students to specific material, how to present new content, elicit
desired answers from them, to name but a few.

However, there is a factor that has been deemed unimportant since little or no
attention at all was paid to its development alongside the learning theories.
Neither has it been included nor taken into consideration at the time of
designing activities. This component, intangible yet so determining in helping a
student learn, pass a subject (or both), or even fail if completely absent, has
been termed motivation.

For quite a long time now, motivation has been observed and studied through
students’ behaviour in class such as their reaction and commitment to a
particular activity. Being considered paramount, decisive and truly influential for
many authors, motivation has been a topic for discussion among experts of the
English language teaching profession. It is more notably significant when the
teaching of English is transferred to secondary school education: that is to say,
adolescents.

How to Guide Adolescent Learners into Finding and Developing Intrinsic Motivation for
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UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017

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It seems that, if unmotivated, a teenage student may not even present the
slightest of interests in a subject, thus not fulfilling the tasks assigned to him or
her and consequently failing the subject. Although this could be attributed to
laziness, which may sometimes be the case, some experts would object and
conclude that a lack of motivation is the cause for the adolescent’s scant
behaviour. It is out of the question that teachers are many times at a loss when
faced with scenarios similar to the one described above; furthermore, feelings of
frustration are planted and grow in them, as they believe they are to be held
responsible for not being able to involve students in their classes.

It is precisely for these reasons that the aim of this paper is to define to what
extent motivation in adolescent students affects their learning of English as
perceived by teachers of EFL. Also, this paper will attempt at providing some
techniques for secondary school educators who face the arduous task of
dealing with unmotivated teenage learners in their classrooms. It is also an
objective of this paper to analyse and determine whether teachers are in fact
responsible for having students who are unwilling to complete the tasks and
activities given to them and to work in class.

2) What is Motivation?

Motivation is a concept that can be defined as the engine responsible for

determining human behaviour by energising it and giving it direction. Even
though there is little agreement among educators and researchers, the term is
used frequently since it is construed as a positive and necessary tool that
should be fostered in students and which educators should know how to
generate. In the words of Zoltán Dörnyei (1996), a Professor of
Psycholinguistics at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom:

Motivation theories in general seek to explain no less than the

fundamental question of why humans behave as they do, and

How to Guide Adolescent Learners into Finding and Developing Intrinsic Motivation for
Learning English
Ivan Buchniev
UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017

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 therefore it would be naive to assume any simple and
straightforward answer; indeed, every different psychological
perspective on human behaviour is associated with a different
theory of motivation and, thus, in general psychology it is not the
lack but rather the abundance of motivation theories which confuses
the scene. (Dörnyei, 1998, p.117-118)

Based on Dörnyei’s words, it could be claimed that motivation is a widespread

topic among researchers, which at times may blur the scene and contribute to
making a clear, concise definition difficult to provide. Moreover, Dörnyei asserts
that “L2 motivation is necessarily a multifaceted construct, and describing its
nature and its core features requires particular care.” (Dörnyei, 1998, p. 118)

Unlike Dörnyei’s take on motivation, Carole A. Ames, a professor emeritus of

educational psychology and former dean of a College of Education, argues that
“motivation has often been characterized within what has been called a
quantitative view of motivation, in which motivation has been described as the
intensity of behavior, the direction of behavior, and the duration of behavior.”
(Ames, 1990, p. 410-411)

However, Ames expresses her disapproval towards that classification. Her

arguments are based on the premises that motivation cannot be measured in
terms of the amount of time (duration of behaviour) a student seems to be
engaged in an activity. It should be remembered that “students need to develop
motivational thought patterns that contribute to self-regulated learning.” (Ames,
1990, p. 410-411)

Rather than talking about the direction of behaviour, Ames suggests that
teachers focus on students’ goals or reasons for learning or carrying out an
activity. She cleverly points out the difference between a student who engages
in a project for extrinsic reasons, such as getting good grades, and a student

How to Guide Adolescent Learners into Finding and Developing Intrinsic Motivation for
Learning English
Ivan Buchniev
UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017

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who engages in a similar project out of interest for getting a better grasp of the
subject. Ames strongly believes that students’ goals are key in developing
motivation.

Last but not least, Ames proposes to raise awareness on the fact that it may
usually be the case that “students can be equally motivated but for very different
reasons. Often, it is not that the child is not motivated, but that the child is not
motivated to do what we want him to do (1990, p. 411).” She also proposes to
view motivation in terms of adaptive, positive thought patterns that students
develop and sustain over time in relation with a subject or a topic.

3) Is motivation important?

Terrell H. Bell, USA’s former Secretary of Education, (1997) says that “there are
three things to remember about education. The first one is motivation. The
second one is motivation. The third one is motivation.” As stated before, it
seems that every author subscribes to the view that motivation is an essential
factor that is to be present even in the simplest activity; because, without
motivation, students (and teachers) may be unable to understand the reason for
doing what they are asked to do.

Student motivation has for some time been described as one of the foremost
problems in education for two major reasons: (1) it is certainly one of the
problems most commonly cited by teachers; motivation is important because it
contributes to achievement, but it is also important itself as an outcome. It is not
synonymous with achievement, and student incentive and inspiration may not
necessarily be inferred by looking at achievement test scores. When we talk
about motivation as an outcome, we are concerned with students’ ‘motivation to
learn.’ (2) If value is placed on developing a motivation to learn in students, we
are concerned with whether students initiate learning activities and maintain an

How to Guide Adolescent Learners into Finding and Developing Intrinsic Motivation for
Learning English
Ivan Buchniev
UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017

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involvement in learning. This, as well as a commitment to the process of
learning, might need to be taken into consideration.

4) How does motivation work?

Carole Ames (1990) cleverly exemplifies the main difference between two types
of motivation, which provides us with the answer to how motivation works in
practical terms:

A student who works for extrinsic rewards such as grades is likely to

engage in very different thought processes and behaviors compared
with the student who wants to learn something new about the
subject matter or improve a skill. Students’ reasons for learning
have important consequences for how they approach and engage in
learning. Motivation is also not a matter of increasing the intensity of
behavior. The task facing teachers is not one of maximizing or even
optimizing the level of motivation; to suggest so perpetuates a view
that motivation is a state of arousal or energy. What is assumed is
that by increasing or optimizing this state, performance will be
enhanced. (Ames, 1990, p. 411)

Basically, motivation may be the fuel that allows students to stay on the learning
road at the speed that the teacher, the course or the circumstances expect. It
may even imply that students could be ahead of the demands of a coursebook,
since it is often the case that learners (especially at secondary school) know
more English than that which is required of them. It stands to reason that there
are at least two causes for this: (1) students internally like the language and
thus study it willingly; (2) or they are sent to an institution to learn since their
parents hold the belief that English may help them in the future.

How to Guide Adolescent Learners into Finding and Developing Intrinsic Motivation for
Learning English
Ivan Buchniev
UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017

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Many authors have attempted, probably by trial and error, at providing
techniques that can lead to having motivated students in the class. Some of
these ideas could be listed as follows:

Make students curious. By raising curiosity in students, one can almost

be sure that they will be more interested in acquiring knowledge. This could be
due to the fact that, if students are curious, they generate more questions; and
naturally, they want to find accurate answers to those questions.

Challenge them and avoid the obvious. It seems evident that teachers
should “avoid the obvious”, that is, giving students information they already
understand and manipulate. However, more often than not this appears to be
the case, resulting in students who are led to boredom; and therefore, lack of
attention takes place. It must be borne in mind that, if repetition of the stated
pattern occurs, there will be a risk of students associating a teacher or a subject
directly with boredom, thus producing severe consequences.

Challenging students implies giving them something that makes them ponder,
wonder and think. The answer to the problems posed to them should not be
found written on the coursebook, nor should it be given away by the teacher.
Problems given to students must have an answer which students are able to
uncover by themselves, with the help of the teacher but never by the teacher.

5) Types of motivation

At this point, the following question may arise: What kinds of different motivation
are there and how do these different types of motivation occur? What can the
teacher do to have motivated students?

Mcgroarty (2002) writes that “motivation for L2 learning is created from people.”
She suggests that motivation can also come from the different surroundings and

How to Guide Adolescent Learners into Finding and Developing Intrinsic Motivation for
Learning English
Ivan Buchniev
UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017

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the environment of schools and the places where teaching takes place. She
also says that it can be good for the motivation of learning a second language to
have different kinds of groups that work together. She suggests that it is
important that learners see the content they learn as meaningful, that they have
some level of choices and that it is something that they need to work for to
master.

Andreas Johansson, a research coordinator at SASNET (Swedish South Asian

Studies Network), (2010) wrote an extended paper for Linnaeus University on
the topic of motivation. He found out that there exist two main types of
motivation, an inner, or intrinsic one, and another one, which comes from outer
rewards, an external one. He also found out that students who had inner
motivation, for example, ended up achieving better results that those who were
driven by external more factors. In his own words:

The researchers of motivation, Ames & Archer (1988) mention the

importance of learning that is taking place for the person’s own
sake, that there is an inner motivation. The inner motivation is
important to reach the best effect upon the learning of different
situations. The researchers say that those who have inner
motivation often use more advanced ways of studying than those
who have a motivation that comes from outer rewards such as
grades. (Johansson, 2010, p. 8)

On the other hand, Oldfather and Dahl (1994) found that “as students’ progress
through the educational process, intrinsic motivation to read decreases.” They
suggest that one of the reasons for this decline is that as students move from
the self-contained, student-centred settings of primary school to environments
with interaction among more students and a mostly teacher-centred setting,
their opportunities for self-expression and working one on one with instructors
decrease.

How to Guide Adolescent Learners into Finding and Developing Intrinsic Motivation for
Learning English
Ivan Buchniev
UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017

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Guthrie and Wigfield (2000) suggest “that students become more adept at
understanding evaluative feedback as they progress through school and that
this awareness provides them with feelings of inadequacy in relation to others.”
This indicates that the socially competitive nature inherent in middle school
settings creates more focus for students on attaining extrinsic rewards such as
high grades and less focus on individual student interest, which would foster
intrinsic motivation.

6) What is extrinsic motivation?

Extrinsic motivation may be defined as that one which comes from outside the
person and which generates an effect similar to conditioning. For the sake of
clarification, an individual may believe that if they accomplish a certain task,
they will be rewarded (or punished if they do not). Translated to the ELF
classroom, a student may think that if he participates in class, makes interesting
contributions, does his homework and hands in assignments on time, for
instance, the effect he will generate will be a positive one and he will receive as
a result a high mark at the end of the term.

Reeve (2005) explains the aforementioned in a more detailed way. He basically

deals with what is known as “operant conditioning theory,” and afterwards
explains how it works:

Students are said to engage in a task with extrinsic motivation when

they desire to gain some incentive (for example, money, food), or
experience attractive consequences that will arise from task
completion but are separate from the task itself. The traditional view
of extrinsic motivation is represented by operant conditioning theory,
which rests on the assumption that an environmental event directs
an individual either toward or away from initiating a behaviour by
signalling the likelihood that the behaviour will (or will not) result in

How to Guide Adolescent Learners into Finding and Developing Intrinsic Motivation for
Learning English
Ivan Buchniev
UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017

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 rewarding or punishing consequences. The nature of the
consequences determines whether the persistence of the behaviour
increases or decreases.

Guilloteaux (2007) introduced an alternative and more modern view of extrinsic

motivation, which is embodied in self-determination theory (SDT). Proponents of
SDT view extrinsic motivation as a continuum representing different degrees of
harmony between an individual’s own way, and an externally prescribed way of
thinking or behaving. SDT suggests that individuals’ interest can be found within
what they consider they need to feel happy or satisfied; in other words, what
contributes to their well-being. SDT posits that all individuals tend to move
toward situations, and engage in actions that are likely to satisfy three basic
psychological needs, which seem to be essential to their functioning and well-
being. According to Ryan and Deci (2002), “the degree to which social contexts
allow the satisfaction of these needs is believed to give rise to different types
and qualities of motivation.”

Guilloteaux (2007) affirms that these three basic psychological needs adhere to
a hierarchical order and are as follows:

“• The need for competence pertains to the need to

experience opportunities to interact with the social environment, and
show one’s capacities confidently and effectively;
• The need for relatedness implies a need to feel that one
belongs with, is cared for, respected by, and connected to
significant others (for example, a teacher, a family) who are
disseminating goals such as classroom values;
• The need for autonomy involves a sense of unpressured
willingness to engage in an activity. It is not to be confused with the
need for independence.” (p. 49)

How to Guide Adolescent Learners into Finding and Developing Intrinsic Motivation for
Learning English
Ivan Buchniev
UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017

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Additionally, Dörnyei (1998) draws a comparison between extrinsic and intrinsic
motivation along which he suggests that “extrinsic motivation has traditionally
been seen as something that can undermine intrinsic motivation.” He claims
that several studies have confirmed that “students will lose their natural intrinsic
interest in an activity if they have to do it to meet some extrinsic requirement (as
is often the case with compulsory reading at school).” (p. 121)

7) What is intrinsic motivation?

Based on the assumption previously made, the exercise of triggering internal

motivation in students appears to become an almost impossible task to
accomplish. However, it is believed that if a student moves aside from extrinsic
motivation and reaches the point at which he or she manages to develop
intrinsic motivation for a subject, the effects and, consequently, the results will
be completely positive and rewarding; not mentioning the fact that the student
will inevitably perform better, feel more interested and learn much more.

To reinforce the abovementioned thought, Guilloteaux (2007) expresses that

“individuals are said to approach a task with intrinsic motivation when they
engage in it spontaneously, for the satisfaction or enjoyment derived out of
doing the task itself.”

Vallerand and Ratelle (2002) distinguish between ‘intrinsic motivation to know,’

‘intrinsic motivation to accomplish’ (for example, to surpass oneself), and
‘intrinsic motivation to experience stimulation.’ The first distinction could be
construed as a self-driven internal desire to accumulate knowledge, to become
more knowledgeable, not for practical reasons or to apply what is learnt
instantly, but simply for the sake of learning.

An intrinsic motivation to accomplish, or to surpass oneself, may be related to

the human driving force that provides us with energy to attempt at

How to Guide Adolescent Learners into Finding and Developing Intrinsic Motivation for
Learning English
Ivan Buchniev
UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017

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accomplishing various tasks on the belief that the results will help us become a
better version of ourselves. DeLong and Winter (2002) have found out that
“intrinsic motivators include fascination with the subject, a sense of its relevance
to life and the world, a sense of accomplishment in mastering it, and a sense of
calling to it.”(DeLong & Winter, 2002, p. 163)

The third type of intrinsic motivation (to experience stimulation), may refer to the
fact that some people enjoy collecting experiences by carrying out diverse
activities and learning different things. Not only do they rejoice by doing that,
they also embrace each possibility of learning something that may be new to
them. It is out of the question that especially this type of intrinsic motivation can
never be developed by extrinsic means such as rewards, since the reward is
purely personal and is generated within the individual.

DeLong and Winter (2002) also affirm that “intrinsic motivation can be long-
lasting and self-sustaining. Efforts to build this kind of motivation are also
typically efforts at promoting student learning. Such efforts often focus on the
subject rather than rewards or punishments.” (DeLong & Winter, 2002, p. 163)

Some recommendations to bear in mind and to apply in the class are provided
by Ames (1990), who also explains the outcomes the application of the
techniques she mentions may have:

From the work on intrinsic motivation comes the recommendation to

give children choices and thus a sense of personal control in the
classroom. Choice of tasks or activities is viewed as fostering belief
in personal control and increasing interest and involvement in
learning. This is easy enough to endorse and gives us a nice,
simple application of intrinsic motivation theory to the classroom.
(Ames, 1990, p. 147)

How to Guide Adolescent Learners into Finding and Developing Intrinsic Motivation for
Learning English
Ivan Buchniev
UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017

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8) What are the different types of students?

Ken Bain (2004) introduced a classification of students who will inevitably react
differently to motivational strategies. For this reason, the effects on each type of
student, classified into strategic learners and surface learners, are compelled to
be dissimilar. These types of students differ in several aspects; both types will
be described and exemplified below.

The first type of students is called strategic learners. As the name implies, these
learners are very skilled at acting according to mental strategies they
themselves design. They are motivated primarily by rewards. Because of this,
they react well to competition and the opportunity to best others. They often
make good grades but will not engage deeply with a subject unless there is a
clear reward for doing so. In the words of Bain (2004), “they are sometimes
called ‘bulimic learners,’ learning as much as they need to do well on a test or
exam and then promptly forgetting the material once the assessment is over.”

On the other side of the spectrum, the second type of students is named
surface learners. They, in contrast with strategic learners, are often motivated
by a desire to avoid failure. They typically avoid deep learning because they see
it as inherently risky behaviour. Bain (2004) clarifies that they will often “do what
it takes to pass an exam or course, but they won’t choose to go beyond the
minimum required for fear of failure.” He suggests to “handle surface learners
by helping them gain confidence in their abilities to learn and perform.” (Bain,
2004, pp. 40-41)

9) Some strategies for boosting motivation in students

Among the numerous strategies there are to foster motivation in students,

Dörnyei (1998) has composed a short and concise list of strategies he termed

How to Guide Adolescent Learners into Finding and Developing Intrinsic Motivation for
Learning English
Ivan Buchniev
UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017

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Commandments which have as an aim the development and increase of
student motivation in the English classroom:

Ten Commandments for Motivating Language Learners:

 Set a personal example with your own behaviour.
 Create a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere in the classroom.
 Present the tasks properly.
 Develop a good relationship with the learners.
 Increase the learner's linguistic self-confidence.
 Make the language classes interesting.
 Promote learner autonomy.
 Personalise the learning process.
 Increase the learners' goal-orientedness.
 Familiarise learners with the target language culture.
(Dörnyei, 1998)

In addition, DeLong and Winder (2002) and Bain (2004) have set some
strategies and suggestions they believe will help a teacher become more
familiar with their students and will bring a better professional out of them.
There has been composed a list of 8 strategies and suggestions which are
believed every professional should be aware of and apply in their classes. They
are as follows:

• Become a role model for student interest. To accomplish this you should
deliver your presentations with energy and enthusiasm.  As a display of your
motivation, your passion motivates your students. Make the course personal,
showing why you are interested in the material and fostering students’ interest
in it as well. Give room to organized discussions of concepts and ideas.

• Get to know your students. You will be able to relate in a more profitable way
and better tailor your instruction to the students’ concerns and backgrounds.

How to Guide Adolescent Learners into Finding and Developing Intrinsic Motivation for
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Ivan Buchniev
UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017

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Your personal interest in them will inspire their personal loyalty to you. Display a
strong interest in students’ learning and a faith in their abilities. Most important
of all, do not fake this; make the effort to actually enforce and feel the
connection between you and your students.

• Use examples freely. Many students want to be shown why a concept or

technique is useful before they want to study it further. Inform students about
how your course prepares students for future opportunities. A good technique is
to provide unusual examples. It is said that the more unrealistic and eccentric
the example, the better students remember it.

• Teach by discovery. Students find it satisfying to be able to reason through a

problem and discover the underlying principles on their own.

• Set realistic performance goals. Help students achieve them by encouraging

them to set their own reasonable goals. Design assignments that are
appropriately challenging in view of the experience and aptitude of the class as
a whole and of each individual in particular. Students have different needs, and
a teacher’s objective should be to help that student satisfy those needs in the
best manner available to them.

• Place appropriate emphasis on testing and grading. Tests should be a means

of showing what students have mastered, not what they have not. Give
everyone the opportunity to achieve the highest standard and grades.

• Be free with praise and constructive in criticism. Negative comments should

pertain only to particular performances, not the performer. Offering non-
judgmental feedback on students’ work, stressing opportunities for
improvement, and looking for ways to stimulate advancement could possibly do
the trick.

• Give students as much control over their own education as possible. Allow
students opportunities to choose topics that are of interest to them. Assess

How to Guide Adolescent Learners into Finding and Developing Intrinsic Motivation for
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Ivan Buchniev
UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017

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them in a variety of ways (tests, papers, projects, presentations, etc.) to give
students more control over how they show their understanding. Besides, this
helps students feel more secure and more in control of their grades. Moreover,
assessing students in a variety of ways partially removes the stress that
students go through when they are in a written test, because they know that is
not the only way in which they can show how much they know and how much
they have learnt.

10) Is motivation a teacher responsibility?

Ames (1990) strongly believes that “effective schools and effective teachers are
those who develop goals, beliefs, and attitudes in students that will sustain a
long-term involvement and that will contribute to quality involvement in
learning.” (p. 410)

It may be argued that teachers play an essential role in the way students regard
a subject. As well as having an impact on students themselves, teachers
influence the manner in which learners view their subject. An example of this
could be how much responsibility teachers put on their students. It is important
that a teacher raises awareness on students’ concern about being responsible
for their own learning. Even though educators are the ones who guide the
learning process, efficiency and effectiveness still depend mostly on students.

Another instance can be perceived by the context in which society currently is.
The technological era has made its way into our lives and does not seem to be
just in passing. For that reason, and because learners are immersed in
technology, it can be really helpful to include technology in the classroom from
time to time. It is often the case that learners possess the ability of manipulating
technology extremely well. Due to constant exposure, using technology does

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UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017

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not represent a struggle to them. That being said, activities done virtually
instead of on traditional paper can potentially do the trick as well.

Finally, a useful piece of advice is for teachers to find out what students are
good at and exploit those abilities. Since they will excel at the tasks presented,
their motivation is likely to boost rapidly, having as a result more attentive,
responsible, engaged and active learners in the class. Also, teachers can take
advantage of numerous group (and small ones as well, of course) by creating a
shared learning experience. This concept entails including and involving each
and every student in the learning process actively. To put it simply, educators
can aim at providing students with a vision of the learning process that is mainly
construed on contributions made both by the learners and by the teacher, who
takes the position of another participant.

Needless to say, how educators influence and impact students’ learning is

directly linked to how passionate about a subject they are, how they are able to
transmit that passion to students, how they manage to foster not only extrinsic
motivation, which could be said is already given in the context of a secondary
school, though not every pupil understands it that way, but also how they
manage to develop students’ intrinsic motivation. Since this type of motivation
can have a definite role in students’ understanding, role in, and regarding of a
subject, it would not be unreasonable to say that a teacher is in great part
responsible for helping students acquire a positive and inviting view towards the
subject they teach and that intrinsic motivation may be the key to changing a
student’s perspective, attitude and, ultimately, their performance in class.

11) A) The study

The study carried out was intended to shed some light on the question of to
what extent motivation in adolescent students at bilingual schools affects their

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UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017

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learning. This study has been limited to the perception of teachers of English as
a Foreign Language (EFL) who work at a bilingual school in the north zone of
the province of Buenos Aires.

The approach employed for the creation of the questionnaire is based on

“quantitative (or empirical) research”. The theory that supports this type of
research states that quantitative research is “explaining phenomena by
collecting numerical data that are analysed using mathematically based
methods (in particular statistics) (Aliaga & Gunderson, 2000).” This has been
the case in the questionnaire implemented since the questions and answers
have been formulated with the purpose of obtaining clear and specific results
that can facilitate its understanding.

The questionnaire administered covered general and specific questions mainly

regarding teachers’ practices in the English classroom. It is important to
mention that the questionnaire has been written and administered in the
teachers’ mother tongue, Spanish, in order to avoid and restrict the possibility of
misleading, misguiding or misunderstanding from the part of the questions to
the minimum.

The first questions present a simple view about motivation and provide answers
that do not require much analysis. As the questionnaire develops, more specific
and guided questions are posed with the objective of obtaining quality
information that can be of use to evaluate a non-tangible feature as motivation.
There is also the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation present
throughout the questions, which is simplified to questionnaire takers with the
purpose of being able to analyse these and other factors which might be
invisible to the naked eye.

The main purpose of this questionnaire was to obtain results which could aid in
the decision about which tasks and activities can be effective (get students to

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Ivan Buchniev
UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017

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work actively) at the time of demanding learners to practice a given study unit or
topic.

11) B) Procedure

For the purpose of keeping mathematic calculations straight and uncomplicated,

a sample of ten teachers was given a printed questionnaire containing ten
questions each (see Appendix 1). The survey was a cross-sectional one; this
means that is has been administered to a predetermined population at only one
point it time. It took place in the staff room of the bilingual school chosen one
day in which all ten teachers were present. They were given fifteen to twenty
minutes to complete the questionnaire without interacting with or discussing
either the questions of the possible answers among each other. The interviewer
was asked about certain possible interpretations to clarify doubts and improve
answer accuracy, although that only took place few and counted times during
the session. Feedback regarding the questionnaire and the types of questions
and answers posed was positive in the majority of cases. There has not been
misinterpretation from the part of the takers which could have led to
understanding or regarding the results obtained as invalid for the purposes of
this research.

11) C) Analysis of questions

All of the questions posed to the teachers interviewed were multiple choice
questions, with most of them being yes/no questions. Some of the options in the
answer section involved grades in percentages or in quantity. In a few
questions, the options given were types of motivation as well. In the last two,
depending on their answer, takers had the chance of briefly accounting for their
choices.

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I) Questions 1 and 2

The introducing question 1 is aimed at finding out how much importance

teachers give to motivation, generally speaking, within the English class. The
options to choose from are four; they range from 0% to 100%. As can be seen,
this question is only an approximation of takers’ belief.

Question 2, on the other hand, probes for teachers’ reflecting upon their
motivated students’ working contrasted with those who appear not to be
influenced by such factor. The possible answers include the position stating that
there is simply no difference between the abovementioned students.

II) Question 3

This question is practice oriented since it enquires about teachers’ actual

inclusion of motivation or “motivating activities” in their classes. Simple as it
seems, this question has led to takers think back to their own classes in order to
answer. It is important to note that the question is restricted to classes of 80
minutes of duration in a class environment in which a computer, a projector and
reliable Internet access are available.

III) Question 4

Question 4 sets out to establish a correlation between games, group work and
internal features such as competitiveness with having more focused and
engaged student in class. This correlation was intended as a positive one, in
which the factors mentioned promote learning and help to achieve the daunting
task of directing students’ attention towards the object or topic of study that is to
be dealt with in class. Similarly, strategies such as games or group work could
assist educators in the challenge of systematizing a given grammatical

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UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
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construction, vocabulary set or pragmatic use of a certain aspect of the
language.

IV) Questions 5 and 6

By questions 5 and 6 the intention is to involve takers in a more profound

thinking process along which the motivation is thoroughly present. For instance,
question 5 begins by briefly explaining the two main types of motivation
(intrinsic and extrinsic) in order that takes are better equipped to determine
which one they consider more relevant and/or meaningful; if any at all. An
option contemplated this possible answer is included.

On the other hand, question 6 aims at reflecting upon the ways by which either
type of motivation can be generated in learners. This question is directly linked
with the previous one since takers need to bear in mind the brief comments
made about the two types of motivation in order to provide the most accurate
answer in accordance with their own beliefs. This is so owing to the fact that, in
view of an interrogative concerning a boost in motivation which roots itself in the
variety of classroom activities and how units of study are tackled, both the
affirmative and negative answers are offered, together with two other possible
observations; these statements focus on greater intrinsic or extrinsic motivation.

V) Question 7

The nature of this question is observational. It takes educators back inside their
classroom, specifically at the time when students are working on their own.
Regardless of the task students have been assigned, the educator must focus
on their learners to try to recall any instance of motivation present in them. It is
not required to know, neither classify, whether the origin of the motivation is

How to Guide Adolescent Learners into Finding and Developing Intrinsic Motivation for
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UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017

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internal (within the student, such as emotions, topic preference, interest in the
language, etc.) or external (triggered by a reward, punishment, specific task,
working conditions, so on and so forth).

As it may have never happened that teachers stopped to look at such details,
the option covering this possibility is also provided. It is known that
schoolteachers usually have to face situations that do not exactly correspond to
their profession or that might not be directly linked to their objectives planned for
a particular class; therefore, that some takers may choose this option is entirely
respected and understood.

VI) Question 8

The aim of this question is, keeping motivation in mind, try to determine some of
the factors that may lead to its increase. Elements such as humour,
benevolence and companionship (understood as tolerance and gentleness
when it comes to treating others) are put under the microscope with a view to
establishing a correlation of cause and consequence in which they are part of
the cause resulting in motivated teenagers towards the learning of English in
the classroom.

Once again, apart from the positive and negative counterparts for answering
(“yes” and “no”), a third option is included. In this case, it regards the fact that
the aspects evaluated, though they may contribute to better motivated learners,
are not determining in such respects.

VII) Question 9

Being this the last question whose focus is on motivated students, it sets to ask
and firmly establish a reciprocal relationship between learners who are highly

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UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017

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motivated and getting high marks. More specifically, this question attempts at
comparing equally intelligent students with noticeable differences as regards
interest for the target language in terms of their potential for obtaining high
results. Generally speaking, “high results” applies both for tests and for the
learner’s capacity to produce language and communicate orally and in a written
way.

Takers have also been given the option of suggesting other factors that they
consider relevant which may help establish the pointed relationship between
motivated students and efficient results. Also, those factors would aid in
determining why a motivated student may do better than a pupil who does not
present major interest in the language.

VIII) Question 10

This last question is not aimed at learners, at least not in a direct way, but at
educators instead. Asking for the reason why teachers decided to devote
themselves to the English-teaching profession, this question is aimed at
uncovering the foundations there are in professionals’ formation. In accordance
to the idea that we might transmit that which has been given to us in a similar
way that it has been transmitted, options such as the two types of motivations
are provided. Also, there is another possible answer which includes both
intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, though teachers are expected to specify which
one predominates over the other, if any at all.

The fourth and last option to choose from indicates that neither of the two types
of motivation has been the cause of their decision to be English teachers.
Instead, they have been invited to briefly explain the reasons for their
professional choice.

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12) Results

First of all, it is positive to mention that most of the results obtained from the
questionnaire were generally as expected. Although educators completed the
questionnaire separately and without interacting with each other, the results
show that most of them seem to agree upon certain views as regards motivation
in learners.

The first question, which dealt with the degree of importance teachers give to
motivation (any type) in the English classroom, had as a result that 90% of
educators consider motivation “really important” in class and 10% regard it
“important”.

When asked if a student worked better or worse while motivated, there seemed
to be a common view among teachers since 100% answered “better”. It is
crucial to bear in mind that even though the option “they work alike (motivated
or unmotivated)” was given, all takers went for the positive answer.

Question 3 was more practically aimed as it inquired about the number of

activities designed towards boosting motivation. The frame given was an 80-
minute-long class (2 consecutive periods) and there were two possible options:
“2 or more (motivating activities)” and “1 or none”. Of course, it needs to be
borne in mind that this should be taken as an average. All educators know that
not every class follows exactly the same pattern; that is to say that, while one
class can include short and quick activities, others must be about producing a
written task. In the latter, there might not be time for motivating activities.

Surprisingly, 70% answered that they usually do 2 or more motivating activities

whereas 30% only apply 1 or sometimes none. This result can lead to think that
a great deal of attention is paid to keeping students motivated in the English
class. A useful and practical example could be found in question 4: 100% of

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UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
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takers responded that they believe games which present a challenge or
students have to compete to win drive them to learning English more effectively.

As for the fifth question, it began with a brief introduction of intrinsic and
extrinsic motivations; its aim was to find out which of them educators
considered more influential. Even though the answers were equally split, this
division was not between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation; it was between
intrinsic motivation on the one hand, and the belief that “both are equally
important”. This means that 100% of educators acknowledged the value of
intrinsic motivation. Yet, only 50% chose that option while the other 50%
considered that both are fundamentally necessary in order to properly learn.

Halfway through the questionnaire, teachers were asked to establish a

relationship between a variety of activities, topics, units of study, to name but a
few, and an increase in intrinsic and/or extrinsic motivation. The answers
presented differences in what they actually thought. For instance, 80% resolved
that there is a correlation between variation and both types of motivation, while
the other 20% presented a subdivision. 10% believe that variation produces a
boost in intrinsic motivation so much so the other 10% opted for an increase in
the extrinsic type of motivation. The factor that all takers agreed upon was that
there seems to be a firm correlation between the variants proposed.

The following question, number 7, inquired teachers about whether they have
ever actually differentiate a motivated student for intrinsic reasons from one
equally motivated but for extrinsic reasons. Again, 80% responded that they
have at least once. The other 20% did not say “no”; what they answered was
that they “have never paid attention to such element”. This openly means that
they might have had very motivated students, only they were not able to spot
them due to being oblivious to that factor.

The eighth question sets about to find out whether takers consider factors such
as humour, kindness and a sense of partnership possible factors that may

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UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
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motivate students to learn English and work in class. As a result, 80% of
educators believe that they do contribute to a better atmosphere where students
can learn better. The other 20% also considers them far-reaching, though they
presented the idea that those elements are not essential in determining an
increase in motivation, at least in high-school students.

As for question 9, the discussion point is focused towards learners. More

precisely, it asks whether a motivated student (either intrinsically or extrinsically)
will obtain higher results than a peer of similar capacity who lacks that
motivation.

Not surprisingly, 90% of takers responded that they agree with the statement
and that such motivated student would definitely get more promising results if
compared against an unmotivated peer. However, 10% did not share that view;
even though they did not object to it, they replied “not necessarily”, not showing
that they are entirely convinced.

Finally, as stated before, the last question was directed towards educators and
takers themselves. It sought to find out what role motivation had in their
decision to become English Language Teaching professionals. In this question
in particular, the answers were noticeably varied: for example, 50% of takers
said that they decided to learn English deeply and become English language
teachers because of intrinsic motivation. On the other hand, 10% stated that it
was extrinsic motivation what had led them to learning English.

The other 40% of takers were divided into two groups. 30% responded that both
intrinsic and extrinsic motivation took part in their professional development,
though intrinsic motivation played the bigger role. The last 10% stated that
neither type of motivation had been the cause of their professional path. It had
been an exclusive reason: their identity; their ancestry could be traced back to a
mostly English lineage.

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13) Conclusion

It is worthwhile mentioning that the study carried out together with the results
obtained have led to the conclusion that motivation, both internal and external,
is an imperative factor that should be borne in mind at the time of planning EFL
projects, activities and tasks. The results strongly suggest that attention be paid
to uninterested students with the objective of motivating them and pushing them
to further individual and group learning.

It is also notable that internal or intrinsic motivation is regarded more important

and determining than its external counterpart, though it is undeniable that the
latter plays a fundamental role in today’s educational system, which is mainly
based in passing a course by getting high marks.

The limitations the study presented, as has been mentioned above, are the
zone in which the study took place, the type of students, their age group and
their knowledge of the English language. The zone was restricted to a part of
the north of the Buenos Aires Province. The age group this paper has been
targeted encompasses pre-adolescents as from 12 years old to developed
teenagers until the age of 17, when they are in their last school year, ideally.

Stimulating as it has been, this paper has provided a number of techniques and
pieces of advice to educators who teach English to adolescents and have to
deal with unresponsive learners; they potentially hinder a class.

As a conclusion, this paper has aimed at lending a hand to secondary school

educators in the task of guiding adolescent learners to find and develop their
intrinsic motivation for learning English. Or at least, this paper may give
teachers a tool to have a clearer grasp when they face a learner who might
need help in finding a reason for studying a language as relevant and useful as
English is.

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14) References

Ames, C. A. (1990). Motivation: What Teachers Need to Know. University of

Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Bain, K. (2004). What the Best College Teachers Do. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press.

Dawn Gunter, A. (2011). Motivation for High School Students to Read:

Differences among Student Perceptions and Differences between
Student and Teacher Perceptions. Western Kentucky University.

DeLong, M. & Winter, D. (2002). Learning to Teaching and Teaching to Learn

Mathematics: Resources for Professional Development. Mathematical
Association of America.

Dörnyei, Z. (1998). Motivation in second and foreign language learning.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Guilloteaux, M. J. (2007). Motivating language learners: a classroom-orientated

investigation of teachers' motivational practices and students' motivation.
PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.

Johansson, A. (2010). What influences students’ motivation for learning English

grammar? Linnaeus University: Institution of Human science.

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 15) Appendix 1: Questionnaire
Cuestionario para Docentes de Inglés
1. ¿Qué tan importante considerás la motivación en la clase de Inglés?
a. Realmente importante (100%).
b. Importante (90% - 80%).
c. Algo importante (70% - 50%).
d. No muy importante (40% - 0%).

2. ¿Creés que estudiantes motivados trabajan mejor, igual o peor que aquellos no motivados?
a. Mejor. b. Igual. c. Peor.

3. ¿Cuántos ejercicios destinados a motivar estudiantes realizás por clase de 80 minutos?

a. 2 o más. b. 1 o ninguno.

4. ¿Creés que los juegos, la competencia y el trabajo en grupo motivan y logran que los estudiantes
aprendan Inglés más efectiva y/o más rápidamente?
a. Sí. b. No.

5. Una simplificación de “motivación intrínseca o interna” consiste en aquella que surge en la persona,
mientras que la “motivación extrínseca o externa” es aquella que se genera por circunstancias externas
a la persona. ¿Qué tipo de motivación considerás más importante?
a. Motivación Intrínseca.
b. Motivación Extrínseca.
c. Considero que ambas son igual de importantes.

6. ¿Podrías afirmar que la variedad en términos de actividades y presentación de unidades de estudio

produce mayor motivación interna y/o externa en los estudiantes?
a. Sí, ambas. b. No. c. Si, mayor motivación interna. d. Si, mayor motivación externa.

7. ¿Alguna vez lograste diferenciar entre un estudiante motivado interna o externamente?

a. Sí. b. No.
c. Nunca me detuve a hacer tal observación.

8. ¿Creés que un ambiente cómodo donde persisten características como el humor, la amabilidad y el
compañerismo pueden conducir a estudiantes más motivados a aprender Inglés?
a. Sí. b. No. c. Es posible, pero no los considero factores determinantes.

9. ¿Considerás que un estudiante que se encuentra motivado a aprender Inglés obtendrá mejores
resultados que un par (de similar capacidad) que no presenta demasiado interés por el idioma?
a. Sí, definitivamente. b. No necesariamente.
c. Depende de otros factores (por favor nombrarlos): .

10. ¿Qué tipo de motivación (si es que alguna en absoluto) te llevó a estudiar Inglés en profundidad y
querer transmitírselo a otros por medio de la docencia?
a. Motivación Interna o Intrínseca.
b. Motivación Externa o Extrínseca.
c. Ambas, aunque en mayor proporción la motivación .

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 d. Ninguna. Estudié el idioma por otras razones.

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16) Appendix 2: Data matrix

Taker Taker Taker Taker Taker Taker Taker Taker Taker Taker
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Q1 a a a a b a a a a a

Q2 a a a a a a a a a a

Q3 a b b a a a a a b a

Q4 a a a a a a a a a a

Q5 c c c a a c a a a c

Q6 a c a a a a a a a d

Q7 a c a a a a a b a a

Q8 a a a a c a a a c a

Q9 b a a a a a a a a a

Q a a b a a c (intrínseca) c (intrínseca) a c (interna) d (identidad)

10

Notes: a) Realmente importante (100%)

- Question 1: b) Importante (90% - 80%)

How to Guide Adolescent Learners into Finding and Developing Intrinsic Motivation for Learning English
Ivan Buchniev
UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017
- Question 2: - Question 8:
a) Mejor. a) Sí.
c) Es posible, pero no los considero factores determinantes.
- Question 3:
a) 2 o más. - Question 9:
b) 1 o ninguno. a) Sí, definitivamente.
b) No necesariamente.
- Question 4:
a) Sí. - Question 10:
a) Motivación Interna o Intrínseca.
- Question 5: b) Motivación Externa o Extrínseca.
a) Motivación Intrínseca. c) Ambas, aunque en mayor proporción la motivación interna
c) Considero que ambas son igual de importantes. o extrínseca.
d) Ninguna. Estudié el idioma por otras razones  Identidad
- Question 6: por ascendencia.
a) Sí, ambas.
c) Sí, mayor motivación interna.
d) Sí, mayor motivación externa.

- Question 7:
a) Sí.
b) No.
c) Nunca me detuve a hacer tal observación.

How to Guide Adolescent Learners into Finding and Developing Intrinsic Motivation for Learning English
Ivan Buchniev
UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA NACIONAL
2017