Demotivation among middle school students in English classes and teacher strategies to overcome it

To help students succeed in English classes, it is important to know and overcome the factors that reduce students' motivation. Therefore, this study investigated the factors that demotivate middle school students in English classes as well as teacher strategies to overcome demotivational factors. To achieve this goal, the study was carried out across four distinct schools situated in different cities in Turkiye—Ankara, Istanbul, Samsun, and Erzurum—during the spring semester of 2022-2023. A mixed-method design was employed to ensure a comprehensive acquisition of data. In the quantitative part of the study, data was collected from 632 middle school students in grades 5th to 8th using the Foreign Language Demotivation Scale (FLDS) developed by Acarol (2020). This scale featured 32 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale and encompassed five sub-dimensions: Teaching Material, Teaching Methods, Teacher Attitudes, Negative Experiences, and Failure Experience. Results indicated that Teaching Materials ranked as the most demotivating factor, while Teacher Attitude emerged as the least demotivating. Notably, these factors varied across several variables such as gender, grade level, city, academic performance, and learning experiences. Additionally, in the qualitative part of the study, 10 EFL teachers were interviewed to gain valuable insights into their strategies for identifying and overcoming demotivation factors. Teachers stressed the importance of using authentic and technological materials to motivate students, along with student-centered approaches featuring interactive elements such as using games. Positive teacher attitudes, clear rules, and personalized interventions were identified as crucial for re-motivating students based on their interests and learning paths. This study offers valuable insights into student motivation by examining four schools, though its limited scope suggests opportunities for further exploration. Future research could delve deeper into students' perspectives on demotivation, the role of cultural influences, and external factors. This expanded research would enrich our understanding and enable the development of targeted strategies for boosting student motivation in English classes, ultimately leading to more effective and engaging learning environments.