Teachers' role in motivating students in the course of foreign language learning

Language learning is a long, complex and demanding phenomenon and the factors that influence this phenomenon can vary. Motivation which is one of the most substantial components of language learning needs the understanding of diverse factors. In line with this, teachers play a prominent role in this long run by considering all the issues that comprises this context. The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of EFL teachers in motivating their students. This was a qualitative case study in nature. The participant s consisted of one male and six female teachers. The study was conducted in an Anatolian High School in Adana between February 2014 and January 2015. Data were gathered by means of a 7-item-open ended questionnaire and a group discussion. The findings of the questionnaire were content analyzed under specific themes and then connected with the findings of the group discussion. Based on the analysis, it was concluded that teachers' use of methods and activities such as songs, games, films, TV serials and the internet sources would highly contribute to the motivation of students in language learning to foster their interests, raise awareness of the target culture and maintain motivation out of class. Key Words: Motivation, Teacher Motivation, Foreign Language Learning