Does EFL instructors' gender affect EFL students' motivation?

The purpose of this study is to find out the factors that affect English Language Preparatory Program students' motivation in learning English and to find out the motivational strategies of EFL instructors. Moreover, the study aims to figure out if EFL instructors' gender influences EFL students' motivation in learning English or not. Specifically, this study aims to investigate the common and different factors that affect female and male students' motivation in learning English. The study also aims to reveal the perspective of female and male students towards their female and male EFL instructors and it intends to display whether the EFL instructors' gender affects the students' motivation or not. The study has been conducted in the English Language Preparatory Program (ELPP) of a private university in İstanbul, Turkey. The quantitative data were obtained through two different questionnaires administered to EFL instructors and 63 English Language Preparatory Program students. Besides, qualitative data were gathered through focus group interviews with the ELPP students. The hypothesis for this research was to find out a relationship between EFL instructors' gender and EFL students' motivation. According to the results of the quantitative measures, the study claims that there is not a relationship between EFL instructors' gender and EFL students' motivation. However, according to the results of the qualitative measures, students have some important gender based experiences and ideas.