An Exploration of EFL Female Learners’ Motivation through Narrative Inquiry and Instructors’ Perceptions of Learners’ Motivation in a Preparatory Year at a Saudi University

Abstract

This project aims to investigate learning motivation from a) learning journeys of two students in PYELP and b) from teachers’ perceptions during the years of teaching at the program. Semi-structured interviews were used as a data collection method. NA was implemented on learners’ stories to create narratives exploring their LL journeys. TA was utilized on teachers’ perceptions of learners’ motivation, motivating/demotivating factors. The investigation stumbled upon aspects of teacher motivation/demotivation throughout their PYELP work-experience. The data analyses yielded insights and suggested changes to improve the program to help enhance learners’ motivation. The students have had completely different journeys both in life and education, and issues like teachers’ attitudes, teaching approaches, mental illness, and bullying surfaced as factors affecting motivation. Both learners expressed high-levels of interest and desire to learn English. In sum, both students and teachers signaled demotivating factors on class length, weekly hours, curriculums, and assessment-related issues.