SEEU Review vol. 5 Nr. 2 (pdf) - South East European University

SEEU Review Volume 5, No. 2, 2009
Introduction
The issue of motivation has been a topic of interest for educators
throughout the years. Even though its peak was in the 1980s and 1990s
(Cameron & Pierce, 1994; Rodin, Rennet & Solomon, 1980) it is still
important today because generations change and there is always a demand
on teachers to motivate their students in their language classrooms (Guthrie,
2001; Brewer and Burgess, 2005). Effective teaching and learning is
associated with motivation.
In this paper the focus is on university level studies because more
attention should be paid to university students’ motivation (Brewer &
Burgess, 2005). University teachers should possess motivational qualities
and build new strategies to motivate their students. Moreover, teachers
should be careful about the direction in which they take their students since
motivation plays a decisive role in changes to student behaviour and
learning. “Whatever level of motivation your students bring to the classroom
will be transformed, for better or worse, by what happens in that classroom”
(Davis, 1999, para.1). Davis (1999) also points out that there is not a “single
magical formula for motivating students” (para. 2) but there are many factors
that teachers should be aware of.
The teacher’s role is of great importance. A lack of a motivational
environment may be a cause for many other problems occurring in the
classroom. Since there is not only one way of motivating students, and
motivating adults is an especially challenging topic, in this research an
attempt was made to find out the strategies that motivate students and to see
the link between teachers using those strategies and students’ confirmation
that they are really motivated in those classes.
Literature Review
What is Motivation as Defined in an Educational Context?
According to Williams & Burden (1997) the notion of motivation is
created by many factors which are “interest, curiosity, or desire to achieve”
(p.111). Moreover, they present a definition of motivation which is
interpreted as:
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