This thesis is located within the fields o f Second Language Acquisition specifically EFL, and psycholinguistics. It filled a perceived gap in the research by exploring the influence o f specific teaching strategies on student motivation and anxiety in the EFL classroom. The strategies and behaviours under investigation were identified by the teachers and students from within the cultural setting during the initial study. The qualitative - quantitative - qualitative design and inclusion o f both teacher and student perspectives from within the same population led to the identification o f pedagogical implications based on empirical research within a carefully constructed methodological framework. It is hoped that the results will be o f value to foreign language teachers, as well as to educational researchers who wish to conduct similar research in other disciplines.
The literature review reported on cultural differences regarding the use o f strategies which w ere found to be motivating, including differences concerning their effectiveness. The results o f my study were further confirmation o f these differences. For example, none o f the six motivational strategies found to be effective by Wong (2014) in the Chinese EFL classroom coincided with the motivational strategies and behaviours identified in my investigation In addition, four o f the macro-strategies found by Dornyei and Csizer (1998) and Cheng and Domyei (2007) to motivate students, and a further four identified by Sugita McEown and Takeuchi (2010) were not noted by the student or teacher participants in my study. The importance o f identifying motivational strategies and behaviours that are effective in specific cultural context, both in relation to motivation as well as anxiety, is clear.
It is intended that the insight provided through this thesis into the extent to which the use o f certain teaching strategies and behaviours influences student motivation and anxiety will be o f value to teachers in Cyprus, and similar settings, in addressing their
students' needs. The results revealed which MTSB have the strongest association with higher motivation (Table 15, p. 109) and which MTSB with lower FLA (Table 17, p. 119). Having insight into associations between MTSB and motivation, and MTSB and anxiety could be o f value to language teachers in planning and conducting their lessons.
This study aimed to improve the learner experience o f future students by giving the participating students a platform on which to be heard. Through their participation in the qualitative and quantitative components o f the investigation, students were made aware o f the fact that efforts were being made to bring about improvement in the classroom
experience in the future, and that they were the starting point. Students were reassured that they were not alone in any anxieties they might experience in the language classroom, and that their opinion was considered important.
Throughout this study I constantly reflected not just upon the methodological decisions I needed to make and the effectiveness o f these choices, but also on my own teaching practices and how I might adapt them. Although my classes did not participate in my study, I have administered all o f my instruments to them each year since designing them and have made changes to my teaching practices based on their responses. Furthermore, as they too have written accounts each year on what they consider to be motivating I have also aimed to incorporate these preferences, where possible, into my lessons. It became apparent to me how much students valued and appreciated being consulted about their feelings and preferences in language learning, and their perceptions o f the realities o f their language lessons. In this respect, I found the study o f value not just to me from a research and pedagogical perspective, but also on a personal level, as I have been able to test out all my tools on my own students and adapt my teaching according to each class’s preferences and needs. This has led to a more enjoyable working relationship which I feel has been o f mutual benefit. This, coupled with the fact that there was a small positive change in teacher group 31 during the course o f the study, encourages me to believe that both teachers and students have also gained from this study, and this has
confirmed to me the importance o f disseminating the findings o f this study to other language colleagues.
I began dissemination when I presented the results o f the initial study to 49
colleagues in the second half o f the first year o f my study. I am optimistic that a continued thorough and well-organised dissemination plan will help achieve positive change. I am aware that my results can only be interpreted as fuzzy generalizations. Fuzzy
generalizations are ‘neither likely to be true in every case, nor likely to be untrue in every case’ (Bassey, 2001, p. 10). The reason for this is that motivation and anxiety, as
psychological constructs, are personal and subjective. I consider, nonetheless, that the findings are o f value, as the sample was large enough to produce reliable patterns and to suggest useful pedagogical implications. Investing time in learning about your students is rewarding, and for me, it was that which ‘broke the ice’ in the first lessons, helping to create a pleasant and supportive atmosphere, which this study has shown to be o f great importance in the early stages o f an academic course.
Since it is not the classroom environment as such which may provoke anxiety but rather aspects related to speaking, listening and / or tests in the EFL classroom, consulting the students is o f considerable importance. Teachers are advised to measure FLA, as students learn more effectively when their FLA is identified and the teacher takes the necessary measures to help them overcome it (Aida, 1994). The present study aimed to provide information for use by foreign language teachers in Cyprus, and similar
populations from an insider position This responds to Park and French who advocate that in-service teachers should ‘investigate current teaching methods and techniques in this environment’ (2013, p.469).
The findings o f the present study indicate that as teachers we should invest time in consulting our students, reflect and re-evaluate our teaching methods and behaviours if, upon reflection, it is seen to be necessary. We should try new approaches, and assess their motivational value and their potential to help reduce classroom anxiety. Students in this
study indicated a desire to be challenged. This supports Dornyei (2001) who suggests that students like to be challenged. Not only could we push the level to the highest degree possible within student limits and needs, but students could even design a lesson based on the topic we will be teaching or have just taught. This would give us as teachers a chance to see the approach they enjoy, as well as giving students the chance to share responsibility for their own learning.
Through an interpretivist and socio-cultural investigation, this research built on previous studies in order to extend our understanding o f student EFL motivation and classroom anxiety through responding to voids in the research. The findings provide important resources for teachers o f senior high school EFL.