Vokiečių kalbos mokymo(si) motyvacija mokykloje /

The focus of the research is the motivation of learning and teaching German as a foreign language in Lithuanian schools. The research aims to find out what motivational factors have the greatest impact on the learning and teaching experiences of the German language. This study utilised a qualitative research design through semi-structured interviews. Two groups of participants were taken into consideration, namely ex-students of the German language, as it was assumed that the learning experiences evaluated from the perspective of time would entail more objectivity, and current German teachers, who have gathered exemplary professional experience, such as being awarded as the German teacher of the year or preparing laureates of national or international olympiads or contests. It is assumed that these teachers have mastered and have been applying effective teaching strategies that motivate to excel at this school subject. The data was collected and analysed based on the principles of phenomenography. It has been found that external factors, namely teachers’ passion and their employed unconventional teaching methods, such as debates, had the most significance when talking about the motivation of ex-students. Some participants were motivated by clear and specific tasks that they felt enough competent to perform well. The participants were demotivated due to the limited contexts in which the language could have been used, as well as the lack of communication in the target language during and after the classes. When it comes to the sociocultral aspect of the language, most participants claimed they failed to shape the understanding of the German culture as the representation of it during classes was rather stereotypical. Furthermore, the lack of creative approaches and individualisation along with the lack of variety in teaching methods and irrelevance of the content were the following significant demotivational factors. The results of this research confirm the conclusions of previous scholars who have claimed that for motivation three psychological needs of competence, autonomy and relatedness are essential when it comes to the engagement in the activity. As the study focused on foreign language learning motivation, the sociocultural component proved to be of crucial importance as well. Another important aspect of the study is the motivation of teachers. The research proved that teachers, unlike students, are motivated both intrinsically and extrinsically. Among the intrinsic motivational factors teachers mentioned the continuing interest for the German language and its teaching. When it comes to the external motivational factors, the participants mentioned that positive feedback from their students, the sense of community and opportunities for collaboration with their colleagues, i.e., to integrate lessons, add to their motivation. In addition, negative feedback from the students or their parents might hinder the motivation of the teachers as well as the approach of the government. This research only partly supports the conclusions of the previous studies as the teachers have not mentioned such motivational factors as salary, workload, technical resources, the amount of available materials that may have influence on their motivation.

Grantor dc:publisher

Institutional Repository of Vilnius University

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Rakauskas, Lukas,

Statement dc:rights

• info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Language dc:language

lit

Repository record dc:identifier

https://repository.vu.lt/VU:ELABAETD210643467&prefLang=en_US

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vu.lt:elaba:210643467