Not afraid to give it a go and make mistakes : What do teachers perceive as the factors that motivate students to speak English in and outside of the classroom?

The goal of English language teaching is to encourage students to become proficient and confident users of the target language. Maximal use of the target language by both teachers and students in the classroom and outside it is one way to increase language confidence and fluency, according to Krashen’s acquisition learning theory where students are exposed to the target language and acquire it instead of learn it. This is why motivating students to use English as much as possible as a classroom language is desirable. However, how to do so is what this study seeks to discover. The aim of this study is therefore to deepen the knowledge of teachers’ perceptions of students’ use of the target language English. Experience from ten teachers who teach their subjects in English has been collected, using structured and recorded interviews. A thematic analysis has resulted in two main factors perceived by teachers to motivate the use of the target language in the classroom. These factors: specific motivating factors for students, including teacher presence and teacher techniques are each given a section in this report. The collected knowledge will be the basis for recommendations on how to best use the classroom situation to encourage maximal English speaking and therefore maximal English proficiency. McIntyre’s pyramid of conditions leading up to willingness to communicate in the target language has been incorporated as a theoretical background and reference when discussing the results. As a consequence of this study, the need for more directed motivational techniques to be included in teacher training programs is discussed. Furthermore, awareness of key motivational factors and strategies will assist teachers in planning more successful lessons in which students are speaking the target language. Finally, further research into students’ perceptions and experiences of their own use of English as a classroom language is desirable