The influence of peer-interaction on middle school students’ learning motivation: The influence of peer-interaction

This research’s aim is to investigate the impact of peer interaction on middle school students' learning motivation for English. The participants were composed of 100 students and 4 teachers of English who were selected via convenience sampling method on voluntary basis. In the study, the researcher collected both qualitative and quantitative data using a quasi-experimental research design. Firstly, the quantitative data were collected via Gardner's Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) (Gardner, 1985), which is originally a 6-point Likert format and was adapted to a 5-point scale ranging from 'Strongly Agree' to 'Strongly Disagree' by Dogan (2009). The initial quantitative data were analyzed with the latest version of SPSS. Secondly, regarding qualitative data, a student interview form and a teacher interview forms which were developed by the researchers were also utilized. Interviews with the students and the teachers were audio-recorded and transcribed. Thematic content analysis was used to examine qualitative data. The results have revealed that CLT is much more effective in motivating the students’ English learning skills by giving them a chance to practice their passive knowledge English gained through GTM lessons. Moreover, board games are the most motivating CLT activity for the learners since as a fun activity, the board games match the students’ age range. The lack of knowledge on the side of teachers and the difficulty with performing CLT lesson are the major obstacles in the path toward integrating CLT lessons into school curricula. Due to the national examination system which requires grammar and vocabulary test-taking skills, GTM will remain the dominant lesson shape in the school curricula, however, CLT lesson may also gain a foothold in teaching English as a Foreign Language to the students