Abstract

This study was conducted to explore the role of teachers to sustain student motivation towards English language learning. The purpose of this study was to find the level of government teachers' knowledge and expertise to employ motivational strategies in their classrooms, particularly at the elementary level. This descriptive study has been constructed on a "post-positivist paradigm" which falls under quantitative research. A questionnaire was designed and 25 government schools were selected for data collection through random sampling. The sample of the study was comprised of 40 male and 60 female English teachers of elementary level. SPSS examined and summarized the data. Though they feel motivation is crucial for language development, most government elementary school teachers struggle to motivate students in English. Most teachers said their English language students don't participate because they don't use new incentive tactics. Finally, teachers were encouraged to use motivating tactics to promote and sustain student motivation.

Key Words

Motivation, Sustain, ESL, Intrinsic, Extrinsic

Introduction

Age, gender, ability, personality, beliefs, and most importantly motivation are all key aspects in second language acquisition. Inspiration plays a crucial part in the maturation of English language acquisition. According to Gardner (2010), drive is the most important factor in success. The term "motivation" is used to describe the forces that influence our actions. "why people decide to do something, how long they are willing to sustain the activity, and how hard they are going to pursue it" (Dornyei, 2001) are all things that are seen to be within the purview of motivation.

Although motivation may be defined in a variety of ways, the following characteristics are essential to any comprehensive understanding of the concept, as explained by (Dornyei,2001). Belief in the probability of success or failure in learning L2; the value of prospective outcomes or rewards; and the importance of accomplishing a substantial need and believing that gaining L2 is relevant to reaching the goal or completing the need.

Deci and Ryan (2009) define autonomous motivation as the "logic of choice, commitment, and eagerness" in one's approach to a task. A well-internalized kind of extrinsic motivation, identifiable motivation sees the action through because of its personal significance; intrinsic motivation sees it through because of its inherent interest and reward potential. However, when regulated incentives are used, people are compelled to do an action.

It consists of two types of extrinsic motivation that have only been partially internalized: (1) external motivation, or doing something to get something in return or to avoid getting something in return, and (2) introjected motivation, or doing something because not doing it would make one feel appreciated or guilty and unworthy. Teachers probably see a wide range of reasons when they look at their pupils, from those who seem very independent to others who seem to have more limited objectives.

Both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation may lead to learning, although Grolnick and Ryan argue that the quality of the latter is far higher. (1987). For example, kids in upper elementary and middle school who are self-motivated to study because they find the content intriguing or believe the learning to be personally significant are more likely to absorb the information conceptually rather than memorably. Students who knew they would be assessed on the material tended to memorize isolated facts rather than consider how they fit into the whole picture.

There will be a significant emphasis on the classroom dynamic between the instructor and the students. In traditional approaches to language teaching, the teacher is cast as the "knower/informer," while the student takes on the role of the "information seeker," and the target language is seen primarily as an "object" whose formal qualities must be mastered. In creative methods, the emphasis is placed on the target language's usage in social behaviour, which opens the door to a wide variety of possible role connections depending on the context. The motivation and, by extension, the language-learning success of these pupils are likely to be affected by their seating arrangements in the classroom (Harmer,2009).

In conclusion, the level of learning was significantly different between the two groups, with control being associated with more superficial learning and autonomy with more in-depth and comprehensive learning. In conclusion, when children are self-motivated, they do better academically, exhibit greater levels of creativity and adaptability, and are less likely to drop out of school. Consideration of the factors more likely to increase students' autonomous motivation, as opposed to controlled motivation, appears crucial.

Multiple studies have shown that students' levels of engagement and success in school improve when teachers prioritize meeting students' aspirations for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. When these demands are addressed, students thrive and adapt; when they aren't, they flounder and exhibit indicators of deeper adjustment issues.

The study's author believes that a more student-centred curriculum in ESL classrooms might inspire certain students to develop a greater intrinsic drive to learn. Teachers need to be invested in their own growth as educators and in the long-term success of their students if they are going to devote the time and effort to boost their students' motivation.

This quantitative research study aims to better understand how instructors in public schools in the Lahore District can keep students engaged in their English classes. The researcher makes the assumption that LLs and their instructors in the Pakistani environment struggle to maintain classroom motivation due to a lack of knowledge about what it means to learn a language. Both instructors and students tend to feel that their English language teachers are failing them because they cannot motivate their pupils to pay attention in class. The researchers wanted to see how well instructors were equipped to keep their students interested in studying English.

Research Questions

The present research addressed the following questions:

1. Why is it important to sustain student motivation in English language classrooms?

2. What is the role of teachers to sustain students' motivation for English language learning?

3. Do the teachers have sufficient knowledge and expertise to employ motivational strategies in English language classrooms, particularly at the elementary level in Pakistan?

4. What is the impact of teacher motivation on student motivation?

Research Methodology

The survey data used in this study was quantitative and descriptive in character. The goal of descriptive research is to provide a summary of the current situation of a given variable. In order to have a comprehensive understanding of an event, these studies are conducted. Careful selection of research units and thorough evaluation of each variable are prerequisites for systematic data collecting. Phillips and Burbules (2000). Elementary school teachers in the government schools in Gujranwala, both male and female, made up the study's population. One hundred elementary school English instructors from public schools were the participants in this research. There were 40 male instructors and 60 female teachers. Then, a random selection method was used to choose 25 different educational institutions. In order to get responses from educators, a survey with a five-point Likert scale was developed. Twenty statements made up the instrument; fifteen were based on the three components of the SDT Theory of motivation (Deci & Ryan, 2009)—competence, autonomy, and relatedness—while the remaining five were related to teachers' perceptions of students' motivation in ESL. 

The following numerical values were assigned to the choices:

From 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree), choose your level of agreement.

Regular check-ins with the manager helped maintain the reliability of the aforementioned device. Twenty surveys were distributed throughout five government schools for boys and five government schools for girls in Gujranwala, Pakistan, to assess the reliability of the aforementioned instrument.  Before any data was collected, clearance from the schools' administration was secured by presenting a letter of approval from the researcher's home institution, detailing the study's aims and methods in accordance with accepted standards of research ethics. The questionnaire was distributed by the researcher at the designated educational institutions. The instructors were tasked with reading the remarks and marking the appropriate box on the provided scale. The day after the questionnaires were sent out, they were collected.

Results

Table 1

	N	%	M	SD
Strongly Agree	4	34.0	3.82	1.104
Agree	31	31.0
Neutral	20	20.0
Disagree	13	13.0
Strongly Disagree	2	2.0
Total	100	100

 Table 1 indicates that 34% of teachers strongly agreed that it was difficult for them to maintain students 'interest in language learning,31% of teachers agreed,20% were neutral,13%were disagreed,13% disagreed and only 25 strongly disagreed and responded that they do not feel it difficult to maintain students 'interest. A mean score(3.82) was obtained and it concludes that the response was positive and the majority of teachers face difficulty to maintain students’ interest.

Table 2

Response	N	%	Mean	S.D
Agree	31	31.0	3.53	1.259
Strongly Agree	27	27.0
Disagree	18	18.0
Neutral	17	17.0
Strongly Disagree	7	7.0
Total	100	100.0

 Table 2 indicates that 31% of teachers agreed that they encourage students to expand their language learning outside the classroom, 27% strongly agreed, 18% disagreed, 17% were neutral and only 7% strongly disagreed. A mean score(3.53) was obtained and it indicates that the majority of the teachers encourage students to expand their language learning outside the classroom.

Table 3

Response	N	%	Mean	S.D
Strongly Disagree	44	44.0	2.30	1.411
Agree	20	20.0
Disagree	18	18.0
Neutral	10	10.0
Strongly Agree	8	8.0
Total	100	100.0

 Table 3 indicates that 44% of teachers strongly disagreed and responded that they do not appreciate and notice students' creativity in English language learning instead of focusing on accuracy, 18% also disagreed, 20% agreed,10% were neutral and only 8% strongly agreed. A mean score(2.30) was obtained and this indicates that the response was negative and the majority of teachers disagreed and took the stance that they do not notice students 'creativity and instead exert more emphasis on the accuracy of the task.

Table 4

Response	N	%	Mean	S.D
Agree	44	44.0	3.73	1.136
Strongly Agree	26	26.0
Disagree	13	13.0
Neutral	12	12.0
Strongly Disagree	5	5.0
Total	100	100.0

 Table 4 indicates that 44% of teachers were agreed and 26%were strongly agreed and responded that they feel it difficult to manage an activity-based English classroom,12% were disagreed, 12% were neutral and only 5 % were strongly disagreed. A mean score (3.37) was obtained and it concludes that the response was positive and the majority of teachers feel it difficult to manage an activity-based English classroom.

Table 4

Response	N	%	Mean	S.D
Agree	44	44.0	3.73	1.136
Strongly Agree	26	26.0
Disagree	13	13.0
Neutral	12	12.0
Strongly Disagree	5	5.0
Total	100	100.0

 Table 4 indicates that 44% of teachers were agreed and 26%were strongly agreed and responded that they feel it difficult to manage an activity-based English classroom,12% were disagreed, 12% were neutral and only 5 % were strongly disagreed. A mean score (3.37) was obtained and it concludes that the response was positive and the majority of teachers feel it difficult to manage an activity-based English classroom.

Table 5

Response	N	%	Mean	S.D
Strongly Agree	45	45.0	4.02	1.163
Agree	31	31.0
Disagree	11	11.0
Neutral	9	9.0
Strongly Disagree	4	4.0
Total	100	100.0

 Table 5 indicates that 45% of teachers strongly agreed and 31% agreed and responded that they give feedback to build students' confidence in their ability to communicate in the English language, 11% of teachers disagreed and 4%were strongly disagreed while 9% teachers were neutral. A mean score (4.02) was obtained and hence this indicates that the majority of the teachers give feedback  to build students' confidence in their ability to communicate in the English language 

Table 6

Response	N	%	Mean	S.D
Strongly Disagree	66	66.0	1.84	1.331
Agree	10	10.0
Neutral	9	9.0
Disagree	8	8.0
Strongly Agree	7	7.0
Total	100	100.0

 Table 6 indicates that 66% of teachers strongly disagreed and 10% agreed and responded that they do not have a pleasant association with their students as a teacher in the language classroom, 8% of teachers disagreed and 7% strongly disagreed and responded that they have a friendly relationship with their students while 9% teachers were neutral. A mean score(1.84) was obtained and hence their response was negative and which indicates that the majority of the teachers do not have a friendly relationship with students.

Table 7

Response	N	%	Mean	S.D
Strongly Disagree	35	35.0	2.54	1.459
Disagree	21	21
Agree	19	19
Strongly Agree	13	13
Neutral	12	12
Total	100	100

 Table 7 indicates that 35% of teachers strongly disagreed and 21% of teachers disagreed and responded that their students do not actively participate in language learning,19% of teachers agreed and 13% strongly agreed and responded that their students participate and 12% of teachers were neutral. A mean score(2.54) was obtained and hence the response was negative and which indicates that the majority of teachers responded that their students do not actively participate in language learning.

Table 8

Response	N	%	Mean	S.D
Strongly Agree	54	54.0	4.20	1.128
Agree	28	28
Neutral	7	7
Disagree	6	6
Strongly Disagree	5	5
Total	100	100

 Table 8 indicates that 54% of teachers strongly agreed and 28% agreed and responded that they mostly give non-threatening and constructive feedback, 6% of teachers disagreed, 5% strongly disagreed and 7% of teachers were neutral. A mean score (4.20) was obtained and hence response was positive it indicates that the majority of teachers agree that they mostly give positive and constructive responses to students.

Table 9

Response	N	%	Mean	S.D
Strongly Agree	46	46	3.79	1.395
Agree	18	18
Neutral	16	16
Strongly Disagree	11	11
Disagree	9	9
Total	100	100

 Table 9 indicates that 46% of teachers strongly agreed and 18% agreed that motivation is essential for language learning,16% of teachers were neutral,11% of teachers strongly disagreed and 9% disagreed. A mean score(3.79) was obtained and hence it indicates that the response was positive and the majority of teachers agree that motivation is essential for language learning.

Table 10

Response	N	%	Mean	S.D
Strongly Agree	74	74.0	4.50	0.969
Agree	11	11
Disagree	7	7
Neutral	7	7
Strongly Disagree	1	1
Total	100	100

 Table 10 indicates that 74% of teachers strongly agreed and 11% agreed and responded that teacher motivation can increase or decrease student motivation,7% of teachers disagreed and only 1% strongly disagreed and 7% of teachers were neutral. A mean score(4.50)  was obtained and hence it indicates that the response was positive and the majority of teachers agree that teacher motivation affects student motivation.

Table 11

Response	N	%	Mean	S.D
Agree	29	29.0	3.44	1.358
Strongly Agree	27	27.0
Neutral	18	18.0
Strongly Disagree	13	13.0
Disagree	13	13.0
Total	100	100.0

 Table 11 indicates that 29% of teachers agreed and 27% strongly agreed and responded that it is difficult to sustain student motivation,18% of teachers were neutral while 13 % of teachers strongly disagreed and 13% disagreed. A mean score (3.44) was obtained and hence it indicates that the response was positive and the majority of teachers agree that sustaining student motivation is difficult.

Table 12

Response	N	%	Mean	S.D
Strongly Agree	30	30.0	3.41	1.422
Agree	24	24.0
Neutral	18	18.0
Strongly Disagree	15	15.0
Disagree	13	13.0
Total	100	100.0

 Table 12 indicates that 30% of teachers strongly agreed and 24% agreed and responded that teachers should be exerted in using motivational strategies according to the situation,18% of teachers were neutral while 15% of teachers strongly disagreed and 13% disagreed. A mean score (3.41)  was obtained and hence it indicates that the response was positive and the majority of teachers agree that teachers should be abreast of employing innovative motivational strategies according to the situation.

Table 13

Response	N	%	Mean	S.D
Strongly Agree	40	40.0	3.61	1.428
Agree	18	18.0
Neutral	17	17.0
Disagree	13	13.0
Strongly Disagree	12	12.0
Total	100	100.0

 Table 13 indicates that 40% of teachers strongly agreed and 18% agreed and responded that the teacher should make herself up to date professionally and also about new research in motivation,17% of teachers were neutral while 13% teachers disagreed and 12% strongly disagreed. A mean score (3.61) was obtained and hence it indicates that the response was positive and the majority of teachers agree that teachers should read new literature about motivation and should attend professional training workshops related to motivation.

Table 14

	Gender	N	Mean	Std. Deviation	Std. Error Mean	T	df	Sig.(2-tailed)
Motivation	Male	50	3.6280	.61852	.08747
	Female	50	3.4930	.56052	.07927

 Table 14 represents the mean scores and standard deviation of elementary school teachers' level of competence to sustain students' motivation towards English language learning. According to Table 21, the mean score of male teachers was slightly higher than the female teachers which indicates that male teachers are better than female teachers in terms of sustaining students’ motivation towards English language learning.

Discussion

Motivation is a distinctive feature in the achievement of students at all stages of their education and particularly at the elementary level in English language classrooms. The best books, lessons, and materials in the world are useless if the students are not motivated to learn. As motivation has a great tendency to fluctuate so it is very difficult for teachers to sustain motivation and even the most experienced teachers have to struggle hard for it. In Pakistan, government schools do have not sufficient infrastructure for English language learning and teachers who are not well equipped with the knowledge of motivational strategies and their professional importance feel it difficult to maintain student motivation in Pakistani government large classrooms.

Learner motivation, its ebb-and-flow trend, and the teacher's critical role in maintaining it have all been shown via research to be very important to students' success in learning English. The ability of the instructor to keep pupils interested in studying English is being studied here. The purpose of this research is to investigate elementary school teachers' attitudes regarding student motivation in the context of studying English as a second language. It would assist instructors implement effective motivating tactics that are in accordance with their students' learning needs in ESL classrooms by highlighting the flaws in current teaching approaches that demotivate pupils. Teachers may use the results of this research to evaluate their own teaching methods and get insight into how to increase student motivation.

Students at the elementary level are not adequately prepared for the challenges of writing and speaking in English at the secondary and higher secondary levels, let alone at the university level, and so they become discouraged and give up. In addition, instructors in Pakistan have limited access to professional development opportunities, and a lack of enthusiasm for self-improvement discourages them from staying current on the most effective ways to inspire their English language learners. Even though they spend their whole school years in classes where English is used as the medium of instruction, pupils in this circumstance do not develop strong English communication skills since their professors are not fluent in the language. Evidently, it is of the utmost importance to train teachers how to blow the spirit of motivation among students in ESL classrooms to enhance their language learning because teachers are indeed the builders of the healthy, supportive, and lively environment in the language classrooms and thus motivating the students for participating in the classroom activities and paying attention to teachers which they demand most to make the teaching-learning process effective a.This research was quantitative and descriptive in character. The goal of this research was to better understand how educators may best encourage their students to continue their pursuit of English language proficiency. Language study may be made more enjoyable for pupils if their instructor is skilled at keeping their attention and keeping them engaged throughout the course. There are two forms of motivation, autonomous and controlled, according to SDT theory, which serves as the theoretical basis for the current investigation. Controlled motivation is said to be the least effective, whereas students' requirements for autonomy, competence, and relatedness are more likely to be met if they feel comfortable participating in language acquisition. The current study was designed to investigate whether or not elementary school English teachers in Pakistan are equipped to meet the needs of their students who are learning English as a second language, with particular attention paid to the SDT theory's three components of competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Teachers in government schools were found to hold the view that controlled motivation is the most effective, and that they see their role as a controller rather than a facilitator when instructing their students in English. Teachers lose motivation as a result of students' reduced engagement, while students' motivation is correlated with their teachers' motivation. Furthermore, it was discovered that government school instructors have not consistently employed pair work and group work, which are necessary for language acquisition, to maintain student enthusiasm.

Conclusion

The majority of English government school teachers face difficulty to maintain students ‘motivation in English language learning although they admit the crucial importance of motivation in order to make the English language learning process more enjoyable and less tedious. In government schools, teachers focus more on accuracy and less on creativity due to which students cannot fluently express or write well in English. Most of the time, teachers have to struggle hard for managing activity-based English classrooms in spite of their claim for encouraging the students and giving them constructive feedback and believing that teachers should be abreast of employing innovative motivational strategies according to the situation.

A greater number of teachers feel it difficult to employ a sufficient amount of fun and humour to reactivate students and have not friendly relationships with students. Teachers' role in their classes is more of a controller and less of a facilitator which indicates their belief in controlled motivation which is accepted as least effective for language learning as it crushes students' autonomy. Teachers seldom use pair work and group work in English language classrooms because they think it hinders maintaining discipline although they admit the impact of positive noise in communicative activities.

The majority of the teachers do not believe in involving students in developing activity tasks and setting rules for the class which does not satisfy students' needs of autonomy. Teachers believe in involving students in discussions for English language learning but they complain that students do not participate actively while learning English.

Teachers feel it easier to keep up motivation in morning periods as compared to last periods and the majority of them admit that teacher motivation can increase or decrease student motivation while learning English. Teachers believe that teachers should read new research in motivation and should attend professional workshops and pieces of training.

Recommendations

The following recommendations are being suggested with the aim of improvement:

1. Government should provide the required infrastructure for language learning such as language labs, conference rooms, smart boards and wide classrooms with seating arrangements which facilitate pair work and group work which is essential for communicative activities of English language learning.

2. The principals and their school management teams should monitor the teachers’ classroom activities so as to give rewards and incentives to teachers to continue the good motivational strategies and to take appropriate measures against those who deliberately or indeliberately abrogate their responsibilities.

3. Teachers are transformational leaders so they should be well aware of their different roles as English language teachers and should intelligently shift from one role to another according to situation to sustain student motivation.

4. The present research has just focused on teachers' role in student motivation, the further research might investigate the factors affecting motivation.

5. The present research is conducted at the elementary level and it opens up the door for taking up the same study at secondary and higher secondary or at university level.

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