ESP teachers’ use of motivational strategies: A classroom-oriented view of Estonian university teaching

Abstract

Research on L2 motivation and English for specific purposes (ESP) is quite scarce. This study explores Estonian ESP teachers’ use of motivational strategies (MotS) and whether their students see them motivating. It also seeks to identify the MotS that teachers use most as well as highlight any differences between teachers’ self-reported use of MotS and their motivational practice. Teachers and students at an Estonian university were asked to answer a questionnaire that follows Keller’s (2010) ARCS model. Class observations were conducted for in-person and online classes using Guilloteaux and Dörnyei’s (2008) scheme. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyze the data. The findings show that teachers use confidence-building strategies the most.