Motivating Students

Action Research Project

Hajer Ghaffari
Faculty of Arts, Letters and
Humanities in Mannouba, Tunisia.
 Introduction
• My name is Hajer Ghaffari, a teacher of English since the academic
year 1999-2000. I have taken a course about Techniques for
Teaching Reading and Writing. This is an online course funded by
the U.S. Department of State and delivered by Northern Arizona
University.

• The basic outline of my presentation:

• Definition of Action Research.
• Topic and Research Questions.
• Data Collection and Analysis.
• Observation and Findings.
• Conclusion
 What is Action Research?

• It is a reflective process examining the

instructional practices in order to refine the
teaching experience and improve the quality
of the students’ learning.

• This generally includes a cycle of planning,

acting, observing, and reflecting on an issue or
problem in order to improve practice.Farrell
(2007, p. 94).
 Topic and Research Questions
• Topic: Techniques to motivate students and to create a
positive learning environment.

• Purpose: Try out a different teaching approach and

techniques to make the learning experience interesting
and enjoyable at the same time.

• Research questions: Which teaching approaches and

techniques do I have to use in the classroom to
motivate my students?
• Will my students become more motivated if I make the
lessons more level-appropriate?
 Data Collection and Analysis
• Methods for data collection:
• a) Careful and systematic classroom observation.
• b) Journal in which I jot down my observations and
reactions to the lessons.
• C) Questionnaire.

• Time spent collecting data: 1 month.

• Data analysis: I collected the questionnaires and counted

responses to the statements. I drew an analogy between
the questionnaire findings and the recorded after-class
observations.
 Observations and Findings
• The responses to my research questions are:
• The teaching approach that I should use more in class is student-centered approach and reflective
method.
• I should use more engaging, collaborative and interactive techniques.
• Students 'motivation has increased when the course material has been adjusted to become less
challenging and more level-appropriate.

• I learnt from the data that:

• My lessons are too challenging and my students feel a little bit frustrated for not being able to
measure up to the teacher expectations.
• Students prefer collaborative tasks.
• Students find incorporating games, songs and films in the course very motivating.
• Students find that the reflective method makes the learning process more meaningful.

• The solutions I generated:

• Lessons have just been downgraded to fit students’ level of English.
• More visual representations and games have been incorporated in the lesson plans.
• A reflective routine has become a part and a parcel of the lesson plan.
 Conclusion
• Summary: After conducting a questionnaire and writing in a journal
my class observations, I noticed that immediate changes should be
carried out to make the learning experience of my students
interesting and enjoyable at the same time.

• The most interesting or surprising thing I learned about my teaching

in class: Relying on collaborative tasks (pair work/group work )
makes the learning environment more positive and considerably
rewarding.

• The most important thing that other teachers should understand or

try: Do not take everything for granted, question your teaching
habits, conduct an Action Research and hear out what your
students may have to tell you about your teaching practices!!