Motivating Students to Speak English: A Descriptive Case Study of an Experienced English Teacher’s Strategies

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the strategies used by an experienced English teacher to motivate students to speak English in classroom activities. This research employed a qualitative descriptive case study conducted at SMKN 2 Situbondo. The participants consisted of one experienced English teacher and seven students selected purposively from an Accounting class. Data were collected through four classroom observations, teacher interviews, student interviews, and documentation. The data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's (2006) thematic analysis guided by Dörnyei's (2001, 2020) Motivational Teaching Practice framework. The findings revealed four motivational teaching strategies implemented by the teacher: (1) Creating Basic Motivational Conditions by establishing a supportive classroom atmosphere and encouraging students without fear of making mistakes; (2) Generating Initial Motivation through familiar topics, role plays, picture prompts, and teacher modeling; (3) Maintaining and Protecting Motivation by providing vocabulary support, pair work, group work, and gradual speaking practice; and (4) Encouraging Positive Retrospective Self-Evaluation by giving praise and positive feedback before correcting students' mistakes. The findings from classroom observations, teacher interviews, and student interviews consistently indicated that these strategies increased students' confidence, participation, and willingness to speak English. This study concludes that an experienced teacher plays an important role in motivating students to speak English by creating a supportive learning environment and implementing appropriate motivational teaching strategies in daily classroom practices.