Strategies to Foster Motivation and improve Classroom Management for EFL Advanced Level Preteen Students

Abstract

This paper aims to report the process of diagnosis, action, and reflection on the teaching practices and issues identified during my teaching practical job with an EFL advanced -level preteen course at the CCA. This process of action research was framed by a dualistic course of action: observation and co-teaching. From my initial observations and reflections, I realized students lacked motivation during the classes, specifically during the second part. Therefore, six five-minute physical activities, done just in the middle of the class, were implemented as strategies to foster motivation and to improve my classroom management. To know what the impact of these interventions was, I used a teaching journal, made a survey to students, and interviewed my team-teacher. The data collected was carefully analyzed and triangulated to find emerging themes across the instruments. The results show that the activities had a positive impact on these students because they had a boost of energy that stayed even when the interventions were over. As a result, the students¿ motivation and engagement in class enhanced which benefited their learning and eased the classroom management and climate. These findings allow us to reflect on the benefits of having diverse strategies to motivate and engage students in the classroom.