Motivational Teaching Strategies and EFL Students' Essay Writing Proficiency

Motivation is considered a complex and challenging issue in teaching, especially in second language courses. Many studies have been conducted about motivational strategies in teaching English language, however, the research that focuses on essay writing is still rare. Therefore, this research aims to describe the effect of the motivational strategies on students’ essay writing proficiency and their response to its implementation. These strategies include Creating the Basic Motivational Condition (CBMC), Generating Initial Motivation (GIM), Maintaining and Protecting Motivation (MPM), and Encouraging Positive Retrospective Self-Evaluation (EPRS). The research participants were third-semester undergraduates in a private university, in Indonesia, that enrolled in essay writing. The data were collected by conducting essay writing tests and interviews. The results revealed that there was a statistically significant impact on the students' writing scores, as observed from the improvement from their pre-test to post-test scores In addition, the data from the interview showed the students’ positive response and consciousness of their writing progress which indicated the appropriateness of the strategies in their class. The results showed the necessity of implementing motivational strategies as a new model of English instruction by writing lecturers and English teachers in general.

Organizational support and intrapreneurial behavior: on the role of employees' intrapreneurial intention and self-efficacy

Despite the well-documented contributions of intrapreneurial behavior to organizational performance, the manifestations of the psychosocial factors at play remain poorly understood. Drawing on the theory of planned behavior, social exchange theory, and social cognitive theory, we propose that perceptions of organizational support would contribute to employees' intrapreneurial intentions and behaviors, but only insofar as employees feel confident about their intrapreneurial skills. The data were collected from 179 employees of a Canadian small and medium enterprise (SME) specializing in damage insurance. The regression analysis results indicate that the indirect effect of perceived organizational support on intrapreneurial behavior through intrapreneurial intention is moderated by intrapreneurial self-efficacy. These findings reveal that intrapreneurial self-efficacy is a boundary motivational condition for perceived organizational support to act on the intrapreneurial process so that intention can translate into behavior. The paper provides useful avenues for managers seeking to identify contextual and motivational levers to develop, sustain, and improve employee intrapreneurship.

Five Factors Influencing the Students’ Motivation to Learn English as a Foreign Language: A Closer Look into Montessori Classroom Environment

Good learning environment will bring out qualified students. This study focuses on the Montessori method, which is an approach of education designed to train the students’ independence in learning. The study uses descriptive quantitative research design to describe the factors of Montessori classroom environment on the motivation of students in Royal Prime Montessori Elementary School Pekanbaru in academic year 2018/2019. The sample of study is 55 students selected from five classes. The data were collected using questionnaire and observation checklist. This study found five factors influencing the students’ motivational condition, i.e., teacher’s presence, personal attitude, Montessori materials, classroom conditions and friends’ influence. This study revealed that the students taught with this method are active and cooperative during their English learning activities.

Moderating Influence of Dominant Attentional Style and Exercise Intensity on Responses to Asynchronous Music

We examined independent and combined influences of asynchronous music and dominant attentional style (DAS) on psychological and psychophysical variables during exercise using mixed methods. Participants (N = 34) were grouped according to DAS and completed treadmill runs at three intensities (low, moderate, high) crossed with three music conditions (motivational, oudeterous, no-music control). State attentional focus shifted from dissociative to associative with increasing intensity and was most aligned with DAS during moderate-intensity exercise. Both music conditions facilitated dissociation at low-to-moderate intensities. At high exercise intensity, both music conditions were associated with reduced RPE among participants with an associative DAS. Dissociators reported higher RPE overall during moderate and high intensities. Psychological responses were most positive in the motivational condition, followed by oudeterous and control. Findings illustrate the relevance of individual differences in DAS as well as task intensity and duration when selecting music for exercise.