ABSTRACTTASK-RELATED MOTIVATIONAL STRATEGIES IN EFL CLASSROOMS: A GLIMPSE INTO TEACHER AND STUDENT PERCEPTIONSByKhoa Dang TruongTaking into account the current scarcity of research on motivational teaching strategies pertaining to EFL classroom activities (tasks) and the reciprocal relationship between teacher and student perceptions of motivational teaching practice, this mixed-methods study delved into how teachers and students perceived the importance of task-related motivational strategies (TRMS) in EFL classroom instruction. A seven-point Likert scale questionnaire with forty-eight items covering seven conceptual domains of TRMS were electronically delivered to EFL teachers (N = 96) operating at different tertiary institutions and private teaching centers in a large city in southern Vietnam and their students (N = 220). Concurrently, thirty-four journal entries were obtained from the teacher (N = 17) and student (N = 17) survey respondents to shed further light on their perspectives concerning TRMS. Descriptive statistics results showed similar as well as different directions in the two groups’ ranking order of the seven conceptual domains and of specific strategies. Importantly, non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test results showed both groups’ central tendencies in which they generally agreed on the motivational value of ‘task nature’, ‘task relevance’, ‘task materials’, ‘task-related feedback’, and ‘during-task teacher behavior’, yet their perceptions of ‘task presentation’ and ‘task level’ diverged. Specific item analyses further revealed statistically significant differences in their perceptions of as much as 23 percent of the total number of TRMS being studied. Recursive analysis of the journal data corroborated a substantial part of the quantitative results and offered explanations for why each specific difference occurred. Mismatches between teacher and student perceptions provide important pedagogical implications for how Vietnamese EFL teachers can strategically design and implement tasks in the way that is motivating to students whose English learning is entirely confined within classroom walls.
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