Motivation in Virtual English Language Classrooms During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This chapter aims to investigate the perceptions of English language teachers on motivation in the virtual English language classroom. The participants are 17 English language teachers at elementary and secondary schools. Interview questions were used to collect data, and thematic analysis was conducted to analyse the data. The findings revealed that student motivation in virtual English lessons was lower compared to their motivation in lessons conducted face-to-face. Another finding was that there were various factors that impact student motivation negatively and positively in synchronous English classes such as interaction, inequality, student education environments, and effective use of synchronous virtual classroom platforms.