Autonomy-supportive ESP teaching strategies to foster motivation¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The article recommends that ESP educators design language programs emphasizing autonomy and create supportive contexts for practice. It suggests that "students who learn a foreign language in an autonomy-supportive environment (contex tualized and socialized environmen t in the case of Chinese students) where feedback enhances their sense of competence in the learning task are likely to be those students who learn because it is pleasurable or because it appeals to their self-concept". Specific strategies include creating a supportive, non-threatening environment, maximizing participation and competence, enhancing group cohesiveness and positive interdependence, and facilitating learners' autonomy.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Feedback that enhances learners' sense of competence; a contextualized and socialized environment

Constraints¶

• The author notes creating opportunities for real international business communication is 'really not easy', so in-class simulation is offered as a fallback

Target Learners¶

• Chinese college ESP learners in EFL contexts

Target Learning Goals¶

• Fostering sustained, internalized motivation and reducing anxiety and dropout in ESP learning

Affordances¶

• Sdt Framework Esp Motivation

Related Strategies¶

• Build autonomy-supportive learning contexts through perspective-taking, choice, self-initiation, and non-controlling language
• Foster teacher agency through low-risk, high-reward opportunities with escalating responsibility

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Liu, L. (2016). Why Do Chinese College Students Learn ESP: An Analysis of Language Learning Motivations within SDT Framework. English Language Teaching, 9(4). https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v9n4p92