Factors Contributing to Motivation among Iranian EFL In-Service Teachers

Since learning English as a foreign language in Iran has turned into one of the mostimportant issues in educational settings, especially in recent years, having motivated teachersin education and maintaining this motivation is one of the defining factors in assuring students’learning. Teachers' motivation affects the process of teaching and EFL learners’ achievement.The present study was an attempt to investigate factors contributing to creating motivationamong EFL in-service teachers and also factors which contribute to maintaining motivationamong these teachers. The results of the study revealed that in interest in learning a foreignlanguage, motivational intensity, and desire to learn English, respectively, two thirds of theteachers were at high and intermediate levels. It can be concluded that they had a positiveintrinsic motivation to learn a second language, but that there were external factors that affectsuch motivation. The results also suggest that teachers in general demonstrated an intermediateto high instrumental and integrative orientation towards teaching English as a second/foreignlanguage.