EFL teachers’ motivation and motivational impact in corporate contexts

Abstract

The number of studies examining teachers’ motivation and motivating impact on adult L2 learners in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts is limited, while research carried out in a corporate environment is practically non-existent. This paper attempts to fill this niche by presenting the results of an interview study conducted with 18 EFL teachers who work in companies employing over 250 workers in Hungary. The aim of the study was to explore how motivated corporate language teachers were in their jobs, how they perceived their motivating impact, and what strategies they used to motivate their adult learners of English. The results reveal that EFL teachers in this context are highly motivated due to the freedom, flexibility, and variety that this environment offers. In addition, their relentless efforts to grow and develop all the time to approximate mastery in a highly competitive context also contribute to their motivation. Practicality, getting to know their learners, free conversation, appearance, and being tailor-made seem to play a key role in motivating their learners.