Teacher Roles and Students’ Motivation in Learning English at Junior High School

Abstract

This study investigates how English teachers’ roles contribute to students’ instrumental and integrative motivation in learning English at SMP Negeri 18 Makassar. A qualitative case study design was employed with three English teachers and nine students from Grades VII, VIII, and IX. Data were collected through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and documentation and were analyzed using data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings identified four teacher roles: authority, counselor, facilitator, and multi-role. The authority role was mainly associated with instrumental motivation because clear rules, learning objectives, explicit instructions, and monitoring supported students in completing academic tasks and pursuing school-related goals. The counselor role was mainly associated with integrative motivation because emotional support, encouragement, guidance, and positive teacher–student relationships increased students’ confidence and willingness to communicate in English. The facilitator role supported both types of motivation through interactive, collaborative, and communicative learning activities. The multi-role approach strengthened students’ motivation by flexibly combining structure, emotional support, and participation according to classroom needs. The findings suggest that teacher flexibility is important in supporting motivation in junior high school EFL learning