Teachers' feedback and students' motivation in English for general and specific purposes courses in Iran

Abstract

The problematic realm of ESP needs to be evaluated as any other instructional process which we hope to improve. This study investigates the students' attitude towards such courses and their teachers' views concerning their classes. The literature suggested that most of the teachers and students were dissatisfied with the students' progress in specific English courses. Data was collected by interest and motivation survey and feedback form. To carry out the study, 18 university teachers offered feedback on different aspects of their own courses. The data was analyzed qualitatively using means and percentage analysis. The survey proved that the total motivation and interest of EGP students were significantly higher than ESP students participating in the study. The results may attribute to several factors including the learning environment, the teachers, the techniques, and the material. In addition, the feedback forms show discrepancy between the views of EGP teachers and ESP teachers in some areas including the material effectiveness and students' interest. © 2014 Academy Publisher Manufactured In Finland.