A Validation Pilot Study for The Motivation of English Language Teachers in the College of Health Sciences and the College of Nursing, PAAET, Kuwait (Published)
There are several components that determine and play an essential role in teachers’ motivation. The purpose of this research is to validate the survey questionnaire items that are employed in the study by Ng & Ng (2015) and see if such items can be applied in two selected colleges at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), Kuwait. The participants of the study are 15 faculty members from the college of Health Sciences and the college of Nursing where they were asked to complete the survey questionnaire items anonymously. Although some survey items were omitted due to having low factor loadings, the rest of the survey items were proven to be applicable to both colleges and other potential academic institutions in Kuwait, and possibly in the GCC region. The analysis resulted in having six major components that determine teachers’ motivation. The six components are intrinsic motivation and self-improvement, leadership influence, social support and relationships, financial motivation, autonomy and administrative support, and career advancement and esteem. The current study findings emphasize that such six components are essential in fostering and maintaining teachers’ motivation in every academic institution in Kuwait and in the region.
Keywords: Kuwait, PAAET, language center, teachers’ motivation
Pilot Validation Study of “Students’ Attitudes, Motivation, and Anxiety Towards English Language Learning” Questionnaire to the Kuwaiti Context (Published)
Attitudes, motivation, and anxiety are three factors that can determine how successful a student is in learning a second language. This research is a pilot study to validate the survey questionnaire that is used by Shams (2008), which is originally taken from Gardner (1985), and see whether the survey items can be applied and are considered suitable for the Kuwaiti culture. The pilot study was practiced on 34 students that were randomly selected at PAAET, Kuwait, and consisted of both male and female students. Despite that some survey items were dropped due to them having low factor findings for not confirming with the criteria of component analysis, the rest of the survey items were found to be applicable to the Kuwaiti context and the analysis resulted in having three major components for achieving optimal English language learning. The three components are communication anxiety and confidence that talks about students’ nervousness and fear of being judged while speaking in English; perceived value and practicality of English that talks about how students perceive the English language and its practical benefits; and motivation drive for English fluency that talks about the motivation that students need to maintain their ambition in wanting to learn English. The current study concludes with believing that such three components are vital in every language learning environment, making the components applicable worldwide and not specific to one cultural context.
Keywords: Anxiety, Attitudes, English Language Learning, Kuwait, Motivation, PAAET