Original Research Article

Language Education Stakeholders’ Attitudes and Personality Versus Interactions and Motivational Progress in Benin Universities

Azoua Mathias Hounnou

University of Parakou (Benin)

E-mail: mathias.azoua@yahoo.fr Phone: (229) 97 60 12 20

Received: 24 September 2022  I  Accepted: 26 October 2022  I  Published: 29 October 2022  I  Article ID: MRJER22024
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This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0.

Abstract

This study treated the relationship Foreign Language Learning (FLL) has with both class interaction and lack of motivation in University education courses where English is taught as a Foreign Language. The setting was the public Universities of Benin Republic, taking the case of first year “LMD” (Bachelor- Master –Doctorate) students during the second semester’s examinations (i.e. the end of the academic year 2020). Our questioning put focus on the students’ presence in the classroom and the type of interaction that existed in order to find out the reasons of lack of motivation if any. Four objectives we aimed to reach would be explained below in this investigation for which we established two hypotheses. All is related to the motivation degree and its relation to the interaction (with classmates and teachers) and teaching methods; which can either foster or not interaction. We used the questionnaire as an instrument for data collection with statistically-based software (SPSS) and a quantitative method. Results showed that our hypotheses were verified to some extent although most students did not reveal negative attitudes to the teachers’ personality. There was a noticeable criticism to the teaching methods and the curriculum. As a result, teaching methods, course content, the teacher’s personality and attitudes, and interaction among the students showed to be the main factors which could either enhance or impede the students’ motivation.

Keywords: Interaction, Language education, Personality, Stakeholders, Universities