ROLE OF MOTIVATION IN LANGUAGE LEARNING AND CHALLENGES FOR PRE-SERVICE ENGLISH TEACHERS IN NEPAL

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the role of motivation throughout the academic journey of pre-service English teachers in English language learning at the master's level. Both the primary and secondary sources of data were employed in the study. This research followed narrative inquiry as the research design. The data were collected from three pre-service English teachers at the University Campus in Nepal. The participants were selected purposively with a judgmental sampling procedure. The data collected from the in-depth interview and written narratives were analyzed and interpreted thematically and descriptively. It was found that preservice teachers were motivated to learn English for various reasons, such as to earn money, to sustain a prestigious life in society, to be professional teachers, and to enjoy English literature. Likewise, they faced challenges like a lack of exposure, unqualified teachers, an economic crisis, a deficit in an English-friendly environment, hesitation, and frustration while studying English. Moreover, the study clearly mentions the motivating factors for English language learning based on the lived experiences of the participants.