UNDERSTANDING ENGLISH TEACHER’S EXPERIENCES IN TEACHING LOW-MOTIVATION STUDENTS IN VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL: A NARRATIVE INQUIRY

Abstract

In the context of English language teaching (ELT), students’ low-motivation is one of the significant challenges that need to be studied.  In Indonesian vocational high school context, the general curriculum is designed to prepare students for specific future career by emphasising practical skills. As a result, academic subject, such as English, is perceived as less relevant and that influences students’ motivation in learning English. This study aims to uncover the interpretation of teacher’s perception and experiences in teaching low-motivation students, particularly in vocational high school context. This study employs a qualitative research approach adopting a narrative inquiry design to explore teacher’s experiences and perception in teaching low-motivation students. The design focuses on the individual’s story as the source of data (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000). Participant is a teacher in vocational high school selected by purposive sampling. The data were collected through in-depth interviews to elicit teacher’s personal stories and experiences. The study highlights that teaching low-motivation students is an emotionally demanding experience in both emotional and professional areas. The challenges result to the belief shift from an idealistic mindset to the realistic perspective. This study reveals that there are several factors influencing students with low-motivation, such as have job-oriented mindset, the excessive use of gadget, peer influence, unsupportive school environment, and lack of perceived relevance of English.