English instructors’ motivation levels in Islamic higher education

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the motivation levels of non-permanent English instructors (lecturers) in a university language centre (LC) and the factors with regard to what elements sustain their motivation to teach English and to remain in the Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) profession at an Islamic higher education institution. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory case study with a purposive sampling technique was employed in this study. Ten instructors (seven females and three males) aged between 26 and 40 years old participated (M = 29.6 year olds). The selected participants in the sample were instructors who had taught between three to nine years at the LC (M = 3.9 years), and interviews were the tools used to collect data. Findings Overall, LC instructors’ motivation is not internalised or less internalised into their self-concept. This can be seen from the results that show, respectively, instructors’ levels of no internalisation (42 per cent), less internalisation (40.5 per cent), more internalisation (11 per cent) and full internalisation (6.5 per cent). In total, 11 factors were identified: the influence of others, financial benefits, professional development opportunities, schedule flexibility, supportive working environment, social status and acceptance, a stepping stone for career advancement, networking, dedication, challenge and teaching as a calling. In general, it has been found that instructors are more externally than internally regulated or motivated. Research limitations/implications This study only employed interview to collect data and had only ten respondents. Originality/value Data were collected at the LC of an Islamic institution of higher education institution where instructors are non-permanently employed. The LC is a TEFL environment serving about 12,000 students a year. This study, therefore, allows for an understanding of instructors’ motivation in such context.