Mundo González, Jessie L.

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Motivational language strategies in a basic english classroom in Puerto Rico
(2018) Mundo González, Jessie L.; Soto Santiago, Sandra L.; College of Arts and Sciences - Art; Rivera, Rosita; Pratt, Ellen; Department of English; Plaza, María
English language teaching has long been the source of education policy debates in Puerto Rico. Efforts have been made to increase bilingualism in students; however, textbooks used to teach English have had little sociocultural relevance to the students’ experiences. This study focuses on the use of sociocultural thematic units, through motivational language approaches, to increase ESL learning motivation, providing a detailed description of how to apply those strategies within the language classroom. A cross-case analysis was conducted between two Basic English II sections at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. This thesis helps other ESL educators design a culturally informed language class through the use of thematic units, following the four levels of Dörnyei’s taxonomy of motivational approaches (see Appendix A). The results provide evidence that a language classroom with teaching resources relevant to the students’ sociocultural experiences increase their motivation to learn and voluntarily practice the language.