Foreign Language Learning, Classroom Interaction and Lack of Motivation: the Case of First Year Students of English at the University of Bejaia; LMD System Group

Résumé

This study treated the relationship Foreign
Language Learning (FLL) has with both
class interaction and lack of motivation in
a university education course where
English is taught as a foreign language.
The setting was the University of
Abderrahmane Mira, Béjaia taking the case
of first year LMD (Licence, Master, Doctorat)
students during the second semester’s
examinations (i.e. the end of the academic
year 2005). Four objectives we aimed to
reach for which we established two
hypotheses. 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. Some of the participants
criticised the group they belong to and
others the teachers but their rate was low
compared to the curriculum. As a result,
teaching methods, course content, the
teacher’s personality and attitudes, and
interaction among the students (i.e. to the
group dynamics) showed to be the main
factors which could either enhance or
impede the students’ motivation.