The dark side of motivation: Teachers' perspectives on 'unmotivation'

Motivation is a well-researched construct; however, few studies have investigated how teachers perceive and make sense of situations in which learners are not motivated to learn. Thirty-two EFL teachers working in Japanese universities were surveyed and interviews with three of these teachers were conducted to reveal their perceptions of student 'unmotivation'. Three different factors were identified which explain why these teachers consider influencing learner motivation positively has its limits. These are the external factors of institutions and educational systems and the internal factors of student attitudes and personalities and teacher-student relationships. Pedagogical and research implications are suggested in response to teachers' perceptions of this unmotivation.