The study appears in the Indonesian Journal of Advanced Research (Vol. 5, No. 2, 2026) and focuses on the higher education context in Bangladesh, where English proficiency is closely tied to academic success, research participation, and employability.
Why Motivation in EFL Classrooms Matters
In Bangladesh, English functions as a key academic language in universities. Students rely on it for coursework, academic reading, and global communication. However, motivation in EFL classrooms often remains fragile. Many students struggle with language anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, and the perceived difficulty of academic English.
Shakil and his colleagues argue that motivation cannot be explained by teaching methods alone. The emotional tone of the classroom whether students feel respected, psychologically safe, and supported may be just as influential.
Surveying 250 University Students
The research involved 250 undergraduate and postgraduate EFL students from private universities in Bangladesh. Participants completed a structured questionnaire measuring four core variables:
- Classroom Emotional Climate (CEC)
- Teacher–Student Relationship (TSR)
- Perceived Teacher Autonomy Support (PTAS)
- Learners’ Motivation (LM)
The team applied Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to test both direct and indirect relationships among the variables.
All six proposed hypotheses were statistically supported.
Key Findings
The results reveal a clear pathway from classroom atmosphere to student motivation:
- Emotional climate strengthens teacher–student relationships: A more positive classroom climate significantly improved relational quality between teachers and students (β = 0.248).
- Emotional climate increases perceived autonomy support: Students in emotionally supportive classrooms were more likely to feel that teachers respected their perspectives and provided meaningful choices (β = 0.337).
- Teacher–student relationships boost motivation: Strong relational bonds significantly predicted higher levels of student motivation (β = 0.372).
- Autonomy support enhances motivation: When students perceived greater autonomy support, their motivation increased (β = 0.269).
- Teacher–student relationships act as a mediator: The emotional climate influenced motivation indirectly through improved relational quality (indirect effect β = 0.136).
- Autonomy support also mediates the relationship: Emotional climate strengthened motivation through perceived autonomy support (indirect effect β = 0.184).
In practical terms, the study shows that a supportive classroom does not raise motivation in isolation. Instead, it works by nurturing trust-based relationships and autonomy-supportive teaching practices.
Grounded in Self-Determination Theory
The research extends Self-Determination Theory (SDT), which states that motivation flourishes when three psychological needs are satisfied: autonomy, relatedness, and competence.
In this study:
- Teacher–student relationships fulfilled the need for relatedness.
- Perceived autonomy support fulfilled the need for autonomy.
- A positive emotional climate served as the upstream condition enabling both.
According to Shakil, emotionally supportive classrooms create conditions where students feel safe to participate, take risks in speaking, and persist through linguistic challenges.
Implications for Higher Education
The findings carry important implications for EFL programs, policymakers, and university administrators.
The researchers recommend:
- Prioritizing emotionally supportive classroom environments.
- Training teachers in empathy-based and autonomy-supportive instructional strategies.
- Integrating relational and emotional indicators into teacher evaluation systems.
- Encouraging flexible teaching practices that allow meaningful student participation.
By focusing on classroom climate alongside pedagogy, universities can improve student engagement, persistence, and English proficiency factors closely linked to academic achievement and career readiness.
Limitations and Future Research
The study was conducted in private universities and used a cross-sectional design, meaning it captured perceptions at a single point in time. Future research could adopt longitudinal or experimental approaches to strengthen causal interpretation.
The authors also recommend cross-cultural comparisons to determine whether similar patterns emerge in Western and non-Western educational contexts.
Author Profile
All authors are affiliated with Uttara University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Source of the Study
Shakil, R. M., Liana, J.-E.-R., Efty, E. A., Rafi, N. R., & Tasnim, N. (2026). How Classroom Emotional Climate Shapes Motivation in University EFL Contexts: A Mediation Model of Teacher–Student Relationship and Perceived Teacher Autonomy Support. Indonesian Journal of Advanced Research, 5(2), 255–272.
0 Komentar