Motivating and/or de-motivating environments to do action research: the case of teachers of English as a foreign language in Ethiopian universities

This study intended to investigate the motivating and/or de-motivating environments for teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) to conduct action research. Data were generated through a questionnaire, interviews, and focus group discussions. The results showed that there were both motivating and de-motivating factors. The motivating factors were more extrinsic and insignificant, and emanated from impediments which, with the scantily available opportunities, triggered few EFL teachers to be vigilant of their professional practices. On the other hand, the de-motivating factors were pervasive, stemmed from different sources, and ranged from policy to practice, from internal to external, and from individual to institutional – requiring empowerment of EFL teachers and shortening of bureaucratic journeys for endorsing research fund requests. The teachers should also bear proper attitude and commitment, and take initiatives to enhance their practical skills and to deliberate with pertinent stakeholders on creating a favorable environment to conduct action research for the betterment of themselves and their practices.