Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to assess teachers’ awareness and use of motivational strategies in
reading classroom. A descriptive study which consisted of both quantitative and qualitative data were
employed. In order to gather data for the study, four instruments: questionnaires to students and
teachers, interview to English language teachers, observation and reading content analysis were used.
The subjects of the study were selected from Fasilo and Bhair Dar secondary schools of grade 9-12
students and English language teachers. Two hundred sixty eight students were taken as a sample by
using systematic sampling technique. All 24 EFL teachers were chosen by using comprehensive
sampling technique for questionnaire and eight teachers were chosen for observation and interview
using random sampling technique. The quantitative data was analyzed using frequency count and
percentage while the qualitative data was thematically analyzed. The results of the study showed that
although teachers have good awareness about most of the motivational strategies, they failed to
practice them. Hence, there was a gap between teachers’ awareness and their actual practice. Based
on these results, the study also found out that teachers have not awareness about strategies like
summarizing the text, criticizing the text, reading aloud, explain briefly the content of the text before
reading and using inference. The study, furthermore, revealed that working individually, using
contextual clue, reading silently and independently, discussing the questions after reading, presenting
key words before reading and locating the main ideas of some paragraphs of the text were the most
frequently used motivational strategies by the English language teachers to teach reading lessons. The
text book analysis result revealed that the sample 32 reading contents of the students’ text book have
enough motivational strategies. It is, thus suggested that teachers need training to fill the gap b/n their
awareness and practice to use motivational strategies to teach reading in a motivating way.
