행위이론을 통한 영어교사의 동기 분석: 서울형 미래 학교와 일반 공립 중학교를 중심으로

Abstract

English teachers’ motivation fluctuates and is affected by contextual factors. Even in the same environment, how the teachers perceive the situation and construct their motivation is different. To have an in-depth understanding of English teachers’ motivation in Korea, this study investigates factors influencing their EFL teaching motivation through the perspective of Vygotskian Activity Theory. Two in-service teachers participated in the study, and both of them had the experience of working in the school of the future in Seoul and the public middle school. The school of the future in Seoul is an innovative one where school curriculum is flexible, and cutting-edge technology is available in the classroom. A series of semi-structured interviews revealed that these two different educational environments resulted in the teachers’ different EFL teaching motivation and even in the same environment, what motivates or demotivates the teachers was qualitatively different. This study found that the conflicts between agency and contextual factors, especially, the personal relationship with other teachers had a significant impact on English teachers’ motivation. This study implies that alleviating the conflicts between agent and contextual factors is important and school administrators should make a special effort to create supportive school atmosphere and exert a positive impact on teacher’s motivation.