Document Type : research article
Authors
1
Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages, University of Allameh Tabataba’i, Tehran, Iran
2
Assistant Professor, Department of Linguistics, Tehran, Iran
10.22059/jflr.2026.406169.1263
Abstract
Amotivation among AZFA teachers is a fundamental challenge to improving educational quality. This study aimed to identify factors affecting teacher amotivation and develop a context-specific model based on Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to explain the underlying psychological and institutional mechanisms. The statistical population included all AZFA teachers at Iranian educational centers, from whom 60 individuals (38 women, 22 men) completed a researcher-developed questionnaire covering five components: teaching methods and professional opportunities, technology and resource access, textbook content and curriculum, professional relationships and job status, and systemic constraints. Additionally, semi-structured interviews with 10 teachers were analyzed thematically using MAXQDA software. Quantitative findings showed high amotivation rates across all components, particularly regarding limited professional development opportunities, technological constraints, and pressures from inflexible curricula. Qualitative data confirmed and extended these results, with teachers reporting compulsory use of traditional methods, lack of multimedia resources, poor internet infrastructure, short-term contracts, and insufficient salaries. Thematic analysis revealed that all factors contribute to amotivation by restricting the three basic psychological needs—autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Based on these findings, an SDT-informed model was developed illustrating how institutional and educational factors lead to amotivation through constraining these fundamental needs. This model contributes to motivation literature in Persian language teaching while offering practical implications for policymakers and administrators, including curriculum revision, improving teachers' economic and professional conditions, and enhancing technological infrastructure.
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