Motivation is one of the most researched individual differences in the field of SLA. Learner motivation is especially popular topic, and researchers are interested in finding ways to motivate learners. These days, investigating teacher motivation, motivation to teach is also becoming common. One reason why teacher motivation catches people’s attention is that teachers are believed to influence learners. In other words, when teachers are motivated to teach, their learners are also likely to be motivated to learn (e.g., Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2011). Therefore, researchers are attempting to understand the relationship exists between teacher motivation and learner motivation.
This article reviews the previous studies of teacher motivation research to understand the current situation and explains what kind of studies on teacher motivation should be conducted. First, the definition of teacher motivation is explained. Then, previous studies are indicated to show what kind of studies have been conducted. At the end of this article, the studies which should be conducted on teacher motivation in the future are illustrated.
