Exploring the Darker Side of Motivation: A Qualitative Inquiry into English Learning Demotivators

The present study was an attempt to explore potential demotivators that enervate students’ motivation in learning English. This qualitative study included a total number of twelve college students to garner their overall experiences in English learning. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews, which lasted 15 to 20 minutes each. The knowledge extracted from these interviews provided deep insight into the demotivation mechanism of Pakistani English learners. The recorded interviews were transcribed and organized for final analysis. The recordings were listened to and re-listened to ensure the authenticity of the transcriptions. To establish themes and sub-themes, the text was coded through thematic analysis to determine categories of demotivators. The steps suggested by Braun and Clarke (2006) were followed to analyse the data. The findings revealed that there were four major themes leading to students’ language learning demotivators: lack of interest, experiences of failure, characteristics of classes, and classroom environment. The emerged themes also complemented the findings on the causes of demotivation explored in different social and learning contexts. The implications of the study are also discussed.