The Relationship Between Teacher of English Instructional Styles, Learning Motivation, and Learning Engagement at High Schools in Cambodia

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between perceptions of English teachers’ instructional styles—specifically support for video lecture learning, support and feedback for learning, and support for autonomy learning—and twelfth-grade students’ learning motivation and engagement. Data were collected from a randomly selected sample of 510 twelfth-grade students in Cambodian high schools, comprising 206 males and 304 females, aged 16 to 21. The participants were from two fields of study: social sciences (N = 200) and natural sciences (N = 310). The standard deviations were as follows: sex (.491), age (.833), and field of study (.489).

The findings indicated that all constructs were interrelated, with correlations ranging from very low to moderate (0.184 to 0.585). Structural equation modeling further revealed that students’ perceptions of English teachers’ instructional styles were significantly associated with both learning motivation and engagement. Specifically, support for video lecture learning was linked to intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, as well as behavioral and cognitive engagement. Support and feedback for learning were associated with intrinsic motivation and behavioral engagement. Among the three instructional styles, support for autonomy learning emerged as the strongest predictor of intrinsic motivation and the most influential determinant of affective engagement, while support for video lecture learning was the strongest predictor of extrinsic motivation.

This study contributes to the growing body of evidence on the determinants of twelfth-grade students’ learning motivation and engagement in Cambodia. It also offers practical implications for English teachers to enhance students’ motivation and engagement through effective instructional practices.