investigating the effect of motivational strategies on efl students’ vocabulary learning in the covid-19 era

The current study aims at investigating the effectivity of applying motivational strategies in online efl classrooms and assessing the extent to which they might affect students’ experience of vocabulary learning. this study was conducted in a private english language institute in sanandaj, iran where young learners were reported of experiencing unusual unwillingness during the covid-19 lockdown. additionally, the group consisted of 8 young female students whose age range was between 10-and 14 years old and were asked to attend online classes applying motivational strategies. constructivist gt was chosen since the purpose of this method is to describe the problem from the participant's point of view and interpret the participant's understanding of subjective experiences. individual interviews were conducted to provide a deeper study of the potential for learners’ academic progress and their willingness to communicate in the classrooms. interviews were carried out using a subject guide based on literature. a wide range of topics include a) participants' general online learning experience; b) personal experience of communicating in online classes; c) experience of participating in online group activities; and d) active interaction with other peers and the teacher. in this study, the author explored how young efl learners perceive motivational strategies and how the communication experiences they identify are related to their exposure to these practices. participants were anonymous and of the opinion that the motivational strategies had helped them firstly, communicate with their peers much more easily, secondly, do the class activities more passionately, and finally; feel more competent academically.