Motivation management in high school English classes which focus on teaching via textual genres and on the use of learning paths
motivation, engagement, active methodology, learning paths, English language learning experiences
Regular school students in Brazil are changing, very quickly and completely, the way they prefer to learn based on their appropriation of digital technology (Cope; Kalaztzis, 2010). In recent years, they have moved from being passive consumers of information to actively producing content that they consider meaningful (Kalantzis; Cope, 2010; Cope; Kalantzis, 2024). These students are no longer interested in lectures or in learning encyclopedic content, which can be easily found on the internet (Moran, 2015). English classrooms that are currently experiencing successful experiences focus teaching on student agency, invest in active methodologies and prioritize learning through discovery. In addition to learn how to manage the collaborative construction of knowledge, the challenge for teachers is in
promoting voluntary student participation in classes (Moran, 2015; Mattar, 2017). In an attempt to face it, this research proposes the investigation of the motivation management carried out by 2nd year high school students, based on their engagement in activities designed in the format of learning trails, an active methodology used as a resource to facilitate the production of the textual genre. ‘debate’ in English. Data generation involves recording how the proposed activities will be carried out, inside and outside the classroom, through teacher observation, narrative interviews with participants and reflective journal entries, also made by the teacher. By delving into the experiences lived by students, we hope to understand the role of learning paths in favoring motivation management and fostering engagement.