The Motivational Architecture of EFL Textbooks: A Self- Determination Theory Analysis of Saudi Mega Goal 1–3
This study utilizes Self-Determination Theory to analyze the Saudi EFL textbooks Mega Goal 1–3, revealing that while competence-enhancing opportunities are pervasive across the series, autonomy and relatedness are more activity-dependent, with specific formats like long-term projects effectively integrating all three motivational needs.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer
Learning a new language is a marathon of attention and effort, not a sprint. For students to keep running, they need more than just vocabulary lists and grammar rules; they need to feel a genuine sense of ownership over their learning, a belief that they are capable of succeeding, and a feeling of connection to the people around them. Psychologists call these three feelings autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Autonomy is the sense that you are making your own choices. Competence is the confidence that comes from knowing you can do the task at hand. Relatedness is the feeling of belonging and connecting with others. When a learning environment supports these three needs, students are more likely to stay motivated and engaged. But what if the motivation isn't coming from the teacher or the student, but from the book itself?
A researcher named Khalid Othman from Qassim University decided to look inside the pages of the textbooks used by high school students in Saudi Arabia to see if the design of the lessons themselves offers these three ingredients. He focused on a popular series called Mega Goal, which is used in grades 1 through 3 of secondary school. Instead of asking students how they felt while using the books, he treated the textbooks as a designed environment, much like a playground or a workshop, and analyzed the specific tasks and activities printed on the pages. His goal was to count how many times a lesson offered a student a chance to make a choice, a chance to practice and improve, or a chance to work with others. He examined 535 distinct activity blocks across the three books, looking for clear signs that the lesson was built to support these three psychological needs.
The analysis revealed a landscape that was overwhelmingly strong in one area but more varied in the others. The researchers found that nearly every single activity in the books, about 97 percent of them, was designed to support competence. This means that almost every lesson provided clear instructions, step-by-step examples, and opportunities for practice that helped students feel they could master the material. The books were structured to show students exactly what success looked like and how to get there. However, the support for the other two needs was less uniform. About 74 percent of the activities offered some form of autonomy, such as letting students choose a topic, express a personal opinion, or decide how to approach a task. Similarly, about 69 percent of the activities supported relatedness, usually by asking students to work in pairs, discuss ideas, or communicate with one another. While these numbers are high, they were not as consistent as the support for competence, and they depended heavily on the type of activity being done.
When the researcher looked closer at how these needs were mixed together, a clear pattern emerged. The most motivationally rich activities were the long-term projects. These were the only tasks that consistently combined all three needs at once. In a project, a student might choose a topic they cared about, which satisfied the need for autonomy; they would follow a structured plan with models and examples to ensure they could succeed, satisfying the need for competence; and they would often work with a partner or present their work to a class, satisfying the need for relatedness. In contrast, other types of lessons tended to focus on just one or two needs. For example, sections dedicated to self-reflection were great for letting students think about their own progress and choices, but they rarely involved working with others. Meanwhile, standard grammar or vocabulary drills were excellent for building skill and confidence but often left little room for personal choice or social interaction.
The study suggests that the textbooks are well-designed for building skill, but the opportunities for personal choice and social connection are more scattered. The researcher noted that while the books offer many chances for students to work together, these opportunities are mostly limited to pairs rather than larger groups, and the chance for students to reflect on their own learning is often saved for the very end of a unit rather than woven throughout. This does not mean the books are failing, but it does highlight that the design of the curriculum creates a specific kind of motivational environment. It is an environment where students are almost always supported in becoming more capable, but they are only sometimes supported in feeling fully independent or deeply connected to their peers. The findings serve as a map for textbook creators, showing them that to create a truly motivating learning experience, they need to ensure that the structure of the lessons supports not just the ability to do the work, but also the desire to do it and the joy of doing it with others.
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