The Effect of Interaction-based Teaching on Enhancing the Iranian Students’ Motivation through Arabic Language Teaching (A Case Study on Third Grade High School Students of Experimental Science)

Effective language teaching methods have a fundamental role in enhancing the learners’ competence and performance, but with regard to the place of affective variables in language learning environment, any chosen method needs to use techniques to elaborate the learners’ motivation and create a positive attitude toward language classes, school and classroom activities. The present study, therefore, in line with the felt need for effective Arabic teaching methods in Iranian schools and universities, attempts to investigate the efficacy of interaction-based methods in comparison to teacher-centered language teaching methods. A quasi-experimental method was designed with two intact classes of grade two in a senior secondary school. The population group experienced an interaction-based method, while the control group experienced a teacher-centered method. Johnson’s (1983) scale of motivation was used to measure the students’ motivation levels at the beginning and at the end of the study. The analysis of the results of the study using SPSS software revealed significant difference between the means of the groups in favor of using the interaction-based method by the experimental group. In other words, although classroom activities in the interaction-oriented method impose additional effort on learners, but its effectiveness is also greater in terms of supporting learners and interacting with the teacher through corrective Feedback negotiation.