Abstract:

Limited research attention has been directed toward understanding how educators develop a learning environment that motivates students. This study proposes that the development of the supportive environment is influenced by students’ perception of the social and academic classroom environment. This study examined the influence of instructor practices on the development of supportive social and academic environment toward enhancing student motivation and sought to answer research questions that included strategies used by instructors to enhance a supportive environment. The second question addressed how effective the strategies studied were at enhancing student motivation. I used a quantitative analysis approach based on 47 studies, which were obtained from online databases using key terms and stringent inclusion criteria that ensured relevance, and quality. I analyzed the obtained data using the Kruskal–Wallis H test. I noted that key instructor practices that promote supportive social and academic environments include building and maintaining rapport and effectively managing the classroom; the former strategy was noted to significantly enhance student motivation (p = 0.01). Instructor practices (such as providing reasoned feedback), level of accessibility, and knowing students by name were observed to significantly determine their ability to build and maintain rapport (p = 0.002). Based on the findings of the study, instructors should focus on rapport building and maintaining strategies as a means of promoting supportive social and academic environment toward enhanced student motivation.

Keywords:

Motivation, Supportive environment, Social environment, Academic environment.