Abstract:

In the postmodern world, the pace at which social changes occur is striking. It motivates people to look for new ways to adapt to the fast-changing environment. In order to avoid the confrontation with potential opponents, people might resort to new methods of exerting influence on actors they deal with. This may force them to use provocation as a means of assisting its users to make an implicit impact on others, without communicating their real targets.

Although, provocation may often be used with a view towards damaging the object, it has the potential to be used as a positive force. It can be an effective tool in teaching, as it can stimulate students to initiate projects in the field of education.

This research aims to determine the essence of the phenomenon of provocation as a tool to be used in society and examine the types of provocation: positive and negative. It will consider the role that provocation can play as a motivational strategy in the process of teaching, primarily at the tertiary level, in comparison to other motivational strategies commonly used in the classroom.

This paper examines how provocation can be utilised in education, as well as its possible advantages and drawbacks.

The paper concludes by analysing the cases of provocation usage in the field of education, as well as the effectiveness of this method in these particular situations.

Keywords:

Provocation, motivational strategies, teaching at tertiary level, teaching methodology, English language teaching.