Toward the Role of Language Teacher Confirmation and Stroke in EFL/ESL Students' Motivation and Academic Engagement: A Theoretical Review

Following the recent special issue in the journal of Frontiers in Psychology, named The Role of Teacher Interpersonal Variables in Students' Academic Engagement, Success, and Motivation, this review is carried out to describe two prime instances of teacher interpersonal behaviors, namely teacher confirmation and stroke, their underlying frameworks, and contributions to desirable student-related outcomes. In light of rhetorical-relational goal theory and the school of positive psychology, it is stipulated that language teacher confirmation and stroke are facilitators of EFL/ESL students' level of motivation and academic engagement. Providing empirical evidence, the argument regarding the pivotal role of language teacher confirmation and stroke in EFL/ESL contexts was proved. Reviewing the available literature on the aforementioned variables, some pedagogical implications were suggested for teacher trainers, educational supervisors, and pre- and in-service language teachers. Finally, the limitations and drawbacks of the reviewed studies were identified and some avenues for further research were recommended, accordingly.

Automated summary

This review discusses the significant role of teacher confirmation and stroke in students' academic engagement and motivation, providing pedagogical implications based on available literature while also highlighting the limitations of the reviewed studies and suggesting avenues for future research.