Peer Teaching as a Tool to Enhance Learning Motivation and Learner Responsibility in Tertiary English Education: A Phenomenological Study

This academic study aims to clarify the diverse impacts of a peer interaction-based teaching style on the academic motivation and personal responsibility of third-year English majors. The study employs a rigorous phenomenological research approach within a comprehensive theoretical framework that integrates Self-Determination Theory with Transformative Learning Theory. This dual lens allows for a deep examination of how collaborative dynamics stimulate internal cognitive and behavioral transformations. The approach is exclusively qualitative, using stringent data gathering methods to guarantee depth and reliability. Primary data were obtained via extensive, in-depth interviews with a group of seven students, as well as continuous longitudinal observations of classroom engagement and attendance trends. The study employs systematic thematic analysis to methodically trace the growth of students’ subjective views and their functional roles within the educational context. Empirical findings demonstrate that the peer-interaction model effectively enhances internal motivation and promotes a greater feeling of responsibility. The results indicate a substantial transformation in student identity: participants moved from being passive recipients of information to active participants in the communal creation and sharing of intellectual discoveries. The model was determined to satiate three fundamental psychological nutrients: competence, autonomy, and relatedness, which subsequently stabilized the learners’ cognitive and affective engagement. This research concludes that training based on peer interaction is an essential pedagogical intervention. It delivers significant benefits for English language learning and presents a transformational framework for enhancing the educational atmosphere in modern higher education. By nurturing an interactive ecology, institutions may more effectively develop self-regulated scholars equipped for professional achievement.