Demotivational Factors in Omani EFL Reading Texts: A Mixed-Methods Curriculum Evaluation

Reading comprehension is a foundational component of English language development; however, persistent motivational challenges have been reported in the Omani English Language Teaching (ELT) curriculum. This mixed-methods curriculum evaluation study investigated the manifestations and underlying causes of student and teacher demotivation toward reading comprehension texts in Grades 7, 10, and 11. The study involved 20 female students (five to seven from each grade) and nine Omani female English teachers from public schools in Muscat. Students were purposively selected to provide in-depth insights into their learning experiences. Quantitative data were gathered through an online survey administered to the nine teachers and analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages). Qualitative data were collected through grade-level focus group discussions and analyzed using thematic analysis, in addition to data obtained from the open-ended questions in the teacher survey. The findings revealed consistent patterns of demotivation across both data strands. For example, most participating teachers reported that reading texts lacked cultural relevance, while others indicated that text difficulty did not align with students’ proficiency levels. Thematic analysis of student data highlighted limited engagement, unfamiliar contexts, and insufficient instructional time as recurring concerns. The study concluded with pedagogical and curriculum-level recommendations aimed at enhancing cultural relevance, adjusting text difficulty, and strengthening instructional support to foster greater engagement and motivation in reading comprehension within the Omani ELT context.