Building on Zoltán Dörnyei’s authoritative work in the field of learner motivation, this book introduces a new conceptualization—Directed Motivational Currents (DMCs)—and sets out the defining aspects of what they are, what they are not, and how they are related to language learning motivation. Going beyond focused behavior in a single activity, DMCs concern intensive long-term motivation. The distinctive feature of the theory is that it views motivation not simply as a springboard for action but also as a uniquely self-renewing and sustainable process. It is this energizing capacity which distinguishes DMCs from almost every other motivational construct described in the research literature.

Motivational Currents in Language Learning offers new insights, valuable both to motivation researchers and classroom practitioners. The accessible style, along with plentiful illustrations and practical suggestions for promoting sustained learning, invite readers to think about motivation in a different way. Highly relevant for language teachers, teachers-in-training, teacher educators, and researchers in TESOL and applied linguistics, the book explains how the DMC construct can be integrated into course structures and teaching methodologies, and encourages teachers to try out novel methods for harnessing motivational power in classroom settings.

Building on Zoltán Dörnyei’s authoritative work in the field of learner motivation, this book introduces a new conceptualization—Directed Motivational Currents (DMCs)—and sets out the defining aspects of what they are, what they are not, and how they are related to language learning motivation. Going beyond focused behavior in a single activity, DMCs concern intensive long-term motivation. The distinctive feature of the theory is that it views motivation not simply as a springboard for action but also as a uniquely self-renewing and sustainable process. It is this energizing capacity which distinguishes DMCs from almost every other motivational construct described in the research literature.

Motivational Currents in Language Learning offers new insights, valuable both to motivation researchers and classroom practitioners. The accessible style, along with plentiful illustrations and practical suggestions for promoting sustained learning, invite readers to think about motivation in a different way. Highly relevant for language teachers, teachers-in-training, teacher educators, and researchers in TESOL and applied linguistics, the book explains how the DMC construct can be integrated into course structures and teaching methodologies, and encourages teachers to try out novel methods for harnessing motivational power in classroom settings.

Over the past decade, the focus of inquiry into the psychology of SLA has shifted from the analysis of various characteristics within individuals towards a greater consideration of individuals’ dynamic interactions with diverse contexts. This revisit of the bestselling The Psychology of the Language Learner reflects on these developments by challenging some of the assumptions upon which the original text was based, maintaining the familiar structure of the original, while situating the discussion within a very different theoretical framework.

Written in a lively, accessible style, the book considers how the field has evolved and maintains a keen eye on the future, suggesting exciting new directions for the psychology of SLA.The Psychology of the Language Learner Revisited will appeal to students and researchers in a wide range of disciplines, including applied linguistics, second language acquisition, modern languages, and psychology.

PRINCIPLED COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH HELBLING LANGUAGES

This landmark volume offers a collection of conceptual papers and data-based research studies that investigate the dynamics of language learning motivation from a complex dynamic systems perspective. The chapters seek to answer the question of how we can understand motivation if we perceive it as a continuously changing and evolving entity rather than a fixed learner trait.

Part of the highly-regarded Applied Linguistics in Action series, Teaching and Researching: Motivation, provides the most up-to-date coverage of the rapidly-changing field of motivation research and practice. The new edition takes into account the radical reframing of motivation since 2001 and offers a completely updated map of the field, encompassing recent advances, highlighting the current paradigmatic shift in thinking, and pointing forward to future developments and directions in research and practice.

• Offers an up-to-date summary of the latest developments in both applied linguistics and motivational psychology.
• Provides a theoretical summary of the various facets of motivation.
• Covers both theory and practice in a down-to-earth and accessible style.
• Includes concrete research guidelines and tips for both novice and experienced users.

 

Questionnaires in Second Language Research: Construction, Administration, and Processing is the first guide in the second language field devoted to the question of how to produce and use questionnaires as reliable and valid research instruments. It offers a thorough overview of the theory of questionnaire design, administration, and processing, made accessible by concrete, real-life second language research applications. This Second Edition features a new chapter on how an actual scientific instrument was developed using the theoretical guidelines in the book, and new sections on translating questionnaires and collecting survey data on the Internet. Researchers and students in second language studies, applied linguistics, and TESOL programs will find this book invaluable, and it can also be used as a textbook for courses in quantitative research methodology and survey research in linguistics, psychology, and education departments.

Dörnyei (psycholinguistics, U. of Nottingham, UK) and Ushioda (ELT and applied linguistics, U. of Warwick, UK) compile 18 articles on language learning motivation written by an international group of scholars of English, psychology, linguistics, education, and other fields. They particularly consider the role of motivation in the process of second language acquisition (L2) within the contexts of globalization and contemporary ideas of self and identity. The volume first describes the L2 Motivational Self System, then examines learners from different countries and levels of education within this context, as well as perspectives relating to the model that consider the development of a measurement scale to assess selves, the role of imaginative capacity and visual learning, how aspects of ethnolinguistic affiliation and identity are realized through the system, and alternatives to the model. Other chapters consider teacher motivation and development and connect the model to other major theoretical frameworks and constructs, such as activity and autonomy theories, and Bourdieuan habitus. The book is meant for teachers, researchers, undergraduates, and graduate students. Distributed in the US by UTP Distribution. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Research results over the past decades have consistently demonstrated that a key reason why many second language learners fail--while some learners do better with less effort--lies in various learner attributes such as personality traits, motivation, or language aptitude. In psychology, these attributes have traditionally been called 'individual differences.' The scope of individual learner differences is broad--ranging from creativity to learner styles and anxiety--yet there is no current, comprehensive, and unified volume that provides an overview of the considerable amount of research conducted on various language learner differences, until now.

Each chapter in this new volume focuses on a different individual difference variable. Besides a review of the relevant second language literature, Zoltán Dörnyei presents a concise overview of the psychological research involving each topic. A key concern for the author has been to define the various learner factors as measurable constructs and therefore the discussion includes a summary of the most famous tests and questionnaires in each domain.

A wide range of readers will benefit from this book--students in linguistics, applied linguistics, modern languages, and psychology programs; second language teachers participating in in-service training courses; and researchers in second language acquisition and psychology.

The study of 'group dynamics' is a vibrant academic field, overlapping diverse disciplines. It is also highly relevant to language education because the success of classroom learning is very much dependent on how students relate to each other, what the classroom climate is like, what roles the teacher and the learners play and, more generally, how well students can co-operate and communicate with each other. This innovative book addresses these issues and offers practical advice on how to manage language learner groups in a way that they develop into cohesive and productive teams.

This volume gives an overview of the theory of motivation and applies it to practical skills and strategies, providing new insights into the field of motivational studies and its implications for second-language pedagogy.