LINGUIST List 26.2323
Mon May 04 2015
Review: Applied Linguistics: Lasagabaster, Doiz, Sierra (2014)
Editor for this issue: Sara Couture <saralinguistlist.org>
Date: 18-Jan-2015
From: Asmaa Shehata <asm.shehata
gmail.com>
Subject: Motivation and Foreign Language Learning
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EDITOR: David Lasagabaster
EDITOR: Aintzane Doiz
EDITOR: Juan Manuel Sierra
TITLE: Motivation and Foreign Language Learning
SUBTITLE: From theory to practice
SERIES TITLE: Language Learning & Language Teaching 40
PUBLISHER: John Benjamins
YEAR: 2014
REVIEWER: Asmaa Shehata, University of Calgary
Review's Editor: Helen Aristar-Dry
SUMMARY
“Motivation and Foreign Language Learning: from theory to practice” is comprised of selected papers from the “international symposium” that was held in 2013 at the University of the Basque Country in Spain, the editors’ own papers and two invited collaborators’ papers. The volume contains two main parts (four chapters each), an introduction and an epilogue. The two-part collection addresses general topics within the framework of second language (L2) motivation research. These topics are intended for language educators, especially researchers, instructors and graduate students of second language acquisition. As indicated by the three editors, the main goal of this book is to not only present theoretical models of motivation research, but also to provide practical ideas to promote motivation in the language classroom.
In the introduction, Lasagabaster, Doiz and Sierra lay out the purpose and contents of the volume. According to the editors, theoretical contributions and practical data represent crucial elements in the study of motivation because they provide a clear picture of the relationship between motivation and language learning. The introductory chapter briefly outlines the contents of the volume explaining how they are thematically related. The chapter concludes with an assertion of the significance of exploring how motivation interacts with the three main components of the learning process, i.e., the teacher, the learners and the learning context.
Part One of this book comprises four articles on ‘Theoretical and practical insights into motivation’. In Chapter 1, entitled ‘Directed motivational current: energizing language learning through creating intense motivational pathways’, Zoltan Dörnye, Christine Muir, and Zana Ibrahim introduce the novel concept of Directed Motivational Current (DMC), which is described as an intense motivational tool that can sustain learners’ long-term objectives, such as learning a second or foreign language. This new concept integrates various motivational strands, such as Dynamic System Theories, L2 Motivational Self System and Future Time Perspective, into a detailed framework that is not intended to replace any motivational practices teacher use. Rather, it serves as a stimulating tool that motivates students’ learning in language classrooms. Finally, the article also presents broad levels of application of the DMC framework: lesson level, term level and course level.
In Chapter 2, ‘Motivation, autonomy and metacognition: exploring their interactions’, Ema Ushioda examines the motivational processes in L2 learning. In spite of the significant role of both short-term and long-term personal goals, the author states that they are not sufficient in themselves to sustain learners’ engagement with day-to-day demands of language learning due to the increasing challenges in cognitive and linguistic complexity. In this regard, Ushioda explores how teachers handle the relationship between motivation and metacognition to help learners develop their strategic thinking skills and consequently overcome cognitive and linguistic challenges they face in L2 learning.
Chapter 3, ‘Motivation teachers and learners as researchers’, written by Do Coyle, discusses how involving both teachers and learners in researching motivation can result in enhancing the language learning process. The author argues that the positive impact of the suggested inclusive approach can be explained by the shared understandings and responsibility for practical research into teaching and learning practices. After reviewing the factors that contribute to successful learning, the article outlines an approach to understanding how to sustain learners’ motivation, learning-oriented critical incident technique (LOCIT), reports studies’ findings in which different foreign languages, not including English, are used as a medium of instruction and finally suggests a direction for future research.
Chapter 4, ‘Motivating language teachers: inspiring vision’, contributed by Magdalena Kubanyiova considers ways in which teachers can reflect on less explored teaching practices. The article discusses the theoretical background of this issue, briefly surveys the tasks of language teacher education and the development of the language teachers’ vision, and finally portrays three main processes that support them in crafting their vision.
In Part Two, under the theme of ‘Studies on motivation in foreign language classrooms’, Chapter 5, entitled ‘Swedish students’ beliefs about learning English in and outside of school’, Alastair Henry presents an empirical study that investigates young Swedish students’ experience with the English language in and outside school environments where class observations, interviews and questionnaires are used. The results show that students believe that they learn as much, if not more, English outside of the school setting. These findings suggest that outside school English tasks are more meaningful for language learners than formal education that students find to be less challenging. This can passively influence students’ class motivation and enthusiasm to attend English language classes. Finally, the chapter concludes by describing the implications of the study’s findings for future research.
Chapter 6, ‘Giving voice to the students: what (de)motivates them in CLIL classes?’, contributed by Aintane Doiz, David Lasagabaster and Juan Manuel Sierra, includes the second empirical study in the volume that provides evidence for the beneficial effects of the content and language integrated learning (CLIL) classes on learners’ motivation. The study compares the CLIL experience for both first and third year of secondary school students. The findings show that the advantages of the CLIL technique outweigh its disadvantages. The chapter finally concludes by thoroughly sketching out implications and challenges for CLIL programs that can help teachers enhance their students’ motivations.
Chapter 7, ‘Motivation meets bilingual models: goals-oriented behavior in the CLIL classroom’, written by Francisco Lorenzo, is primarily concerned with the reasons behind the efficiency of the CLIL programs as opposed to their foreign language teaching counterparts. After briefly reviewing motivation within the framework of second language acquisition, the author discusses the rationale and the methodological components of the CLIL teaching, and finally presents examples of CLIL activities in some detail.
Chapter 8, ‘Visible learning and visible motivation: exploring challenging goals and feedback in language education’, is written by Vera Busse. The chapter surveys previous studies investigating the impact of two significant elements on learners’ motivation: setting challenging short-term goals and giving constructive feedback. In addition, the author presents a longitudinal study that examines the reasons behind the decrease of the intrinsic motivation of first year German students at two UK universities. The findings indicate that learners’ self-efficacy beliefs significantly influence their intrinsic motivation. While learners start the German language courses with an idealized L2 self conception, their motivation to learn the language gradually decreases over time, which results in a decline in their language proficiency, and this negatively affects their motivation. Finally, the author introduces general guiding questions that are intended to help teachers investigate learners’ possible motivational troubles and thus enhance their acquisition of a novel language.
The final chapter, the Epilogue entitled ‘Motivation connections between theory and practice’, written by Aintane Doiz, David Lasagabaster and Juan Manuel Sierra, is predominantly concerned with bridging the gap between theory and practice. To this end, the authors propose using the Directed Motivational Current described in the first chapter of this volume as a framework to connect theoretical aspects of motivation to practical classroom data. The authors also review data available from different teaching approaches and various educational settings in order to reach a pure understanding of the role of motivation in L2 learning.
EVALUATION
Although there is a large body of work on motivation and its role in language acquisition, the editors of this volume offer a novel, detailed, and informed analysis in describing this growing research area.
This volume is a valuable contribution to the field for several reasons. Firstly, and most notably, it investigates how motivation interacts with three different dimensions of language instruction: the teachers, the learners and the learning context. It is, therefore, a unique attempt to analyze theoretical models of motivation and provide practical paths that can be followed to strengthen learners’ motivation for learning and accordingly improve their L2 learning. Secondly, unlike other publications, the articles in this collection do not only focus on English but they extend their scope to cover other languages such as Gaelic, French, and German. Thirdly, the volume does not only comprise some innovative ideas regarding language learning motivation, it briefly underlines the relationship between motivation and different approaches to foreign language, e.g. English as a foreign language (EFL), and content and language integrated learning (CLIL).
This work efficiently introduces the reader to a rich area of research. Topics probably new to those less well-versed in language instruction are clearly presented. With regard to style and readability, a few points should be underscored. Some chapters (e.g., Chapter 6) suffer from unnecessary details that are either repeated in another chapter or are irrelevant to the main theme of the chapter.
A second issue is that some chapters include empirical studies whose procedural details are missing. For example, in Chapter 3, the author has shared the findings of two studies in which language learners co-research their own learning with their teachers. Although this is a topic that may draw the attention of numerous researchers, no descriptions for the studies’ procedures are included. The idea of engaging both teachers and learners in exploring class practices presents a challenge and such information seems crucial in order to inform readers how to implement this type of research. Finally, it is recommended a glossary of key terms be included at the end of the book in future editions.
Overall, this book provides a solid overview of current research on motivation. It is a valuable source that teachers, researchers and educators can consult for previous and current studies and directions for future research in the field.
REFERENCES
Chaffe, K. E., Noels, K., and Sugita, McEown. (2014). Learning from authoritarian teachers: Controlling the situation or controlling yourself can sustain motivation. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 4(2), 355-387.
Ryan, S., and Dörnyei, Z. (2013). The long-term evolution of language motivation and the L2 self. In A. Berndt (Ed.), Fremdsprachen in der Perspektive lebenslangen Lernens [Foreign languages from the perspective of lifelong learning] (pp. 89-100).
Taylor, L. and Parsons, J. (2011). Improving Student Engagement. Current Issues in Education,14(1).
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Asmaa Shehata is a faculty at the University of Calgary. Her main research interests are phonology and written language
Page Updated: 04-May-2015