The New Development of L2 Motivation Theory

Yang+Huirong

【Abstract】In a series of articles D?rnyei and his colleagues （D?rnyei， Ibrahim， & Muir， 2015； D?rnyei， Muir， & Ibrahim， 2014； Muir & D?rnyei， 2013） describe the phenomenon of a period of intense and enduring motivation in pursuit of a highly desired personal goal or vision. These surges of motivational energy， which they call Directed Motivational Currents （DMCs）， uniquely differ from other types of highly motivated behavior. The current article focuses on the description of core features and theoretical underpinnings of DMCs， and the significance for L2 learning and teaching， the implications for practice as well.

【Key words】Directed Motivational Currents （DMCs）； features； L2 learning and teaching

【摘要】二语动机研究著名学者D?rnyei和他的同事在系列文章中（D?rnyei， Ibrahim， & Muir， 2015； D?rnyei， Muir， & Ibrahim， 2014； Muir & D?rnyei， 2013）提出新的二語学习动机理论—定向动机流。它指的是在一个特殊的阶段，个人或群体为了实现某个特定的目标表现出稳定而高强度的动机状态。本文旨在阐述定向动机流的定义，构成维度以及对二语学习和教学的意义和启示。

【关键词】定向动机流 维度 二语学习 二语教学

Ⅰ. Introduction

Motivation is one of the most important factor which directly contributes to the success in L2 learning and teaching. The motivation theory develops from 1950s and by now it has gone through several stages， with the beginning of social-psychological model and then cognitive-situational model， process- oriented model， self- system model and social dynamics model. As time goes on， motivation theory becomes more and more complex and rich. D?rnyei and his colleagues （D?rnyei， Ibrahim， & Muir， 2016； D?rnyei， Muir， & Ibrahim， 2014； Muir & D?rnyei， 2013） have recently identified a particular motivation theory—Directed Motivational Currents， which inherits and develops former theories. It is of great importance to know the definition， construct of DMCs and its significance for L2 learning and teaching.

Ⅱ. Definition of DMCs

D?rnyei and his team （2015） defined it as “periods of intense and enduring motivation in pursuit of a particular goal or vision”， and these goal-oriented surges of motivational energy are called Directed Motivational Currents （DMCs）， which differ from other experiences of intense motivation in that individual learning activities form integrated parts of a superordinate （and therefore complex） motivational superstructure. Once set in motion， this structure assumes a life of its own， propelling the individual in the direction of a goal or vision， not unlike a current that transports various life forms and objects that enter its flow. Two features in particular， the directedness of a DMC （i.e.， the presence of an end-term goal or higher order vision to which the individual aspires） and the enduringness of self-propelling motivational processes. （Davydenko 2015）

Ⅲ. Construct of DMCs

The construct of DMCs is grand and the meaning is richer， which is based on Psychology， Geography， Pedagogy and former related motivation theories. The constructs core components are： goal/vision orientedness， participant ownership， a salient facilitative structure， and positive emotionality.

1. goal/vision orientedness

The first distinguishing characteristic of a DMC is the permanent presence of a clearly defined superordinate goal， target， or outcome： becoming the proficient TL speaker/user one aspires to be. Therefore， goal/vision orientedness is the precondition and main feature of DMCs. Actually， vision is a rudiment that derives from L2 Motivation Self System. It is similar to “ideal L2 self”. Whats more， it is the extension of Goal-Setting Theory （Locke and Latham 1990）. A DMC involves three key extensions to goal-setting theory—the constructs of vision， self-concordant goals， and proximal subgoals—that， together， offer a theoretical account of the intense and purposefully directed aspect of directed motivational currents.

2. Participant ownership

It refers to learners cognition. In other words， learners clearly know their own goals and can control their process， also feel their progress constantly. This is the necessary condition of DMCs. （Chang haichao 2016） In theory of planned behavior （Ajzen 1988） it is called “perceived behavioral control”。

3. A salient facilitative structure

The third distinguishing characteristic of a DMC is its structure. Functioning as a perceptual route map， the DMCs structure lays out the path toward and way stages en route to the accomplishment of the goal. （Davydenko 2015） It includes a facilitative element that provides opportunities for progress checks that serve to maintain the momentum of the current. It is for this reason that D?rnyei and colleagues describe DMCs as self-propelling. Importantly， it is in this sense that DMCs can be distinguished from other motivational concepts lacking an integrated behavioural dimension—the motivational pathway that directs action toward the accomplishment of the task forms an integral part of the construct.

4. Positive Emotionality

The final defining characteristic of a DMC is the enjoyment experienced carrying out activities recognized as transporting the individual closer to their goal. Because in a DMC goals are strongly linked to identities and to a sense of actualizing ones potential， learning and accomplishment can be understood as generating experiences of intense personal pleasure， satisfaction， and fulfillment . Such emotions involve experiences of eudaimonic well-being （Waterman， 2008）. In a DMC， eudaimonic experiences have a reciprocal effect. Like the DMCs facilitative structure， they contribute to the creation of an energy stream that becomes self-propelling.

Ⅳ. Significance for L2 learning

Although in their initial work D?rnyei and his colleagues （D?rnyei et al.， 2014； D?rnyei， Ibrahim， & Muir， 2016； Muir & D?rnyei， 2013） presented a theoretical construct likely to be recognizable to both teachers and researchers without any specific empirical data to corroborate the validity of the proposed theory， it still has great contribution to L2 learning.

First of all， it sets a really new framework for L2 learning motivation from a whole-person perspective， which can be seen clearly in the construct of DMC concerning vision/goal， cognition， emotion and behavior， while the former motivation theories do not contain all of these four aspects.

Besides， it confirms further that L2 learning motivation is multiple-dimensioned， interdisciplinary and multi-layered.

Ⅴ. Implications for L2 teaching

The novel framework of DMCs emphasizes whole-person language learning. Therefore， we can apply it to our daily language teaching in the classroom by following steps.

At the beginning of the lesson， teachers should help students to set learning goals or visions to trigger their motivations. But here are three principles to follow： first， the goals should be challenging； then， the degree should be proper， that is， never too high nor too low； finally， the combination of short-term goal and long-term vision. At the same time， teachers ought to set their own visions， because they can be contagious to students learning and vision unconsciously. （D?rnyei& Kubanyiova 2014： 3）

During the lesson， to increase students feeling of participant ownership is vital in the whole process of learning and teaching. Teachers are providers and moderators whose responsibility is helping students be the owner of themselves， cultivating their learning strategies and increasing their self- efficacy. In addition， teachers had better give positive feedbacks for fear that students lose heart.

With regard to the design of teaching activities， teachers should take students emotional factors into consideration， such as values， likes and experiences etc.

Ⅵ. Conclusion

To the best of our knowledge， the phenomenon of a sustained， goal-directed motivational process has not previously been theorised or explored in mainstream motivational psychology paradigms， let alone in SLA. Therefore， the notion of Directed Motivational Currents offers a novel and potentially far-reaching theoretical construct. Although the proposal lacks empirical grounding， its a good opportunity for us to do some researches to confirm the validity of DMCs.

References：

[1]D?rnyei，Z.，Henry，A.，& Muir，C.（2016）.Motivational currents in language learning： Frameworks for focused interventions.New York： Routledge.

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[3]D?rnyei，Z.& E.Ushioda.2014.Teaching and Researching Motivation[M].London： Routledge.

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[6]D?rnyei，Z.（2009）.The L2 motivational self system.In Z.D?rnyei & E.Ushioda（Eds.），Motivation，language identity and the L2 self（pp.9–42）.Bristol，UK：Multilingual Matters.

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