26.2323, Review: Applied Linguistics: Lasagabaster, Doiz, Sierra (2014)

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LINGUIST List: Vol-26-2323. Mon May 04 2015. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 26.2323, Review: Applied Linguistics: Lasagabaster, Doiz, Sierra (2014)

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Date: Mon, 04 May 2015 14:24:18
From: Asmaa Shehata [asm.shehata at gmail.com]
Subject: Motivation and Foreign Language Learning

 
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Book announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/25/25-3206.html

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





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