31.1737, Review: Applied Linguistics: Al-Hoorie, MacIntyre (2019)
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LINGUIST List: Vol-31-1737. Fri May 22 2020. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.
Subject: 31.1737, Review: Applied Linguistics: Al-Hoorie, MacIntyre (2019)
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Date: Fri, 22 May 2020 23:15:40
From: Jelena Vuksanovic [jvuksano at gmail.com]
Subject: Contemporary Language Motivation Theory
Discuss this message:
http://linguistlist.org/pubs/reviews/get-review.cfm?subid=36597017
Book announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/30/30-4753.html
EDITOR: Ali H. Al-Hoorie
EDITOR: Peter D. MacIntyre
TITLE: Contemporary Language Motivation Theory
SUBTITLE: 60 Years Since Gardner and Lambert (1959)
SERIES TITLE: Psychology of Language Learning and Teaching
PUBLISHER: Multilingual Matters
YEAR: 2019
REVIEWER: Jelena Vuksanovic, University of Houston
SUMMARY
The foreword is written by Zoltan Dornyei, a renowned researcher in the field
of language learning motivation who ‘grew up’ on Robert Gardner’s work.
Following that, the editors provide a quick overview of the significant ways
Gardner’s work impacted the field and also include a note on the review
process. Finally, Robert Gardner himself dedicates in total eight pages in the
chapter titled “Looking Back and Looking Forward” to the overview of his and
colleagues’ research, which examined the role of attitudes and motivation in
second language acquisition (SLA).
Chapter 1: Extending Gardner’s Socio-Educational Model to Learner Well-Being:
Research Propositions Linking Integrative Motivation and the PERMA Framework,
by Tammy Gregersen, Peter D. MacIntyre, and Jessica Ross
The first chapter of Part 1: Second Language development/Applied Linguistics
examines the relationship between positive psychology and Gardner’s
socio-educational model. The authors incorporate a theory from positive
psychology, which has recently reached the SLA field and connect it to
Gardner’s integrative motivation. An overview is provided of Seligman’s PERMA
(positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, accomplishments)
framework of well-being. This is followed by a discussion on specific shared
attributes between PERMA and integrative motivation, and explicit connections
are made between the three concepts of integrative motivation
(integrativeness, attitudes toward the learning situation, motivation) and
PERMA. The authors end the chapter by examining three research propositions.
Chapter 2: Teachers’ and Learners’ Motivation in Multilingual Classrooms, by
Merce Bernaus
The second chapter aims to make a connection between language classroom
motivation and Gardner’s conceptualization of motivation as described in the
socio-educational model. While the author provides a short discussion on
learners’ motivation and attitudes toward languages in multilingual education
in Catalonia and the Basque Country, the primary focus of the chapter is on
the interplay between teachers’ affective characteristics and students’
motivation. The author also examines teachers’ use of strategies and the
effect on learners’ attitudes and motivation.
Chapter 3: The Emotional Underpinnings of Gardner’s Attitudes and Motivation
Test Battery, by Peter D. MacIntyre, Jean-Marc Dewaele, Nicole Macmillan, and
Chengchen Li
The third chapter examines the connection between attitudes and emotions as
contributors to motivated behavior. Using two empirical studies, the authors
provide a rich discussion on the affective dimensions of the socio-educational
model and the Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB). The AMTB is compared in
many respects to a measure of positive and negative emotions called PANAS.
Results of the two studies show that multiple connections exist between the
emotions measured by the PANAS and the constructs in the socio-educational
model. A significant result is that integrative motivation is supported by
positive emotions, not only attitudes. The chapter is concluded with
pedagogical implications indicting that fostering positive emotions in the
classroom can reduce learners’ negative emotions.
Chapter 4: Perezhivanie: The Cognitive-Emotional Dialectic within the Social
Situation of Development, by James P. Lantolf and Merrill Swain
The fourth chapter, while not explicitly focusing on Gardner’s research, also
addresses affective dimensions of motivation by providing a discussion on
Vygotsky’s concept of perezhivanie, or lived experiences, in L2 development
and L2 teacher development. The authors examine existing literature that draws
on Vygotsky’s theory of emotion and provides a discussion on how his theory
informs language instruction.
Chapter 5: Identity, Adaptation and Social Harmony: A Legacy of the
Socio-Educational Model, by Sarah Rubenfeld and Richard Celement
The fifth chapter introduces the second part of the book “Social
Psychology/Sociology” and provides a summary of much of Gardner’s research.
The chapter firstly provides an overview of research that has focused the
social aspect of L2 development. Secondly, the chapter discusses implications
of such research in language learning beyond the classroom. The authors
exemplify that the chapter’s contribution is to the continuation of Gardner’s
program on non-linguistic aspects of L2 development.
Chapter 6: What’s in a Name? Motivations for Baby-Naming in Multicultural
Contexts, by Jorida Cila and Richard N. Lalonde
The sixth chapter focuses on motivational factors that relate to acculturation
and identity formation by examining baby-naming using Gardner and Lambert’s
framework of second language acquisition. Specifically, integrative and
instrumental motives are examined in choosing baby names among bicultural
individuals in Canada.
Chapter 7: Motivation, Identity and Investment: A Journey with Robert Gardner,
by Bonny Norton
Chapter 7 also addresses the social aspect of the Gardner’s socio-educational
model. The author’s focus is on motivation and identity. A brief description
of Gardner, his research, and the SE model is given before moving into a
deeper discussion on the notions of investment and power and motivation in and
outside of the classroom.
Chapter 8: Snapshots in Time: Time in Gardner’s Theory and Gardner’s Theory
across Time, by Rebecca L. Oxford
The 8th chapter introduces Part 3 of the book, “Historical/Methodological
Issues.” This chapter focuses on the theme of time as related to Gardner’s
examination of time in the motivation process. The author uses seven snapshots
to tell a story of the SE model. The first snapshot reviews Gardner’s use of
terminology. The second, third, and fourth snapshots focus on the individual
learner’s affect and cognition, while the fifth and sixth snapshots focus on
the broader ‘macro-perspective’ context. Finally, the seventh snapshot takes
on a more personal perspective as the author examines the use of the SE model
in her experience as a teacher educator.
Chapter 9: Researching L2 Motivation: Re-evaluating the Role of Qualitative
Inquiry, or the ‘Wine and Conversation’ Approach, by Ema Ushioda.
Chapter 9 evaluates the role of qualitative inquiry in the L2 motivation
field. The author examines this through the historical context by reevaluating
her own research journey which started three decades ago and was influenced by
the work of Robert Gardner and associates.
Chapter 10: Quantitative Methods in Second Language Learning Motivation
Research: Gardner’s Contributions and Some New Developments, by Paul F.
Tremblay
Chapter 10 examines quantitative methods in L2 motivation research, giving
specific focus to structural equation modeling used to test the SE model in
various language contexts. The author focuses on Gardner’s contribution to
quantitative methods and the impact this has had on Gardner’s research and the
field in general. Lastly, the author discusses a newer statistical procedure
(e.g., multilevel modeling and latent profile analysis) from which the future
L2 motivation research could benefit.
Chapter 11: Identification with External and Internal Referents:
Integrativeness and the Ideal L2 Self, by Jennifer Claro
This chapter addresses a claim made by Dornyei that integrativeness, the
central component of the SE model, should be replaced by the ideal L2 self, a
conceptualization of one’s idealized model of oneself as a language learner.
The author makes arguments—using statistical data and previous research—as to
why the ideal L2 self cannot place integrativeness and illustrates the
advantages and disadvantages of Dornyei and Csizer’s version of
integrativeness (e.g., Integrativeness D&C). Finally, the author presents a
model of identification that incorporates aspects of both the ideal L2 self
and integrativeness as a way to move forward and incorporate the value of both
integrativeness and the ideal L2 self.
Chapter 12: History, Philosophy and the Social Psychology of Language, by
John Edwards
The 12th chapter focuses on the historical and philosophical context in the
broader sense of situating social psychology within that context. Focus is
placed on concepts of belief, attitude, and value as the author addresses the
role Gardner and colleagues had on placing social psychology of language as a
vital element in the research of identity.
Chapter 13: Motivation: It is a Relational System, by Phil Hiver and Dianne
Larsen-Freeman
The authors of this chapter provide a theoretical contribution of this
anthology via the lens of complex dynamic systems theory (CDST). The authors
creatively accomplish this by citing the book’s contributors and respective
chapters that allude to the principles of CDST. The chapter is concluded by
examining how CDST could contribute to the future L2 motivation research.
Chapter 14: How Robert C. Gardner’s Pioneering Social-Psychological Research
Raised New Applied Questions about Second Language Acquisition, by Elaine K.
Horwitz
The final chapter examines Gardner’s contributions from the viewpoint of
second language acquisition research. The author explores various SLA research
questions arising as a result of Gardner’s research. The author also examines
how Gardner’s research has impacted language teachers in finding out why
students were motivated and how to motivate them if they were not.
EVALUATION
The examined anthology achieved what it set out to do: provide relevant
research that was influenced by the works (spanning 60 years) of Robert
Gardner and colleagues. The significance of Gardner’s research on applied
linguistics and SLA is undeniable. The contributors to this text successfully
combine their respective views of Gardner’s contribution to L2 motivation
research to create a book that effectively takes a step in moving the field
forward. Possibly the biggest merit of this edited book is the collection of
works by renowned researchers in the field who bring different perspectives
into the light. All of the chapters in some respect – directly or indirectly –
connect to Robert Gardner or his research. While most of the chapters clearly
make a connection to Robert Gardner and his research, some fail to do so and
the reader is left wondering about the place of that chapter in this
anthology. The topics are vast—from positive psychology and emotions to
motivations for baby-naming to methodologies (of past, present, and future) in
the field. It can be said that the book has a little bit of everything to keep
the reader engaged. More importantly, many of the topics explored with regard
to L2 motivation are considered significant as evident by the newly introduced
empirical research that explores topics such as positive psychology and
emotions, and identity, and examines their relationship to L2 motivation. The
inclusion of complex dynamic systems theory (CDST), and its tenets, is yet
another testament of the vision of the book. A theoretical perspective such as
this one has the potential to really move the research forward, and as noted
in the book by MacIntyre et al. (2015) “adopting complex, dynamic system
principles…cannot remain optional” (p. 421).
The book is quite theoretical (as the name suggests) and dense, and while the
classroom teacher might find it beneficial – and interesting–, the theoretical
language in some respects lacks practical applications. On the other hand,
this is a book that would be quite beneficial to any graduate student
interested in L2 motivation research; however, it is tailored more toward
those who are experienced with the existing literature because the chapters do
not provide an extensive history of the research on language motivation, but
they do provide a solid foundation that any student interested in the topic
should have. The field of L2 motivation keeps growing with new theories and
paradigms. Fortunately, the book provides new research avenues to explore,
including a focus on different theories and methodological approaches that
researchers could adapt. This book is highly recommended for anyone interested
in learning more about Robert Gardner himself and his personal relationship
with some of the renowned authors in this book as well as the significant ways
Gardner has made an impact in their personal and professional lives. It is my
opinion that this book has the potential to push the field of language
learning motivation forward.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Jelena Vuksanovic is a lecturer at the University of Houston with an interest
in applied linguistics and TESOL. Her primary area of focus is on the
relationship between language learning motivation and the emotional aspects of
personality.
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