32.2218, Review: Applied Linguistics: Muir (2020)

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-32-2218. Wed Jun 30 2021. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 32.2218, Review: Applied Linguistics: Muir (2020)

Moderator: Malgorzata E. Cavar (linguist at linguistlist.org)
Student Moderator: Jeremy Coburn, Lauren Perkins
Managing Editor: Becca Morris
Team: Helen Aristar-Dry, Everett Green, Sarah Robinson, Nils Hjortnaes, Joshua Sims, Billy Dickson
Jobs: jobs at linguistlist.org | Conferences: callconf at linguistlist.org | Pubs: pubs at linguistlist.org

Homepage: http://linguistlist.org

Please support the LL editors and operation with a donation at:
           https://funddrive.linguistlist.org/donate/

Editor for this issue: Jeremy Coburn <jecoburn at linguistlist.org>
================================================================


Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2021 12:33:10
From: Alfaf Albakistani [alfafalpa at gmail.com]
Subject: Directed Motivational Currents and Language Education

 
Discuss this message:
http://linguistlist.org/pubs/reviews/get-review.cfm?subid=36664437


Book announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/31/31-2914.html

AUTHOR: Christine  Muir
TITLE: Directed Motivational Currents and Language Education
SUBTITLE: Exploring Implications for Pedagogy
SERIES TITLE: Psychology of Language Learning and Teaching
PUBLISHER: Multilingual Matters
YEAR: 2020

REVIEWER: Alfaf Albakistani, Birkbeck, University of London, UK

SUMMARY

A directed motivational current (DMC) is “a surge of motivational energy that
seemingly picks individuals up and carries them sometimes unimaginable
distances” (Muir, 2020, p. xvi). DMC describes “the optimal form of engagement
with an extended project” (Dörnyei, Henry, Muir, 2016, p. 33). This type of
motivation facilitates aiming for high-level goals and leads to positive,
long-term engagement with a project to achieve a specific outcome. Although
this kind of prolonged and extensive motivation can be identified instantly,
it has only recently attracted attention in the field of applied linguistics.
Empirical research has evaluated the key theoretical foundations and has
provided significant clarification of the conceptual premise of DMC. However,
too little attention has been paid to investigating DMC regarding research
methodology, practical applications, and pedagogical implications in
language-learning contexts. “Directed Motivational Currents and Language
Education: Exploring Implications for Pedagogy”, by Christine Muir, addresses
these issues and advances the theoretical and practical knowledge of DMC
research. 

The book investigates the theoretical basis of individuals’ intense
motivational experiences by reporting on two international studies, the aims
of which were to explore these novel lines of inquiry. It asks how learners
can preserve DMCs for a lengthy period, and how they can report their
experiences of motivation when they are stimulated by personal goals. The book
examines the wider relevance of DMCs to second language (L2) learners’
experiences and pedagogical applications globally, to enable practical
applications of DMC in instructional contexts. By addressing these issues,
this book lays the foundations for further research on DMCs. 

This book provides pioneering theories and research concerning L2 learners’
motivations, as well as coverage of the empirical research investigating DMCs
within language-learning contexts. It also considers the pedagogical
implications of these studies within the DMC framework and assesses the
possibility of designing and implementing a project with DMC potential to
facilitate group DMC for learners in L2 learning contexts. 

This work provides new insights into ways in which these motivational surges
could be exploited to promote learning in L2 educational contexts. By showing
evidence of its practical applications in L2 classrooms, the outcomes
contribute to this growing area of research into the potential benefits of
DMCs in the development of language learning. Concerning the evolving area of
L2-learner psychology, this book proposes that DMC is an intricate yet
prevalent phenomenon among teachers and students. 
 
The book is divided into four sections: an introduction to the key DMC
concepts and the theoretical arguments (Part 1), an exploration of DMC via the
international questionnaire study (Part 2), the presentation of empirical
research results triggering learners’ DMC in language-learning contexts (Part
3), and a conclusion based on the findings to determine the future of DMC
research (Part 4). Each part and chapter concludes with a summary of the key
points. 
 
Part 1 presents an overview and establishes the foundations of the research
and outcomes presented throughout the book. 

Chapter 1 places DMC within the broader framework of L2 motivation and second
language acquisition (SLA) research. Instead of providing a complete review of
how L2 motivation research has developed historically, Muir focuses on the
main current perspectives. She provides a detailed overview of the adoption of
complex dynamic system theory and how it has influenced methodologies in SLA
and L2 motivation research. Muir discusses its implications for the
reformulation of L2 motivation-related concepts regarding the self by
reviewing research on possible selves, the L2 motivational self-system
(Dörnyei, 2005, 2009b), and vision theory. She then provides a brief outline
of key constructs and findings relevant to language learners’ self-concepts,
emotions, and various areas related to group-level investigation (motivation,
agency, affect, and flow). Chapter 1 concludes by tracking the emergence of
DMCs and emphasising their broader significance in terms of comprehending the
development of motivation over longer periods. 

Chapter 2 expands the understanding of the entire experience of DMCs by
considering several deep-rooted theories, principles, and ideas. It contains
an overview of the theoretical underpinnings of the DMC framework and
summarises its five outstanding characteristics: goal or vision orientation,
launch, facilitative structure, positive emotional loading, and how DMCs lose
impetus. 

In Chapter 3, Muir introduces the concept of group DMCs and explores intensive
group projects with DMC potential, emphasizing practical applications of DMC
for the L2 classroom. As DMCs can occur immediately as a result of classroom
events on some occasions, L2 learning can be designed in a way that allows a
DMC experience to emerge for an entire group of learners in a classroom. For a
better understanding of DMCs in an instructed L2 context, investigating group
DMCs is helpful because L2 learning and teaching mainly take place in groups.
Learner engagement in intensive group projects leads to the emergence of group
DMCs due to the correspondence between the key components of DMCs and
well-designed projects that include a focus on engaging goals and clearly
defined structures. 

Muir discusses how projects are related to group DMCs. Despite the long
history of projects in the educational sector, recent renewed interest has
heightened the need for research and publications focusing on a clear
understanding of project design, introduction, and management. The book
discusses and criticises the projects thoroughly; the author highlights key
criticisms and stresses the need to revisit projects. In support, Muir
highlights current teaching approaches, such as communicative language
teaching and task-based language teaching, and examines their shared
foundations and relationships to projects. She calls for further
investigation, arguing that DMC theory provides a better understanding of
longstanding motivational processes that contribute to effective project
design and implementation. Muir summarises part 1 by initiating a discussion
of the potential of DMCs for future research. 

Part 2 presents data from the first international study investigating the
wider recognisability and relevance of DMCs, asking whether they are equally
recognisable globally, as well as whether empirical evidence can provide
support for the argument that DMCs are universally related to human
experience. 

Chapter 4 describes the development and piloting of the DMC Disposition
questionnaire, then explains the procedure and the data analysis approach. The
main aim of the questionnaire was to explore the broader recognisability and
relevance of DMCs, whereas secondary aims were to validate the DMC concept to
establish a single multi-item DMC scale and to develop a questionnaire that
could be used as a foundation for future research. 

Chapter 5 provides the main quantitative results. It explores the extent to
which participants’ experiences of DMCs are balanced in terms of gender
distribution, age, and nationality, and addresses issues related to the way
DMCs are commonly experienced by participants. Muir addresses analysis-related
issues, in which a DMC group should be isolated from other participants to
ensure that the DMC group includes only participants who reported genuine DMC
experiences. The author then discusses the process of creating a composite DMC
Disposition Scale consisting of Likert-scale items, and investigates
variations in the answers of the DMC group and other subgroups by examining
the length of the reported period of their experiences and their demographic
information. The chapter concludes by outlining the outcomes of the research
questions, elaborating how the participants experienced DMCs in the
language-learning context. Based on the demographic data, the findings
demonstrate that DMCs, as a motivational phenomenon, are broadly recognisable
and experienced globally by individuals regardless of their gender, age, or
nationality. 

Chapter 6 discusses findings collected from the qualitative data to answer two
questions. The first concerns commonly reported triggers of DMC experiences
and associated reasons, while the second investigates the reasons for or
against wanting to repeat DMC experiences. The outcomes contribute greatly to
our understanding of the frequent DMC triggers previewed in the literature.
This accords with outcomes from the quantitative data, furthering our
understanding of the varieties of triggers commonly linked to the natural
emergence of DMCs, leading to the investigation of new areas regarding
possible negative aspects of DMC experiences. 
 
The summary of Part 2 reflects the overall outcomes and discusses the
limitations of the research. 

Part 3 focuses on the pedagogical implications of DMC theory by presenting the
second international study. The study questions the possibilities for
designing and implementing a project that can meaningfully facilitate DMC
emergence in a group of L2 learners within the classroom context. The
pedagogical implications for teachers suggest that DMCs assist learners to
experience learning with greater engagement and to achieve goals effortlessly.
Conversely, for learners, the DMC project is a vital aspect of successful
learning and goal attainment, as learning a language is a prolonged process.

Chapter 7 provides an overview of the methodology and describes the school
context, including participants, project design, procedures, data collection
instruments, the approach used for analysis, and in-depth interpretations of
the findings. The study recruited 16 English-language learners aged between 19
and 40 who studied at a large English-language school in an Australian
university, and two experienced language teachers. The data were collected
from teachers and students using personal diaries and Skype interviews to
capture and record any evidence of group DMC emerging. 

Chapter 8 discusses the findings for the main research question and explores
whether the intensive group project with DMC potential caused the emergence of
group DMC within a five-week course. This study provides novel evidence that
group DMC can be facilitated intentionally as a result of specific project
implementations in L2 learning contexts. The data proved that the project had
a robust influence on the emergence of group DMC. The chapter also discusses
student perceptions of the project regarding perceived language and skill
development, and the facilitative factors that impacted on student perceptions
of DMC. 
 
Chapter 9 discusses the experiences gained from the study. It examines how the
project components were perceived, and considers how the design led to the
success of the entire project and how this could be improved in future
research.
 
The summary of Part 3 revisits the main points explored in the study,
evaluates the methodological approaches, discusses the study’s shortcomings
and reflects on pedagogical practices. 

Part 4 combines distinct sections to present a summary focusing on the future
of DMC research. 

Chapter 10 revisits the historical background and discusses the future of DMC
research, beginning with a revision of the seven frameworks for focused
interventions. It clarifies the development of DMC theory, the existing
literature on projects in educational sectors, and summarises seven project
templates that are assumed to inspire group DMC emergence in L2 classroom
environments. Furthermore, the chapter presents the key contributions of the
book regarding DMC from theoretical, pedagogical, and practical perspectives.
It concludes with a wider examination of future research into DMC. 

EVALUATION

“Directed Motivational Currents and Language Education: Exploring Implications
for Pedagogy” offers some important insights into the field of second-language
learners’ motivation, and enhances our understanding of DMCs regarding
long-term impacts, individual and group motivational surges, It reveals the
potential for deliberately facilitating DMC experiences for learners in
language-learning contexts worldwide. 

The goals of this book were accomplished by providing evidence that intense
and longstanding motivational experiences are promptly and widely recognisable
by learners in various L2 learning environments, including English Language
Teaching (ELT), formal and informal learning settings, and ELT classrooms. By
examining how language learners continue to be motivated for lengthy periods,
Muir combines literature about language learners’ motivations with practical
pedagogical implications, resulting in a compelling book that effectively
links research to pedagogy concerning DMCs and language learning and teaching.
The book contributes to making this recent type of motivation increasingly
popular, not only in the applied linguistics field, but also in educational
psychology. 

This work is unique because it is the first book to include full and extensive
examination of DMCs and to expand on what was covered in the previous
literature. Moreover, it is coherent because each topic is related
straightforwardly to the general understanding of DMCs, and is aligned
directly with what was established previously within the broader field of L2
motivation research. It presents a collection of literature, including
dominant approaches from multiple disciplines inside and outside of the SLA
field, thus making major contributions to the description of the functions of
this multifaceted and exceptional type of motivation. For example, in Part 1,
Muir deals briefly with three areas that increase our understanding of the
positive emotional loading of DMCs from a variety of theoretical perspectives,
including possible selves in social psychology, goal theories in motivational
psychology, and the concept of eudaimonia well-being in positive psychology. 

The book fits in with other literature on group DMC, suggesting that, despite
the personalised nature of DMC regarding individuals’ personal goals and
educational contexts, the group work of language learners in the classroom may
allow DMC to emerge (Henry, Dörnyei & Davydenko, 2015). Furthermore, the use
of a variety of teaching approaches, such as the project-based method that
involves collaborative learning, increases learner motivation. Therefore,
triggering and maintaining group DMC plays a vital role in boosting group
dynamics (Dörnyei & Murphey, 2003), which subsequently affects their learning
success. In this case, teachers should be aware of the practical applications
of DMC and how to implement a project with DMC potential effectively in order
to facilitate group DMC. However, the lack of group DMC in previous studies
left this key area underexplored. Muir bridges this gap and, in Part 3,
explores how group DMC can be used purposefully via the implementation of an
intensive group project in an L2 classroom. Muir conceptualises the entire
project within the “All Eyes on the Final Product” framework (Dörnyei, Henry &
Muir, 2016) and, by drawing on the criteria for effective intervention,
concludes that these factors play a central role in the effectiveness of the
intervention. 

By doing so, she makes an important contribution to the field of DMC research
because the outcomes provide inspiring evidence that it is possible to
deliberately facilitate group DMC in an L2 classroom. In addition,
collaborating with teachers paves the way for future research into the
possibility of applying DMC theory in practical L2 pedagogical contexts by
teaming up with practitioners.

Muir’s research is outstanding in terms of her methodological approaches,
which address the methodological limitations raised in past studies.
Traditionally, DMC has been assessed using qualitative methods, which gives
greater advantage to the studies in this book because quantitative methods
were employed to explore DMC. Most previous qualitative studies relied heavily
on retrospective interviews as data collection instruments for DMCs, recording
participants’ recollections of DMC experiences. However, difficulties arise
when an attempt is made to explore DMC experiences across wider contexts, such
as the broader recognisability of DMC. Thus, as Muir developed the first
international questionnaire (Part 2) to explore DMCs quantitatively, she
provides a starting point for other research methodologies to conduct further
quantitative investigations of DMC. Moreover, introducing this wide-ranging
and ground-breaking DMC Disposition questionnaire leaves abundant room for
further progress in exploring DMC experiences in different learning and
teaching contexts. 

Muir has successfully presented not only an organised and efficient
foundational basis for key concepts of DMCs for novice readers, but has also
provided concise descriptions for readers more familiar with the topic. The
book is suitable for L2 learners and researchers who are interested in L2
language-learning motivation, and for teachers who are seeking activities to
boost motivation within the classroom. Specifically, the emphasis on DMC in
the context of group projects will increase researchers’ and practitioners’
understanding in future research. The summary sections after each chapter and
part are effective in assisting readers in finding the main points and
essential details. The afterward section provides students with practical
guidance, useful resources, and readings about designing, planning, and
researching their own projects with DMC potential.

REFERENCES
 
Dörnyei, Z. (2005). “The Psychology of the Language Learner. Individual
Differences in Second Language Acquisition”. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Dörnyei, Z. (2009b). The L2 motivational self-system. In Z. Dörnyei and E.
Ushioda (Eds.) “Motivation, Language Identity and the L2 Self” (pp. 9–42).
Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

Dörnyei, Z., Henry, A., & Muir, C. (2016). “Motivational Currents in Language
Learning: Frameworks for Focused Interventions”. New York, NY: Routledge.

Dörnyei, Z., & Murphey, T. (2003). “Group Dynamics in the Language Classroom”.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Henry, A., Dörnyei, Z., & Davydenko, S. (2015). The anatomy of directed
motivational currents: exploring intense and enduring periods of L2
motivation. ”Modern Language Journal”. 99, 329–345. doi: 10.1111/modl.12214

Muir, C. (2020). ”Directed motivational currents and language education:
Exploring implications for pedagogy”. Multilingual Matters.


ABOUT THE REVIEWER

I'm a first-year Ph.D. student in the Applied Linguistics department at
Birkbeck, University of London and an EFL tutor. I'm interested in second
language learners' and teachers' psychology including motivation, enjoyment
and anxiety in classrooms.





------------------------------------------------------------------------------

***************************    LINGUIST List Support    ***************************
 The 2020 Fund Drive is under way! Please visit https://funddrive.linguistlist.org
  to find out how to donate and check how your university, country or discipline
     ranks in the fund drive challenges. Or go directly to the donation site:
                   https://crowdfunding.iu.edu/the-linguist-list

                        Let's make this a short fund drive!
                Please feel free to share the link to our campaign:
                    https://funddrive.linguistlist.org/donate/
 


----------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-32-2218	
----------------------------------------------------------