Contemporary Language Motivation Theory

Leaders of the language motivation field come together to discuss this significant topic

This book unites chapters from the leaders of the language learning motivation field and demonstrates how Gardner’s work is integral to a wide range of contemporary theoretical issues underlying the psychology of language. It deals with cutting-edge topics, providing a wealth of information for both students and established scholars.

Ali H. Al-Hoorie is an Assistant Professor at the English Language Institute, Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. He completed his PhD at the University of Nottingham under the supervision of Professors Zoltán Dörnyei and Norbert Schmitt. His publications have appeared in a number of journals, and he is the co-author (with Phil Hiver) of Research Methods for Complexity in Applied Linguistics (Multilingual Matters, 2020).

Peter D. MacIntyre is Professor of Psychology at Cape Breton University, Canada. His research examines emotion, motivation and cognition across a variety of types of behavior, including interpersonal communication, public speaking, dynamic systems, and learning. He has published several books, including Motivational Dynamics in Language Learning (co-edited with Zoltán Dörnyei and Alastair Henry).

Ali H. Al-Hoorie is an Assistant Professor at the English Language Institute, Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. He completed his PhD at the University of Nottingham under the supervision of Professors Zoltán Dörnyei and Norbert Schmitt. His publications have appeared in a number of journals, and he is the co-author (with Phil Hiver) of Research Methods for Complexity Theory in Applied Linguistics (Multilingual Matters, 2020).

Peter D. MacIntyre is Professor of Psychology at Cape Breton University, Canada. His research examines emotion, motivation and cognition across a variety of types of behavior, including interpersonal communication, public speaking, dynamic systems, and learning. He has published several books, including Motivational Dynamics in Language Learning (co-edited with Zoltán Dörnyei and Alastair Henry).

Anyone seeking an up-to-date assessment of sixty years of motivation research since Gardner and Lambert’s (1959) ground-breaking proposal for a social-educational model will find in this volume a treasure trove of theoretical, empirical, and methodological insights, made all the richer by critical, dialogic engagement alongside personal reminiscences by top researchers in the field.

This book highlights how Robert Gardner’s seminal work has influenced the research of an array of scholars who, through diverse, rigourous methods, have developed their own important lines of inquiry on topics such as identity, acculturation, emotions, and well-being, culminating in a unique perspective on the social psychology of language and intergroup relations.