ABSTRACT
Motivation has been a major research topic within second language acquisition (SLA) for over five decades, ever since it became recognized as an important internal cause of variability in language learning success. Of course, the study of motivation in general has a much longer history across the broader disciplines of mainstream and educational psychology. Second language (L2) motivation research has evolved somewhat independently, however, originating in a concern to address the unique social, psychological, behavioral, and cultural complexities that acquiring a new communication code entails. Over the years, the field has evolved through successive phases reflecting increasing degrees of integration with developments in mainstream motivational psychology, while retaining a sharp focus on aspects of motivation unique to language learning. Dörnyei and Ushioda (2011) have identified these phases as follows:
The social-psychological period (1959-1990), characterized by the work of Robert Gardner and his associates in Canada
The cognitive-situated period (during the 1990s), characterized by work drawing on cognitive theories in educational psychology
The process-oriented period (turn of the century), characterized by a focus on motivational change The socio-dynamic period (current), characterized by a concern with dynamic systems and
contextual interactions.
