A preliminary Analysis of D？rnyei and Otto’s Process Model of L2 Motivation

【Abstract】In the past few decades， motivation has already become a recurring topic in SLA field， where motivational theories have placed great influence on language teaching.Different from previous motivation theories， D?rnyei and Ottos process model of L2 motivation focuses on the dynamicity of motivation.This paper aims at analyzing the process model of L2 motivation and proposing stimulation strategies for each phase to attain learning effect.

【Key words】process model； L2 motivation； stimulation strategy

1.Introduction

In the past few decades， motivation has already become a recurring topic in SLA field.Researchers as well as teachers noticed that students learn English for different reasons， such as going abroad， finding a better job， involving in the English speaking community， the compulsory nature of English in school curriculum， etc.Therefore， they have placed great interests in figuring out why some students acted positively in class while others just seemed lack of interests in learning English.Researchers have proposed various motivation models， such as socio-educational approach of Gardner and his associates， Schumanns neurobiological model， intergroup model（Giles and Byrne， 1982）， Deci and Ryans theory of intrinsic/extrinsic motivation and self-determination as well as D?rnyeis three-level learning motivation model， etc.These studies have presented the construct of motivation and the relationships between variables and language learning（Tsutomu Koga， 2010）.

However， most researchers consider motivation as a rather stable state， the dynamicity of motivation is often neglected.In SLA， motivation cannot remain constant during the long-term study.Therefore， D?rnyei and Otto proposed a process model of L2 motivation， which is a dynamic one that shows how learners motivation changes.This paper will conduct a preliminary analysis on D?rnyei and Ottos process model of L2 motivation， which is to a great degree vary from the traditional motivation models.Two research questions are proposed：

1） What are the distinctive features of process model of L2 motivation by D?rnyei and Otto？

2） Does it have any implications on Second Language teaching？

2.D?rnyei and Ottos process model of L2 motivation

Although most theories indicate that motivation is a relatively stable emotional or mental state， time actually associates with motivation.When we talk about sustained， long-term activities， such as the mastering of a L2， motivation does not remain construct during the course of months or years.D?rnyei and Otto developed the process model of L2 motivation corresponding to the challenge of describing motivation processes over time（D?rnyei and Otto， 1998）.Based on the action control theory by Heckhausen and Kuhl， the motivated behavioral process in this model has been divided into three phases： Preactional phase， actional phase and postactional phase.Meanwhile， Dornyei and Otto also discussed the specific motivational factors in each process in order to show the dynamicity of motivation.

2.1 Preactional Phase.The preactional phase refers to the process of choosing a course of action to be conducted， which contains three sub-processes： goal setting， intention formation and the initiation of intention enactment.

In the goal-setting process， the main motivational factors are individuals subjective values and norms， the general values and norms， the value preferences and the external environment.In the intention formation process， important factors are the learners perceived expectancy of success， the perceived relevance of the goal and the cost-benefit calculations， need for achievement and fear of failure， self-determination， various goal properties， learners beliefs about L2 learning， knowledge of learning strategies， sufficient domain-specific knowledge， urgency， powerful external demands as well as a unique opportunity.

2.2 Actional Phase.During the actional phase， three basic processes are involved： subtask generation and implementation， a complex ongoing appraisal process and the application of a variety of action control mechanisms.The most important influences are the perceived quality of the learning experience， perceived contingent relationship and perceived progress， sense of self-determination/autonomy， Teachers/parents motivational influence， Type of performance appraisal， reward structure， classroom goal structure， influence of the dynamics of the learner group， classroom climate， school environment， task conflict， competing action tendencies， other distracting influences， availability of action alternatives， costs involved， knowledge of and skills in using self-regulatory strategies.

2.3 Post-actional Phase.During this phase， the learner compares initial expectancies and plans of action to how they conducted in reality and forms attributions about the extent to which the intended goal has been reached.This critical self-examination contributes greatly to experience accumulation， and allows the learners to improve their internal standards and the action-specific strategies， from which an individual can develop a stable identity as a successful learner.

In this model， D?rnyei and Otto distinguished four major motivational influences that are active in the postactional phase： attributional factors； self-concept beliefs； the quality and quantity of evaluational/attributional cues and feedbacks as well as action/ state orientation.

3.Conclusion

This paper has discussed D?rnyei and Ottos process model of L2 motivation， focusing on its dynamicity aspect.As to the first research question， the author found that compared with traditional motivation construct， D?rnyei and Ottos process model of L2 motivation perceive motivation as a process which changes in accordance with motivation influences.Despite the overall framework of their model， they also present us more detailed constructs for each phase， which indicates that the motivation influences for each action vary a lot.Basically， motivation， especially in second language learning， was considered as a long-term process， during which motivation factors change greatly.Therefore， researchers， particularly teachers should bear in mind the factors concerned with students motivation so as to know how to activate and maintain students motivation.

As to the second research question， teachers may notice that students motivation in learning a second language change at different circumstances， e.g.they may feel demotivated after they received low grades in an examination， or due to dislike of the teachers or teaching styles.This model certainly has implications on Second Language Teaching.

This model considers students motivation as a dynamic attribution rather than the traditionally stable one.As mentioned earlier， SL learning is rather long-term process， in which students motivation cannot always sustain.Therefore， in the language teaching， teachers should pay attention to the motivation development of students at each phase， say， preactional phase， actional phase and postactional phase.In the preactional phase， students tended to be influenced by internal desire， external opportunity and environment effects.While internal desire will not be so easily changed， so teachers can provide sufficient opportunities for students to carry out the goal.E.g.teachers or school authorities can improve facilities or hold certain activities to arouse students interests， teachers and family members may encourage students when they hesitated to accomplish certain tasks.In the actional phase， students may encounter the demotivating state we have mentioned earlier， in that case， teachers should figure out the demotivating factors and help students to take various regulatory strategies.As D?rnyei（2005） mentioned， demotivation doesnt mean lacking of motivation， thus students can regain their motivation by adopting certain strategies.In the postactional phase， through reflection， teachers can get certain hints and feedbacks， which will give further instructions.

Therefore， despite the limited amount of empirical research that has been conducted to validate this model， it is theoretically influential in that it illustrates a dynamic development of motivation（Tsutomu Koga， 2010）.

Reference：

[1]D?rnyei，Z.Teaching and Researching Motivation（1st ed.） [M].Beijing： Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press，2005.

[2]D?rnyei，Z.and Otto，I.1998.Motivation in action： A process model of L2 motivation.Working Papers in Applied Ginguistzcs London： Thames Valley University，4： 43-69.

[3]Ellis，R.Understanding Second Language Acquisition.Oxford University Press，1999.

[4]Gardner，R.C.1996.“Motivation and second language acquisition： perspectives.” Journal of the CARL，18.

[5]Tsutomu Koga.Dynamicity of motivation，anxiety and cooperativeness in a semester course，system，2010： 1-13.

作者简介：徐佳佳（1986-），女，汉族，河南郑州人，郑州航空工业管理学院助教，外国语言学及应用语言学硕士，研究方向：翻译、应用语言学。