iReasearch学术科研网

In view of these new developments there appears to be a need for taking stock of what we have and where we are going in motivation research. In 1993, Language Teaching published a comprehensive review article on L2 motivation by Robert Gardner and Peter Maclntyre, but the considerable recent developments warrant a follow-up to this summary. The current paper takes up the review of L2 motivation research where Gardner and Maclntyre (1993a) left off, by focusing on three issues that seem to be central to understanding the present situation: (1) What is motivation? (2) What are the current motivational paradigms? Where have they 'come from'? And how do they relate to the established results in L2 motivation research? (3) What are the educational implications of L2 motivation research? A general assumption underlying this overview is the belief that L2 motivation is a complex, multifaceted construct, and that the diverse approaches highlight different aspects of this complexity. Thus, they do not necessarily conflict, but rather can enrich our understanding—both from a theoretical and a practical point of view-provided they are properly integrated.