Abstract

This book fills an existing gap in language learning motivation research by examining the applications of current motivational theories and models from WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, developed) contexts to educational systems in Asian contexts. All chapters are focused on second language (L2) motivation as it applies to the EFL situation in Asian countries where English is a mandatory subject in school. Themes in the volume cover the use of possible L2 selves as a theoretical model of motivation, the role of teacher motivation and demotivation in non-European educational systems, study abroad, motivation among adolescents, cross-cultural differences in learner motivation among Asian cultures and the influence of native speakerism on language motivation and cultural identity. This book will appeal to ESL/EFL educators, postgraduate students, researchers and teacher-trainers both inside and outside Asian countries, who are interested in research on L2 motivation in general and within Asian contexts in particular.

Matthew T. Apple is Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at Ritsumeikan University, Japan. His research interests include individual differences in SLA, intercultural communication and educational statistics. Together with Dexter Da Silva and Terry Fellner, he is co-editor of Language Learning Motivation in Japan (2013, Multilingual Matters).

Dexter Da Silva is Professor in the Department of Psychology and Horticulture at Keisen University, Japan. His research interests include student motivation, identity development and trust and classroom dynamics.

Terry Fellner is Associate Professor in the Center for General Education at Saga University, Japan. His research interests include vocabulary acquisition, outdoor language learning and L2 reading.

This rich, diverse collection of chapters offers an excellent socially situated but yet universal perspective on SLA motivation and self-related research. It will be invaluable for scholars across the globe raising fascinating questions about key contemporary approaches to both teacher and learner motivation. It represents a veritable treasure-trove of scholarship to reflect upon.

This edited volume is testimony to the significance of L2 motivation in all the diversity of learning contexts and teaching approaches. The chapters represent a variety of voices and perspectives, aiming to fulfil the editors’ intention to 'provoke, influence, and give rise to future studies in other subsystems of L2 motivation in SLA'. There is something precious for every practitioner and scholar in this collection.

A timely and highly ambitious work highlighting the value of situating theory and research in specific educational situations. Hopefully, this book will serve as an inspiration to educators and researchers across Asia, encouraging them to develop their own original, independent voices, less concerned with conforming to ideas emerging from elsewhere.

The book accomplishes the editors’ objective of presenting situated perspectives on L2 learning and motivation in Asian contexts. Teachers and researchers will find much to apply to their practice in this collection.