Martin Lamb写的文章对英语学习动机的研究具有重要意义。首先在全球化背景下介绍一种新的英语学习动机，它认为个人学习语言的动机因此可以通过参考正在进行的识别过程来部分解释。然后，它肯定了英语学习动机的形成是一个长期的动态过程。最后，从英语教学方法的角度来看，教师应该利用年轻人在当地文化背景下使用英语的各种各样的语境，而不是专注于英语母语的使用环境。这对提高英语教学方法起了积极的作用。
但是值得注意的是，本文在以下三个方面有局限性。首先，作者没有对识别过程的动机提供清晰的系统描述。问卷调查结果显示，学生的学习动机多种多样。问卷调查结果无法清晰地反映英语学习动机与识别过程有关的学生人数。此外，笔者访问了12位受访者，但只有3名受访者表示，他们学习英语的动机与心理，情感，文化认同有关。因此，本文的研究结果只能证明，在全球化的背景下，识别过程作为学习英语的动机确实存在，但并没有表明识别过程已成为无处不在的英语学习动机。
The article written by Martin Lamb has great significance for the study on English learning motivation. It first of all introduces a new English learning motivation in the context of globalization, it believes individuals' motivation to learn the language may therefore be partly explained by reference to ongoing processes of identification. Then, it affirms that the formation of English learning motivation is a long-term dynamic process. Finally, it is from the perspective of English teaching methods to point out that teachers should utilize the wide variety of contexts in which young people use English within their local cultural context rather than concentrate on contexts of use involving native-speakers of English. This has played a positive role in improving English teaching methods.
However, it is worth noting that, this article has limitations in terms of the following three aspects. Firstly, the author fails to provide a clear, systemic description on the motivation of identification process. The results of the questionnaire more showed that the students’ learning motivations were diverse. The questionnaire results were unable to clearly reflect the quantity of students whose English learning motivation was related to identification process. In addition, the author interviewed 12 respondents, but only three respondents said that their motivation to learn English was related to psychological, emotional, cultural identification. Thus, the findings of this article can only prove that in the context of globalization, identification process as a motivation for learning English does exist, but it fails to indicate that identification process has become a ubiquitous English learning motivation.
Secondly, the author proposes that English learning motivation is not a static but a long-term dynamic process, this view has a positive significance, and it provides English instructors a new way of thinking in developing targeted teaching methods. However, the author fails to take a long-term follow-up survey to confirm the presence of this process, at the same time, considering the process of formation of learning motivation, what factors may affect the formation and change of learning motivation and how these factors have an effect on learning motivation, under normal circumstances, what are the characteristics of English learning motivations of people at different life stages, author fails to give appropriate explanation and discussion for these questions, therefore, this article plays less active role in helping teachers to develop targeted teaching methods.
Thirdly, the author is based on the motivation of identification process to bring forward the teaching methods, which is a good complement for the teaching methods in the past. However, it is well-known that, for different English learning motivations, teachers should adopt different teaching methods, but according to what the author studies that the formation of English learning motivation is a long-term dynamic process, and a student may also have a variety of learning motivations, in this case, how educators develop teaching methods to meet students’ learning motivation is a challenge, but the author does not provide a clear, principled, workable proposal to educators, neither can he better help educators to deal with this challenge.
