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Chapter Two Literature Review
2.1 Theoretical Researches of L2 Learning Motivation
Motivation is frequently regarded as a behavior that involves with its beginning, direction, intensity and durability from the psychological perspective. Individuals can be encouraged and stimulated to move toward an expected goal by certainly motivation. Motivation is also a factor used to explain why the activities would be successful or failure. Innumerable researchers at home and abroad realized the significant of motivation; however, the consistent definition of motivation hasn’t been reached yet. In chapter 2, the author will make a summary of previous researches of motivation at home and abroad, which involves the developmental history of L2 motivation researches at home and abroad, the relevant L2 motivation theories as well as the limitation of previous researches.
2.1.1Definition of Language Learning Motivation
The study of motivation shifted from psychology to pedagogy, and Robert Gardner and Wallace Lambert (1959), two Canadian psychologists, first put forward motivation and attitudes in L2 acquisition. Gardner and Lambert (1972) held the opinion that an intense language learning motivation can remedy the weakness of language aptitude and learning condition. Where after, Skehan (1989) put forward the view that motivation is another most effective factor that can catch-all term to explain the success or failure besides language aptitude. Although both of language learning motivation and language aptitude are important learner factors, they are dramatically different, for the former can be formed gradually, but the latter is inborn.
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2.2 Empirical Researches of L2 Learning Motivation
2.2.1The L2 Learning Motivation Researches Aboard
Empirical studies on the motivation of L2 began in 1950s and 1960s, in which are divided into two stages, and 2005 is the dividing line. Before 2005, almost all studies were in the early stage of social psychology theory (Gardner & Lambert, 1972). The empirical studies of Gardner & Lambert, (1972), Gardner (1985) et al. verified the two kinds of motivation tendency of integration and instrumental. After 2005, empirical study based on the L2 self system gradually become the mainstream.
With the deeply development of linguistics and language learning motivation study, the new view that language is not only a mere communication code but also a part of personal identity, Therefore, scholars begun to investigate the relationship between L2 motivation and language learner themselves, such as Markus & Nurius’s (1986) possible selves theory, Higgins’ (1987) self theory and the increasing dissatisfaction with Gardner’s integrativeness, Dörnyei (2005a) integrated Noels’s (2003) and Ushioda’s (2001) outcomes and propo