Directed Motivational Currents (DMCs) are highly intense goal-directed motivational experiences that are characterised by establishing new routines and having positive emotions. The present study aimed to identify the factors that triggered the launch of DMCs among EFL learners. An interview protocol designed based on the core dimensions of the…

Directed motivational currents, unique and intense goal-directed motivational surges lasting over a period of time, have received increasing attention recently. This article reports the first systematic review of this phenomenon. A total of 21 reports appearing between 2013 and 2020 were included in the analysis. The results show that the majority…

Scholars indicated that learners who are strategic with their language learning (e.g., selfregulated learning [SRL], cognitive and meta-cognitive strategies) tend to be more efficient, resourceful, and flexible, and thus have better language learning outcomes (Oxford, 2016; Heo et al., 2012; Plonsky, 2011). Besides focusing on the knowledge,…

English language learners (ELLs) lack academic vocabulary knowledge, an essential component that explains much of the persistent achievement gap between students who start schools as ELLs and their monolingual peers. This single-subject experimental design study addressed this issue by focusing on self-regulated vocabulary learning that helps ELLs…

This study examined the effectiveness of a person-centred future time perspective (FTP) intervention on Iranian EFL students' willingness to communicate (WTC) in English. Through one-on-one interviews with the participants, the researchers tried to build a connection between students' English learning at school and their goals in future, and to…

One of the most recent developments in the field of L2 motivation is the construct of Directed Motivational Currents (DMCs). This novel motivational conceptualisation is characterised by its energising capacity to promote and sustain action in a multitude of contexts whenever an individual is determined to attain a goal/vision he or she regards as…

Willingness to communicate (WTC) research has focused mostly on identifying factors that influence second language (L2) WTC in ESL contexts. This study differs by examining the effects of a 6-week treatment aimed at enhancing WTC in a group of 206 Yemeni rural high school EFL learners. Classes were randomly assigned to a control group (n = 102) or…

This study investigated the impact of metacognitive pedagogical sequence on development of less-proficient Thai EFL listeners' L2 listening metacognition and listening comprehension achievement over a semester. Sixty-four university students who were enrolled in a listening course participated in a quasi-experimental study. Both the intervention…

As students' achievement is correlated with self-regulation, finding interventions promoting self-regulated learning (SRL) in online courses is a current focus of research. However, few studies have explored the potential of contract learning in scaffolding and developing SRL in non-traditional learners who have work and family and are at risk of…

Students' engagement and determination require the use of self-regulated learning strategies to facilitate adequate preparation. This article reports a research study that looks into how eight instructors, who were trained to promote self-regulation, interact with 18 students of a Bachelor of Arts program in English language teaching in Bogotá.…

The study investigated the effectiveness of goal-setting skills among Senior Secondary II students' academic performance in English language in Enugu Metropolis, Enugu state, Nigeria. Quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test control group design was adopted for the study. The initial sample was 147 participants (male and female) Senior Secondary…

This article outlines a study that explores the relationship between SMART goal setting (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based) and learning English in Colombia concerning a foreign language learners' self-efficacy beliefs in listening. The participants were seventh and ninth grade students of two schools in Bogotá, Colombia.…

In the 2011 census almost one in three Irish teenagers claimed to be unable to speak Irish (Central Statistics Office, Ireland, 2012), despite the language being taught daily in school. The challenges facing the Irish language in schools are complex and multifaceted. The research reported here attempts to address some of these challenges by…

This study explores the effectiveness of guided reflective journals to improve intelligibility in a Japanese higher educational context. Based on qualitative and quantitative methods, the paper evaluates changes in speech over the duration of one semester. In particular, this study focuses on changes in prosodic features such as stress, intonation…

In the last few decades there has been a shift from thinking less about teaching and more about learning. Such a paradigm shift from teacher-centered to student-centered instruction requires students to think about their own learning and to monitor their own learning development and language achievement. Researchers have identified goal setting…