Psychological Needs, Self-Determination, and Engagement: A Humanistic Organismic Approach to Motivation Applied to (Ew!) Language Learning

Title:

Psychological Needs, Self-Determination, and Engagement: A Humanistic Organismic Approach to Motivation Applied to (Ew!) Language Learning

Info:

Dr. Kimberly Noels

University of Alberta

Date:

Friday, March 24, 2022, 3 to 4 PM MST

Where:

This is a hybrid talk, taking place both in-person (P116, Biological Sciences Building) and online. For the zoom link, please access our google calendar using your UAlberta account.

Abstract:

Of all the subjects students study, it seems foreign languages are among the least enjoyed. Nonetheless, most Canadian students are required to have least some foreign language education for a variety of a reasons, not the least of which is the value placed on languages in a multicultural, officially bilingual society. Motivation is key to success in such a challenging learning context, and in this presentation I will review an enduring research program that examines language learning motivation through the lens of Deci and Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory. I will discuss how qualitatively different reasons (particularly intrinsic and extrinsic reasons) for pursuing in an activity like language learning have different implications for the extent of engagement in that activity, and how different motivational approaches relate to various linguistic, sociocultural, and psychological outcomes. I will discuss the universality of this paradigm across cultures, which has significance for how a global language such as English is taught around the world. I will also discuss the need for a dynamic, developmental perspective on motivation and how that enriches understanding of the ebbs and flows of social and psychological processes involved in motivation. I will end with suggestions for future research directions, along with some practical implications for enhancing one’s own and others’ motivation, that may resonate beyond the language learning context.

KIMBERLY A. NOELS (PhD, UOttawa) is a Professor in the Social and Cultural Psychology Area of the Department of Psychology at the University of Alberta. Her interdisciplinary research program focuses on how social interactions facilitate or hinder the complex and dynamic processes of language acquisition, socio-psychological acculturation, and intercultural relations, with a particular emphasis on language and identity development across various multicultural contexts. Her research has received awards from the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, the International Association for Language and Social Psychology, and the International Association for the Psychology of Language Learning and Teaching.