The dynamic nature of motivation during the task: can it be captured?

Abstract

As part of a larger longitudinal research study that investigated Spanish heritage language speakers' motivation in relation to the Spanish course they were enrolled in, the present study explores task motivation with a focus on (a) the occurrence of motivational processes and (b) motivational fluctuation throughout task performance. To investigate these issues, this study employed an innovative qualitative approach to task motivation based on Dörnyei's process model of motivation that included the use of think-aloud protocols. Twenty Spanish heritage language speakers completed a semi-guided writing task during which they had to think aloud. Qualitative analysis of the verbalizations revealed that appraisal and action control processes did indeed take place during the actional phase, as posed by the process model, and showed how participants cope with the task and the environment. As a result, these analyses exposed the motivational paths followed by participants in the task writing process and confirmed the dynamic nature of participants' motivation in relation to the task. These results confirm the validity of think-aloud procedures in the investigation of task motivation, the soundness of the process model, and the value of investigating the individual in context, all of which could be of use in both the second language and heritage language fields.

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