Skip to main content
  • 4944 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter explores the motivational possibilities arising from the inclusion of projects in second language (L2) classrooms. After offering a definition of the term, Muir presents a brief critique of projects both in general education and rooted in L2 education more specifically. This recognises that although projects have a varied history in educational contexts, when implemented effectively they can offer extraordinary opportunities to engage groups of students in highly motivated learning. Muir highlights the essential motivational aspects of intensive group projects, and concludes the chapter by exploring key directions for future research.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 189.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Al-Hoorie, A. (2016a). Unconscious motivation. Part 1: Implicit attitudes toward L2 speakers. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 6(3), 423–454.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Hoorie, A. (2016b). Unconscious motivation. Part 2: Implicit attitudes and L2 achievement. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 6(4), 619–649.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alrabai, F. (2016). The effects of teachers’ in-class motivational intervention on learners’ EFL achievement. Applied Linguistics, 37(3), 307–333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arnold, J., Dörnyei, Z., & Pugliese, C. (2015). The Principled Communicative Approach: Seven criteria for success. London: Helbling.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A., & Schunk, D. H. (1981). Cultivating competence, self-efficacy, and intrinsic interest through proximal self-motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 41(3), 586–598.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A., & Simon, K. M. (1977). The role of proximal intentions in self-regulation of refractory behavior. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 1(3), 177–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barsade, S. G. (2002). The ripple effect: Emotional contagion and its influence on group behavior. Administrative Science Quarterly, 47(4), 644–675.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beckett, G. H. (2002). Teacher and student evaluations of project-based instruction. TESL Canada Journal, 19(2), 52–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beckett, G. H. (2006). Project-based second and foreign language education: Theory, research and practice. In G. H. Beckett & P. Chamness Miller (Eds.), Project-based second and foreign language education. Past, present and future (pp. 3–16). Greenwich, Connecticut: Information Age Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beckett, G. H., & Slater, T. (2005). The project framework: A tool for language, content, and skills integration. ELT Journal, 59(2), 108–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blumenfeld, P. C., Soloway, E., Marx, R. W., Krajcik, J. S., Guzdial, M., & Palincsar, A. (1991). Motivating project-based learning: sustaining the doing, supporting the learning. Educational Psychologist, 26(3&4), 369–398.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boo, Z., Dörnyei, Z., & Ryan, S. (2015). L2 motivation research 2005–2014: Understanding a publication surge and a changing landscape. System, 55, 147–157.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christodoulou, D. (2014). Seven myths about education. London & New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1975). Beyond boredom and anxiety. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dörnyei, Z. (1997). Psychological processes in cooperative language learning: Group dynamics and motivation. Modern Language Journal, 81, 482–493.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dörnyei, Z., & Al-Hoorie, A. (2017). The motivational foundation of learning languages other than global English: Theoretical issues and research directions. The Modern Language Journal, 101(3), 455–468.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dörnyei, Z., Henry, A., & Muir, C. (2016). Motivational currents in language learning: Frameworks for focused interventions. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dörnyei, Z., & Kubanyiova, M. (2014). Motivating learners, motivating teachers: Building vision in the language classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dörnyei, Z., MacIntyre, P., & Henry, A. (Eds.). (2015). Motivational dynamics in language learning. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dörnyei, Z., & Murphey, R. (2003). Group dynamics in the language classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dörnyei, Z., & Ushioda, E. (2011). Teaching and researching motivation (2nd ed.). Harlow, England: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dupuy, B. (2006). L’immeuble: French language and culture teaching and learning through projects in a global simulation. In G. H. Beckett & P. Chamness Miller (Eds.), Project-based second and foreign language education. Past, present and future (pp. 195–214). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Egbert, J. (2003). A study of flow theory in the foreign language classroom. The Modern Language Journal, 87(4), 499–518.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eyring, J. (2001). Experiential and negotiated language learning. In M. Celce-Murcia (Ed.), Teaching English as a second or foreign language (3rd ed., pp. 333–344). Boston: Heinle & Heinle.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fang, X., & Warschauer, M. (2004). Technology and curricular reform in China: A case study. TESOL Quarterly, 38(2), 301–323.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fried-Booth, D. L. (2002). Project work (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gallagher, S. A. (2008). Designed to fit: Educational implications of gifted adolescents’ cognitive development. In F. Dixon (Ed.), Programs and services for gifted secondary students: A guide to recommended practices (pp. 3–20). Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gallagher, S. A., & Gallagher, J. J. (2013). Using problem-based learning to explore unseen academic potential. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 7(1), 111–131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gecas, V. (1991). The self-concept as a basis for a theory of motivation. In J. A. Howard & P. L. Callero (Eds.), The self-society dynamic: Cognition, emotion and action (pp. 171–188). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grant, M. M. (2011). Learning, beliefs, and products: Students’ perspectives with project-based learning. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 5(2), 37–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guo, Y. (2006). Project-based English as a foreign language education in China: Perspectives and issues. In G. H. Beckett & P. Chamness Miller (Eds.), Project-based second and foreign language education. Past, Present and future (pp. 143–155). Greenwich, Connecticut: Information Age Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haines, S. (1989). Projects for the EFL classroom: Resource material for teachers. InWalton-on-Thames. UK: Nelson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henry, A. (2013). Digital games and ELT: Bridging the authenticity gap. In E. Ushioda (Ed.), International perspectives on motivation (pp. 133–155). Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Henry, A. (2014). Swedish students’ beliefs about learning English in and outside of school. In D. Lasagabaster, A. Doiz, & J. M. Sierra (Eds.), Motivation and Foreign language learning: From theory to practice (pp. 93–116). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henry, A., & Cliffordson, C. (2017). The impact of out-of-school factors on motivation to learn English: Self-discrepancies, beliefs, and experiences of self-authenticity. Applied Linguistics, 38(5), 713–736.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henry, A., Korp, H., Sundqvist, P., & Thorsen, C. (2018). Motivational strategies and the reframing of English: Activity design and challenges for teachers in contexts of extensive extramural encounters. TESOL Quarterly, 52(2), 247–273.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henry, A., & Thorsen, C. (2018). Teacher-student relationships and L2 motivation. The Modern Language Journal, 102(1), 218–241.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henry, J. (1994). Teaching through projects. London: Kogan Page.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hilton-Jones, U. (1988). Project-based learning for foreign students in an English-speaking environment. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 301 054).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, R. (2017). Teaching and researching speaking. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jakar, V. (2006). Knowing the other through multicultural projects in school EFL programs. In G. H. Beckett & P. Chamness Miller (Eds.), Project-based second and foreign language education. Past, present and future (pp. 181–193). Greenwich, Connecticut: Information Age Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kenny, B. (1993). Investigative research: How it changes learner status. TESOL Journal, 27(2), 217–231.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krashen, S. D. (1981). Second language acquisition and second language learning. Oxford: Pergamon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lamb, M. (2017). The motivational dimension of language teaching. Language Teaching, 50(3), 301–346.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Legutke, M., & Thomas, H. (1991). Process and experience in the language classroom. Harlow, UK: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levis, J. M., & Levis, G. M. (2003). A project-based approach to teaching research writing to non-native writers. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 46(3), 210–221.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levy, M. (1997). Project-based learning for language teachers: Reflecting on the process. In R. Debski, J. Gassin, & M. Smith (Eds.), Language learning through social computing (pp. 181–191). Melbourne: Applied Linguistics Association of Australia and Horwood Language Center.

    Google Scholar 

  • Locke, E. A. (1996). Motivation through conscious goal setting. Applied & Preventive Psychology, 5, 117–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (1990). A theory of goal setting and task performance. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2006). New directions in goal-setting theory. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15(5), 265–268.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacIntyre, P. D., Baker, S. C., & Sparling, H. (2017). Heritage passions, heritage convictions, and the Rooted L2 Self: Music and Gaelic language learning in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. The Modern Language Journal, 101(3), 501–516.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacIntyre, P. D., Gregersen, T., & Mercer, S. (2016). Positive psychology in SLA. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, S., Foulger, T. S., Wetzel, K., & Rathkey, C. (2009). The negotiated project approach: Project-based learning without leaving the standards behind. Early Childhood Education Journal, 36(4), 339–346.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moskovsky, C., Alrabai, F., Paolini, S., & Ratcheva, S. (2013). The effects of teachers’ motivational strategies on learners’ motivation: A controlled investigation of second language acquisition. Language Learning, 63, 34–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muir, C. (in press). Directed motivational currents and language education. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muir, C., Florent, J., & Leach, D. (under review). Designing and managing motivational group projects. ELT Journal.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murphey, T., & Arao, H. (2001). Reported belief changes through near peer role modelling. TESL-EJ, 5(3). Retrieved from http://tesl-ej.org/ej19/a1.html.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murphey, T., Falout, J., Fukada, Y., & Fukuda, T. (2012). Group dynamics: Collaborative agency in present communities. In S. Mercer, S. Ryan, & M. Williams (Eds.), Psychology for language learning: Insights from research, theory and practice (pp. 220–238). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murphey, T., & Murakami, K. (1998). Teacher facilitated near peer role modelling for awareness raising within the Zone of Proximal Development. Academia, 65, 1–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Padgett, G. S. (1994). An experiential approach: Field trips, book publication, video production. TESOL Journal, 3(3), 8–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Papandreou, A. P. (1994). An application of the projects approach to EFL. English Teaching Forum, 32(3), 41–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Park, H., & Hiver, P. (2017). Profiling and tracing motivational change in project-based L2 learning. System, 67, 50–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patton, A. (2012). Work that matters: The teacher’s guide to project-based learning. London: Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Downloaded from: http://www.innovationunit.org/sites/default/files/Teacher’s%20Guide%20to%20Project-based%20Learning.pdf

  • Phillips, D., Burwood, S., & Dunford, H. (1999). Projects with young learners. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Poupore, G. (2014). The influence of content on adult L2 learners’ task motivation: An interest theory perspective. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 17(2), 69–90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Poupore, G. (2016). Measuring group work dynamics and its relation with L2 learners’ task motivation and language production. Language Teaching Research, 20(6), 719–740.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sak, U. (2004). A synthesis of research on psychological types of gifted adolescents. Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 15(2), 70–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Savin-Baden, M., & Howell Major, C. (2004). Foundations of problem-based learning. Berkshire, UK: Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Savoie, J. M., & Hughes, A. S. (1994). Problem-based learning as classroom solution. Educational Leadership, 52(3), 54–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheldon, K. M., & Elliot, A. J. (1998). Not all personal goals are personal: Comparing autonomous and controlled reasons for goals as predictors of effort and attainment. Personality and Social Psychology, 24(5), 546–557.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheldon, K. M., & Elliot, A. J. (1999). Goal striving, need satisfaction, and longitudinal well-being: the self-concordance model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76(3), 482–497.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheldon, K. M., & Houser-Marko, L. (2001). Self-concordance, goal attainment, and the pursuit of happiness: Can there be an upward spiral? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80(1), 152–165.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shernoff, D. J., Abdi, B., Anderson, B., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2014). Flow in schools revisited: Cultivating engaged learners and optimal learning environments. In M. J. Furlong, R. Gilman, & E. S. Huebner (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology in schools (pp. 211–226). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shernoff, D. J., & Anderson, B. (2014). Enacting flow and student engagement in the college classroom. In A. C. Parks & S. M. Schueller (Eds.), The Wiley Blackwell handbook of positive psychological interventions (pp. 194–212). Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Slater, T., Beckett, G. H., & Aufderhaar, C. (2006). Assessing projects as second language and content learning. In G. H. Beckett & P. Chamness Miller (Eds.), Project-based second and foreign language education. Past, present and future (pp. 241–260). Greenwich, Connecticut: Information Age Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stoller, F. (2006). Establishing a theoretical foundation for project-based learning in second and foreign language contexts. In G. H. Beckett & P. Chamness Miller (Eds.), Project-based second and foreign language education (pp. 19–40). Greenwich, Connecticut: Information Age Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swain, M. (1985). Communicative competence: Some roles of comprehensible input and comprehensible output in its development. In S. M. Gass & C. G. Madden (Eds.), Input in second language acquisition (pp. 235–253). Rowley, MA: Newbury House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tessema, K. A. (2005). Stimulating writing through project based tasks. English Teaching Forum, 43(4), 22–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tremblay, R., Duplantie, M., & Hout, D. (1990). National core French study: The communicative/experiential syllabus. Ottawa: Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turnbull, M. S. (1999). Multidimensional project-based teaching in French second language (FSL): A process-product case study. The Modern Language Journal, 83(4), 548–568.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ushioda, E. (2011a). Language learning motivation, self and identity: Current theoretical perspectives. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 24(3), 199–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ushioda, E. (2011b). Motivating learners to speak as themselves. In G. Murray, Q. Gao, & T. Lamb (Eds.), Identity, motivation and autonomy in language learning (pp. 11–24). Bristol, England: Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ushioda, E. (2016). Language learning motivation through a small lens: A research agenda. Language Teaching, 49(4), 564–577.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Lier, L. (2006). Foreword. In G. H. Beckett & P. Chamness Miller (Eds.), Project-based second and foreign language education (pp. xi–xvi). Greenwich, Connecticut: Information Age Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vannini, P. (2006). Dead poets’ society: Teaching, publish-or-perish, and professors’ experiences of authenticity. Symbolic Interaction, 29(2), 235–257.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vannini, P., & Burgess, S. (2009). Authenticity as motivation and aesthetic experience. In P. Vannini & J. P. Williams (Eds.), Authenticity in culture, self, and society (pp. 103–119). Burlington, VT: Ashgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Voerman, L., Meijer, P. C., Korthagen, F. A., & Simons, R. J. (2012). Types and frequencies of feedback interventions in classroom interaction in secondary education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 28(8), 1107–1115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wood, A., & Head, M. (2004). “Just what the doctor ordered”: The application of problem-based learning to EAP. English for Specific Purposes, 23(1), 3–17.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christine Muir .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Muir, C. (2019). Motivation and Projects. In: Lamb, M., Csizér, K., Henry, A., Ryan, S. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Motivation for Language Learning. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28380-3_16

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28380-3_16

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-28379-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-28380-3

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics