Motivating Vietnamese EFL College Students by Using “This is Me” Framework in the Directed Motivational Currents Theory

Bui My Ngoc, Ho Minh Thang

Abstract


Motivation is a crucial factor in foreign language learning as it can help EFL learners achieve the goals they have established in the course they have been taking. Feeling a strong sense of productivity or achievement, a strong sense of focus and being absorbed, generating high levels of energy or effort, and a sense that they were highly motivated during the project's whole duration were considered markers of DMCs. This qualitative study aims to investigate L2 motivational factors in Vietnam by collecting data from interviews and diaries. It applied the main concepts in the Directed Motivational Current (DMC) Theory. It involved five Vietnamese EFL students. The researcher used diaries and interviews to collect data. The results showed that the five participants were caught up in the flow of group-DMCs. All the markers cited earlier were found in the learners' motivational responses. The energy generated by the launch of the group-DMCs was so intense that the researcher was contaminated. However, one needs to know that achieving the project goals was sometimes challenging and stressful, but a group-DMC made it bearable and enjoyable. For further studies, motivational graphs and Muir's (2016) DMC Disposition scale can be used to collect quantitative data. A larger group of participants can also be used for the interview to mitigate this study's limitation.

Received 18th September 2021; Revised 14th February 2022; Accepted 25th March 2022


Keywords


Directed Motivational Currents (DMCs); L2 Learner’s Motivation; Oral Presentation; This is Me; Vietnamese EFL Students.

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