strategies and approaches
5.3 Generating and sustaining a vision for language learning
We saw in Chapter 4 (Section 4.1) that the L2 Motivational Self System offers a new approach to understanding language learning motivation, and that an important component of this theory is the learners’ vision of themselves in a future state. The possibility of har-nessing the powerful motivational function of imagination (Taylor et al.
1998; see also Concept 5.4) opens up a whole new avenue for promot-ing student motivation by means of increaspromot-ing the elaborateness and vividness of self-relevant imagery in the students. Dörnyei (2009a) pro-posed a multicomponential framework to outline the main dimensions of how we can facilitate our students’ creating an attractive vision of their ideal language self and thus develop effective motivational self-guides. In Section 4.2.3 we explained that the motivational capacity of self-guides is dependent on a number of conditions, and the underly-ing principle of Dörnyei’s system focuses on satisfyunderly-ing these conditions.
The motivational programme consists of six components (for a resource book of vision-enhancing classroom activities, see Hadfield and Dörnyei, in preparation):
Concept 5.4 The motivational function of imagination and mental imagery
Imagination has been known to be related to motivation since the ancient Greeks. Aristotle, for example, defined imagination as ‘sensation without matter’ and claimed that ‘There’s no desiring without imagina-tion’. Accordingly, Aristotle defined the image in the soul as the prime motivating force in human action and believed that when an image of something to be pursued or avoided was present in imagination, the soul was moved in the same manner as if the objects of desire were materially present. Interestingly, contemporary definitions of mental imagery are very similar to that of Aristotle. Kosslyn et al. (2002), for example, define it as ‘the ability to represent perceptual states in the absence of the appropriate sensory input’ and they also confirm the assumption that humans respond to mental images similarly to visual ones. In our present days, the motivating power of mental imagery has been best documented in the field of sport psychology. Inspired by Paivio’s (1985) influential model of cognitive functions of imagery in human performance, hundreds
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1. Construction of the Ideal L2 Self: creating the vision. The (obvious) pre-requisite for the motivational capacity of future self-guides is that they need to exist. Therefore, the first step in a motivational inter-vention that follows the self approach is to help learners to construct their Ideal L2 Self – that is, to create an L2-related vision. The term
‘constructing’ the Ideal L2 Self is not entirely accurate because it is highly unlikely that any motivational intervention will lead a student to generate an ideal self out of nothing – the realistic process is more likely to involve awareness raising about, and guided selection from, the multiple aspirations, dreams, desires, etc. that the student has already entertained in the past. Thus, igniting the vision involves increasing the students’ mindfulness about the significance of the ideal self in general and guiding them through a number of possible selves that they have entertained in their minds in the past, while also presenting some powerful role models to illustrate potential future selves.
2. Imagery enhancement: strengthening the vision. Even if a desired self image exists, it may not have a sufficient degree of elaborateness and vividness to act as an effective motivator. Methods of imagery enhancement have been explored in several areas of psychological, educational and sport research in the past (e.g. Berkovits, 2005;
Gould et al., 2002; Hall et al., 2006; Singer, 2006), and the tech-niques of creative or guided imagery can also be utilised to promote ideal L2 self images and thus to strengthen the students’ vision. The details of an effective ‘language imagery programme’ are still to be worked out, but let there be no doubt about it: ‘Our capacity for imagery and fantasy can indeed give us a kind of control over pos-sible futures!’ (Singer, 2006: 128).
3. Making the Ideal L2 Self plausible: substantiating the vision. Possible selves are only effective insomuch as the learner perceives them as possible, that is, conceivable within the person’s particular circumstances.
of studies have examined the relationship between mental imagery and sport performance, and as Gregg and Hall (2006) summarise, it has been generally concluded that imagery is an effective performance enhance-ment technique. As a result, virtually every successful athlete in the world applies some sort of imagery enhancement technique during training and competition.
Thus, in order for ideal self-images to energise sustained behaviour, they must be anchored in a sense of realistic expectations – they need to be substantiated, resulting in the curious mixed aura of imagin-ation and reality that effective images share. This process requires honest and down-to-earth reality checks as well as considering any potential obstacles and difficulties that might stand in the way of realising the ideal self. Inviting successful role models to class can send the powerful message to students that, although everybody faces certain hurdles in reaching their ideal selves, it can be, and has been, done.
4. Developing an action plan: operationalising the vision. Future self-guides are only effective if they are accompanied by a set of concrete action plans. Therefore, the ideal self needs to come as part of a ‘package’
consisting of an imagery component and a repertoire of appropriate plans, scripts and self-regulatory strategies. Even the most galvanis-ing self-image might fall flat without ways of operationalisgalvanis-ing the vision, that is, without any concrete learning pathways into which to channel the individual’s energy. This is clearly an area where L2 motivation research and language teaching methodology overlap: an effective action plan will contain a goal-setting component (which is a motivational issue) as well as individualised study plans and instructional avenues (which are methodological in nature).
5. Activating the Ideal L2 Self: keeping the vision alive. Very little is said in the literature about activating and re-activating the ideal self, but this is an area where language teachers have, perhaps unknowingly, a great deal of experience. Classroom activities such as warmers and icebreakers as well as various communicative tasks can all be turned into effective ways of keeping the vision alive, and playing films and music, or engaging in cultural activities can all serve as potent ideal-self reminders. Indeed, good teachers in any subject matter seem to have an instinctive talent to provide an engaging framework that keeps the enthusiasts going and the less-than-enthusiasts thinking.
6. Considering failure: counterbalancing the vision. For maximum effect-iveness, the desired self should be offset by the feared self: we do some-thing because we want to do it and also because not doing it would lead to undesired results. In language teaching terms this process of counterbalancing the vision would involve regular reminders of the limitations of not knowing foreign languages as well as regularly priming the learners’ ought-to L2 self to highlight the duties and obligations they have committed themselves to.
Quote 5.9 Lee and Oyserman on the implications of possible self theory for teachers
Possible selves can undergird self-improvement by showing a path toward the future and by highlighting where one might end up if effort is not maintained. Intervention to help teachers, parents and students focus on what they want to become and avoid becoming, what they value, and how they expect to engage in becoming like their desired selves and avoiding becoming like their undesired selves can be highly effective.
Indeed, the theory of possible selves has been used to understand progress and life transitions for both youth learners and adults in continu-ing education and other settcontinu-ings. Perhaps the most important message that educators can take from the research on possible selves is that pos-sible selves are malleable and can be influenced by intervention to enhance the content of possible selves. Changing possible selves through intervention can lead to positive changes in academic behavior, in better academic performance and lower risk of depression.
Lee and Oyserman (2009)
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