Language learner motivation, where it’s been and where it’s going

Abstract

Since 2005 there has been a surge in empirical and theoretical research in second language (L2) motivation. This phenomenon has been quantified as the equivalent of one paper being published every twenty-two days in 2005, and one paper every five days in 2014 (Boo, Dörnyei, & Ryan, 2015). This unprecedented boom is still on an incline, meriting the unique domain status of L2 motivation (Boo et al., 2015). This paper will give an overview of previous research in L2 motivation, discuss if such claims are still valid twenty-two years later, and discuss developments in the L2 motivation regarding engagement and visualisation.