L2 Selves and Motivations in Asian Contexts ed. by M.T. Apple, D. Da Silva, and T. Fellner (review)

One often-neglected issue in second language (L2) motivation research is the influence of culture. This is perhaps best demonstrated by the fact that most motivational theories are grounded within western cultural contexts. Researchers tend to take it for granted that these theories can be readily generalized to other cultures. Previous work (e.g., Apple, Da Silva, & Fellner, 2013) has not directly addressed how diverse social and cultural milieus might affect the motivation and identity construction of L2 learners. This is especially the case in Asia, which abounds with diverse cultures and represents the largest number of EFL learners in the world. This new volume, edited by Matthew T. Apple, Dexter Da Silva, and Terry Fellner, contributes to motivation studies by examining how L2 selves, motivations, and culture interact in the broad context of Asia.

In chapter 1, the editors outline the background of the book and provide a brief introduction to each chapter. They point out that motivation studies should adopt a post-paradigm, supra-thematic approach.

After the opening chapter, the first two parts of the volume investigate mainly the motivations and selves of primary, secondary, and university students. In chapter 2, Peter Gobel, Siew Ming Thang, and Setsuko Mori justify the need for an alternative model for attribution theory, which accounts for the effects of dependent/independent self and self-promoting/self-improvement bias on learners’ motivation. In chapter 3, Tae-Young Kim shows that although Complex Dynamic Systems Theory and Socio-Cultural Theory are equally powerful in explaining the idiosyncratic nature of Korean L2 English learners’ changes in motivation, they differ in the emphasis they place on learner agency. In chapter 4, Hung-Tzu Huang and I-Ling Chen find that the ought-to self outweighs the ideal self in explaining Taiwan English learners’ motivation. The greater effects of external factors on L2 motivation are also covered in chapters 5, 7, and 8. Szu-An Chen reports in chapter 5 that Taiwan learners’ motivational fluctuations are subject mainly to the influence of significant others (i.e., teachers and parents), exams and grades, and language-learning experience. Chapter 7, by Michiko Ueki and Osamu Takeuchi, highlights the importance of the ought-to self in explaining Japanese EFL learners’ motivation before study abroad, although the ideal self and self-efficacy could positively affect motivated learning behaviour during or after study abroad. In chapter 8, Michelle Gu and Doris Qu’s longitudinal study of Chinese EFL learners demonstrates that L2 motivation is closely interwoven with learners’ discursive construction of interpersonal relationships, imagined identities, and alignment with social discourses. Chapter 6, by Marcos Y. Lopez and Richard D.L.C. Gonzales, reveals that Filipino L2 learners’ language-learning motivation (LLM) significantly correlates with their critical-thinking motivation (CTM).

Language instructors will appreciate Part Three of this volume, which touches upon teacher motivation. Chapter 9, by Amol Padwad and Krishna Dixit, shows that offering professional training to Indian teachers might increase their motivation, which in turn could improve students’ motivation. In chapter 10, Qian-Mei Zhang’s study on two novice English teachers in China illustrates how activity theory could shed light on the complex relationships between teachers and teaching contexts, as well as on the interactions between individual L2 teachers and their entire activity system. In chapter 11, Martin Lamb, Sri Puji Astuti, and Nilawati Hadisantosa reveal the strategies that successful teachers use to motivate their students in Indonesia. They call for an in situ analysis of teachers’ motivational strategy use to capture the dynamics of teacher–student interactions in different contexts.

The last part of the volume is theoretically focused, summarizing the empirical findings and offering alternative views of “selves,” “motivations,” and even “Asia.” In chapter 12, Nathanael Rudolph shows how the notions of “self,” “agency,” and “motivation” can be re-conceptualized through the post-cultural lens. In the concluding chapter, Apple and Da...