Cited by 374Education, Achievement, and GiftednessInnovative Teaching and Learning MethodsMotivation and Self-Concept in Sports

Motivation in action: Towards a process‐oriented conceptualisation of student motivation

Dörnyei, Zoltán·2000·British Journal of Educational Psychology

Abstract

Background. This paper focuses on the temporal dimension of student motivation; that is, rather than considering motivation a stable emotional or mental state, the emphasis is placed on portraying motivation processes as they happen in time. Aims. 1. To account for the dynamic development of motivation in prolonged learning processes such as the mastery of school subjects. 2. To discuss the practical implications of a process‐oriented approach for professional practice. Method. Theoretical analysis and model building, drawing on the findings of empirical investigations. Analysis. It is argued that the ‘ time’ dimension is relevant to the study of motivation in at least two crucial areas: to account for (a) how motivation is generated and (b) how it fluctuates and further develops over time. A focus on the temporal dimension is particularly important for the understanding of student motivation because in prolonged learning activities such as mastering a school subject a major motivational function is to maintain the motivational impetus for a considerable period (often several years) against a number of distracting influences. In order to illustrate the temporal conception of motivation, a ‘ Process Model of Student Motivation’ is presented and various theoretical pros and cons are discussed. Finally, practical implications are demonstrated by providing a taxonomy of motivational strategies rooted in the process‐oriented approach, with one specific aspect, the students’ action control and self‐motivation, specially highlighted in order to show the compatibility of the approach with current research on student self‐regulation.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1348/000709900158281

Cites

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

We couldn’t retrieve this paper’s full text, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Most theoretical models and research projects in L2 motivation have failed to consider the dynamic character of motivation, both over extended periods and within single lessons and sequences of lessons.

    “It is unfortunate, however, that most of the theoretical models and the research projects they have spurred have failed to take into consideration the dynamic character of motivation, as reflected in its temporal variation, both over extended periods of time, and within single lessons as well as sequences of such lessons.”
  • Many empirical investigations of motivation in second and foreign language learning, even those drawing upon the latest theoretical paradigms such as the L2 motivational self system, fail to take account of its dynamic character and temporal variation.

    “When we examine the empirical investigations of motivation in second and foreign language learning, even those drawing upon the latest theoretical paradigms, such as the L2 motivational self system (Dörnyei, 2009), it becomes clear that many of them still fail to take account of its dynamic character and temporal variation.”

Cites

Still being checked.

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Dörnyei, Z.
Affiliations
University of Nottingham (GB)
Corresponding author
Dörnyei, Zoltán
Venue
British Journal of Educational Psychology
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2000-12
Volume
70
Issue
4
Pages
519-538
ISSN
  • 0007-0998 (ISSN-L)
  • 2044-8279
OpenAlex
W2029204141
Cited by
374
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 22 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 23 · 2014: 18 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 19
FWCI
3.79
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • British Journal of Educational Psychology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
British Psychological Society
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Education, Achievement, and Giftedness
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports
Keywords
student motivation, process approach, motivational development, sustained motivation, motivational strategies, self-motivation, action control, self-regulation
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Child, Child, Preschool, Humans, Internal-External Control, Motivation, Psychology, Educational, Students, Teaching

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review