Motivation is a key construct in SLA that has received decades of theoretical and empirical attention in the field. However, as pointed out by the editors in the introduction to this volume, “teachers and researchers demand comprehensible explanations for motivation that can help them to improve their everyday teaching and research” (p. 1). This volume offers an exciting theory-meets-praxis collection of chapters that explain in clear, accessible language the central theoretical concepts underlying motivation and that include classroom-based studies illustrating the relationship between motivation and teaching in a variety of foreign language (FL) learning contexts.

The nine chapters in this book are divided into two parts and an epilogue. Part 1 includes four chapters that deal with theoretical aspects of motivation as it relates to classroom-based FL learning. In the first chapter, Dörnyei, Muir, and Ibrahim introduce and describe a new construct called directed motivational currents (DMCs), which they define as “an intense motivational drive which is capable of both stimulating and supporting long-term behaviour, such as learning a foreign/second language” (p. 9). They provide several explanations and analogies for DMCs and show how this concept is related to other theories of motivation (e.g., goal setting theory, self-determination theory, theories of self-imagery and vision, etc.). In Chapter 2, Ushioda discusses the interaction between motivation, autonomy, and metacognition, highlighting the role of short- and long-term goal setting in fostering and developing learners’ engagement in processes believed to positively influence ongoing motivation in FL learning. In Chapter 3, Coyle illustrates how learners and instructors can work together to enhance the quality of the classroom learning environment. Specifically, by means of the learning-oriented critical incident technique process, learners and teachers identify, analyze, and discuss “learning moments” (pp. 61-63) in the classroom that lead to the coconstruction of an environment conducive to FL learning. In Chapter 4, Kubanyiova addresses the role of the language teacher in motivation and FL learning. Ultimately, she outlines an agenda for research that moves beyond instructors’ cognition to examine their vision for language teaching or “the emotional, moral, motivational and imaginative dimensions of language teachers’ work” (p. 85).

Part 2 of this volume features studies on motivation in FL classrooms. In Chapter 5, Henry presents the case of English language learning in Swedish schools in which many students reported believing that they learned just as much (or more) English outside of the classroom as within and consequently lacked motivation for language learning in an instructional setting. Henry’s study demonstrates the importance of considering all of the ways in which students engage with the FL, particularly when it has the potential to negatively influence learning in the classroom. The study reported by Doiz, Lasagabaster, and Sierra in Chapter 6 sought to identify the aspects of content and language integrated learning (CLIL) classes that students in Basque schools found motivating and demotivating. The authors found that students were highly motivated by CLIL classes, and they outline areas in which CLIL instructors can address boredom, the most common demotivating factor cited by students. In Chapter 7, Lorenzo also takes up the topic of motivation in CLIL teaching, showing how classroom materials and practices encourage motivation and, by extension, goal-oriented behavior. Finally, drawing on the results of a year-long study that investigated university students’ engagement with learning German, in Chapter 8, Busse discusses the role of challenge, goals, and feedback in learning motivation. This discussion concludes with a helpful list of guiding questions for practitioners to consider in their own teaching.

Taken together, the chapters in this book will serve as a valuable resource for seasoned and novice scholars, teachers, and students who are interested in the connections—both theoretical and practical—between motivation and FL learning. Making these connections is the central purpose, and perhaps the strongest contribution, of this volume, a point that is further strengthened by the editors’ final discussion of practical paths for extending FL learning motivation research and positively influencing motivation in pedagogical practice (Epilogue). Another strength of this work is the inclusion of classroom-based studies from which language teachers can adopt methods for assessing the relationship between motivation and FL learning and teaching in their own classrooms. As such, this volume has the potential to encourage reflection and promote action research that may improve motivation in the FL classroom. Furthermore, it encourages us to consider more seriously the role of motivation in FL learning and teaching not only as it relates to future goals (i.e., in the long term) but also as it relates to goals in the here-and-now (i.e., in the short term).