动态系统理论视角下的大学生英语学习动机发展变化研究

A Study on the Dynamic Development of College Students’ English Learning Motivation from the Perspective of DST

本研究从动态系统理论的视角对5名大学生的英语学习动机进行两个学期的跟踪调查,主要考察了动机系统的发展变化轨迹特征、状态空间特征和系统间的相互适应。研究结果显示:1)从整体历时特征看,5名学生的动机发展轨迹既有交汇也有偏离;动机起始状态与动机的发展变化不存在直线关系。5名学生的动机发展轨迹有明显的个体差异,主要有平稳—波动型、平稳上升型和波动型。2)动机发展状态空间主要包括两波吸引子和两波排斥子,其中各种考试是主要的吸引子盆成因。3)系统因素间的相互适应带来系统的发展变化,主要有不同学科、同一学科不同任务、学习者与环境之间的相互适应。该研究有助于教师更好地了解学生学习动机发展变化的复杂动态特征,从而采取一定的策略提升学生学习动机。

From the perspective of dynamic systems theory, the present study investigated the dynamic development of five college students’ English learning motivation over the course of two semesters, focusing on the characteristics of motivational trajectory, features of motivational state space and the co-adaptation of systems. The results show that: 1) the motivational development trajectories of the five students have both converged and deviated;there is no linear relationship between the initial conditions and the development trajectory of the motivation. And there are obvious individual differences in the motivational development of the five students, with three main patterns of “steady development to fluctuant development”, “steady rise” and “fluctuant development”;2) there are mainly two attractors and two repellors in the state space of motivational development, with different kinds of English exams being the main cause of attractor basin;3) the co-adaptation between system components includes the coadaptation between different subjects, different tasks of the same subject, as well as learner and environment. The study is helpful for teachers to learn about the complex dynamic characteristics of students’ English learning motivation so as to enhance their students’ motivation by adopting various motivating strategies.