CLER Lunchtime conversation on Researching Language Learning Motivation

You are invited to a lunchtime conversation at the Centre for Language Education Research led by Lou Harvey, Jessica Bradley, Martin Lamb, Gary Chambers (School of Education) and Esther Harper.

This will be an informal event and you are not expected to prepare anything in advance - just come and join the conversation, and bring your lunch!

Although language learning motivation is a substantial academic field, the assumptions and purposes underpinning motivation research are rarely made explicit. We would like to start a conversation exploring these assumptions, and to think about what, fundamentally, we are trying to do as researchers of language learning motivation and users of motivation research. We will structure our conversation around the following questions:

Why do we want to understand motivation for language learning?

Why should people learn and teach languages?

Who does motivation research benefit?