A Study On Attractor States In English Learning Motivation Of Chinese PhD Students In Science And Engineering

Motivation,as the variable with the greatest degree of influence on individuals among affective factors,has been the focus of research in the field of second language acquisition.The research on second language learning motivation began as early as the late 1950 s,when Robert Gardner & Wallace Lambert first introduced social psychology to the field of research on second language learning motivation.The academic circle‘s definition of second language learning motivation has continuously changed from the static in the initial stage to the dynamic.At the same time,the focus of research has gradually been placed on the dynamic process of second language learning motivation itself.As a new research paradigm,dynamic systems theory advocates dynamic,complex,and nonlinear thinking in conducting research,focusing on the dynamic development path that language undergoes over time,which opens up the new perspective for the next research on second language learning motivation.The attractor,as one of the important concepts of the dynamic systems theory,has attracted the attention of researchers in recent years.Maslow‘s hierarchy of needs theory suggests that needs generate motivation.The publication of English thesis in international journals and participation in international conferences have become mandatory requirements for the graduation of PhD students in science and engineering.This group has a greater need for English as a language,which in turn promotes the formation of English learning motivation.The existing research on attractor states in the process of motivation development are mostly quantitative studies with university students as the research subjects,and the studies for PhD students have not been covered.Based on this,this study adopts the qualitative research method to select four PhD students in science and engineering as the subjects for an 8-month chronological case follow-up study,using the motivation development trajectory map,interviews,and reflective journals as the primary data,and coding the textual materials through the qualitative analysis software Nvivo12.On the basis of the above,the micro-level description and analysis of the attractor states in the English learning motivation of PhD students in science and engineering is conducted to provide ways and suggestions for improving the initiative and efficiency of English learning of PhD students in science and engineering.This study focuses on four questions: the general trend of motivation development trajectory and the variability of motivation development trajectory among individuals,the main attractors in the process of motivation development,the cause of the attractor basin and the role of environmental factors,and the development dynamics of the attractor state operation trajectory.The analysis of the experimental data shows that the motivation development process in general and in individuals is dynamic,and in the intermediate emerges the temporary stable state;the motivation development trajectories of the four subjects of the study are distinctive and differential,but also coincide in the trend under the effect of environmental factors;by coding the collected textual materials,learning situation,communication medium and external requirement are derived as the main attractors in the English learning motivation development process;the attractor basins are present in the motivation development process of all four subjects and are to a large extent influenced by environmental factors;the operation trajectories of both the overall and individual attractor states are dynamic,stable,and contextual,and the whole development process is full of variability and unpredictability,which is consistent with the core view of dynamic systems theory.Compared with the domestic previous studies,this study has the following three innovations: first,the selection of PhD students in science and engineering as the research subjects fills the gap in the domestic research on the attractor states in PhD students’ English learning motivation;second,considering the feasibility of theory for practice guidance,the classification criteria of Li Shujing & Gao Yihong et al.(2003)on the second language learning motivation of postgraduate students in China is selected for the follow-up study,and the analysis and discussion of the experimental results are carried out with this classification as the theoretical framework;third,based on the three core features of dynamic systems theory: dynamism,stability and contextuality,the dynamism and stability(attractor states)in the motivation system development process are explained in relation to contextual factors.Although this study has achieved certain outcomes,there are yet a lot of deficiencies that need enhancement: first,the number of research subjects is relatively small,the level of coverage is not diverse enough,and the span of geographical scope is narrow;second,the study is conducted for a relatively short period of time;third,the research method is single,which will affect the objectivity and comprehensiveness of the experimental results to a certain extent;fourth,this study lacks observational investigation for classroom environment and single English environment,and the types of situations involved need to be further enriched.Future research should appropriately increase the number of subjects,extend the duration of experimental observation,use a variety of research methods,encompass a variety of English learning environment models,and focus on enhancing the researcher‘s own professionalism in order to improve the effectiveness of experimental observation and make the conclusions more convincing.This study is only a preliminary exploration in the field,based on the dynamic systems theory,to investigate the attractor states in the English learning motivation of PhD students in science and engineering,aiming to provide targeted advice on stimulating the English learning motivation and maintaining the high-intensity motivation of PhD students in science and engineering,and also indirectly provide some reference for the reform of English teaching for PhD students.