Motivational Trajectories of DMC and Non-DMC Male EFL Learners: A Sociocultural Theory Perspective

This study investigates the motivational disparities between male EFL learners in Korea experiencing Directed Motivational Currents (DMC; Dörnyei et al., 2016) and those who do not (non-DMCs), using sociocultural theory (SCT) as a theoretical framework. SCT posits that motivation is not a static trait but a socially and emotionally mediated process shaped by learners' interactions with their environments. Drawing on the constructs of perezhivanie (Vygotsky, 1935/1994), affordance, mediation, and internalization, this study explored how learners' engagement with learning contexts contributes to the continuity or fragility of their motivation. The participants were 35 12th-grade male students, and subsets were classified into DMC and non-DMC groups based on their mean motivation scores and standard deviations across school years. A qualitative content analysis was performed on retrospective motivation narratives to identify stage-specific motivators and demotivators across the elementary, middle, and high school levels. The findings indicate that DMC learners maintained motivation by internalizing emotionally significant learning experiences and consistently engaging in goal-directed behaviors supported by peer interaction and teacher mediation. By contrast, non-DMC learners displayed fragmented and externally driven motivation, often disrupted by emotional setbacks or a lack of meaningful engagement. These results underscore the significance of designing emotionally resonant and socially mediated learning environments that foster the sustained development of learner motivation in EFL classrooms.