Directed motivational currents and mindsets: An exploration of the Turkish EFL context

This research investigates the relationships between directed motivational currents and the mindsets of students in language learning processes in the context of Türkiye. The research was conducted with 63 adult students studying in the English Language Teaching program at Pamukkale University in Denizli. A qualitative descriptive research design was adopted for this study. The data collection process was carried out using one-on-one face-to-face interviews with students. Semi-structured interview questions were prepared for data collection. MAXQDA Analytics Pro 2022 was used for data management and analysis. As a result of the data analysis, a total of 14 different directed motivational current and three mindset codes were reached. The results revealed that the students who participated in the study enjoyed experiencing the directed motivational currents but still felt stressed and anxious. On the other hand, participants reported being more productive during their directed motivational currents experience. Furthermore, a large majority of participants indicated that they would be willing to re-experience such an experience. It was emphasized that the participants experienced the directed motivational currents during their language learning journey, mostly in high school and in the year, they were preparing for the university entrance exam. It was concluded that almost half of the participants believed that our language learning intelligence could change, but the other half did not. It has been found that there are more people who believe that our language capacity can change than that our skills can improve. No relationship has been found between directed motivational currents and mindset in the context of language learning. Based on the research findings, various suggestions and implications for future research on directed motivational currents and mindsets in language learning are presented.