ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of the book. The book is about intriguing motivational phenomenon of long-term motivational surges. Not only can these currents be observed in all forms of human activity, but, when they do occur, they have a powerful impact. A Directed Motivational Currents (DMC) is qualitatively different from the ongoing motivation of a good student; instead, it is a relatively short-term, highly intense burst of motivational energy focused towards a clearly defined goal, and, as such, it functions over and on top of the steady motivation which a good student will exhibit throughout the year. Despite learning a language in completely different contexts, three learners share a strikingly common DMC experience. The African woman, Bina, acquiring Swedish, the language of her new country of residence, next, a European woman, Hanna, learning Polish as a foreign language, and later a Middle Eastern man, Asan, studying Global English in his homeland.
