ABSTRACT
This chapter will begin by considering the emergence of the complexity paradigm and ecological perspectives that have become popular in the field of language education, and by critically considering the potency of these perspectives for a richer understanding of language education in general and language learning motivation in particular. Through the course of this discussion, the chapter will examine empirical studies that have adopted these perspectives, highlighting the kinds of insights that these approaches are able to yield. The chapter will then move on to consider the work of the DFG, setting this up as the overall conceptual framework guiding the rest of the book. It will be discussed as a metatheory for understanding the theories that already exist in the field, thus operating as a means of bringing together extensive interdisciplinary knowledge to form a holistic and integrated perspective on language education. The discussion will critically examine the usefulness of the framework for operationalizing the complex interplay between learners’ psychology, the interactions they participate in, the institutions within which interactions take place and which mediate learners’ access to diverse interaction contexts, and the macro context within which institutions function and that mediate access and opportunity at every level. In proposing an integrated view of language education, the chapter will also consider how the framework can act as a metatheory bringing together the existing theories of motivation that were discussed in the previous chapter.
