• ISSN: 2382-6282 (Print); 2972-3108 (Online)
    • Abbreviated Title: Int. J. Lang. Lit. Linguist.
    • Frequency: Quarterly
    • DOI: 10.18178/IJLLL
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    • Managing Editor:  Shira.W.Lu
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HOME > Archives > 2026 > Volume 12 Number 1 (2026) >
IJLLL 2026 Vol.12(1): 65-72
DOI: 10.18178/IJLLL.2026.12.1.632

Case Study on the Dynamic Change of Research Motivation of Foreign Language and Literature Academic Master’s Degree Candidates from the Perspective of Directed Motivational Currents

Yang Yiqun , Liu Fei*
School of Foreign Studies, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’ an, China
Email: carolyang0227@163.com (Y.Y.); sophiayucheng@nwpu.edu.cn (L.F.)
*Corresponding author

Manuscript received October 27, 2025; accepted December 1, 2025; published March 25, 2026

Abstract—Graduate education is essential for cultivating innovative research talent, yet many academic master’s students in Foreign Language and Literature show insufficient research capability and participation in scholarly activities. Research motivation plays a crucial role in sustaining graduate students’ engagement in research and fostering academic development. However, little is known about how research motivation evolves dynamically over time at the individual level. In response to this underexplored area, this study examines the individual characteristics and typical dynamic characteristics of the research motivation of master’s candidates in foreign language and literature. Guided by the directed motivational currents theory and employing retrodictive qualitative modeling method, the research identifies three key findings. First, the diachronic fluctuation trajectory of the student’s research motivation presents the characteristics of directed motivational currents, which is a soft assembly of willingness, cognition, emotionality, and behavior. Second, it gradually internalizes along the trajectory of “external regulation—introjected regulation—failure avoidance—identified regulation”, and the degree of self-determination gradually strengthens. Third, in this process, the student’s emotions and language competence are coordinated with and adapted to the guidance and assistance of the supervisor, promoting the dynamic development of her academic motivation. This study demonstrates the practical value of directed motivational currents in stimulating and maintaining research motivation, especially the positive role of emotional factors, which may have some inspiration for cultivating the research competence of master’s candidate in foreign language and literature academic.
 
Keywords—directed motivational currents, academic master’s candidate in foreign language and literature, research motivation, individual characteristics, typical dynamic characteristics

Cite: Yang Yiqun and Liu Fei, "Case Study on the Dynamic Change of Research Motivation of Foreign Language and Literature Academic Master’s Degree Candidates from the Perspective of Directed Motivational Currents," International Journal of Languages, Literature and Linguistics, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 65-72, 2026.

Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).


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