Directed Motivational Currents in US Undergraduate Language Learners: A Mixed‐Methods Study

ABSTRACT Directed motivational currents (DMC) are periods of intense engagement in tasks related to highly valued goals. The current study examined the prevalence and characteristics of DMC experiences in learning of languages other than English among undergraduate students from two universities in the United States, along with factors that may promote DMC. This study investigated both internal and external contributors, including hope, language mindset, and teachers’ autonomy support. Using a mixed‐methods approach, the data indicated that learners’ DMC experiences were generally highly intense and short lived and more evident in learners with low to intermediate proficiency levels. Hope directly predicted DMC experiences; language mindset and teachers’ autonomy support indirectly predicted DMC through hope.