The title of his thesis was Progressive creation and the struggles of humankind in the Bible: An experiment in canonical narrative interpretation.
He began his career at the School of English and American Studies of the Faculty of Humanities of the Eötvös Loránd University in 1988.
[3] This model shifts the emphasis from the historic assumptions of pre-actional ‘choice motivation’ to volitional/executive aspects of goal attainment during the actional phrase.
[8] The preactional phase is a very high paced process, where an individual cycles through wishes, hopes, and desires to get to a point of action.
[8] The second dimension of the behavioural process indicates that the initial motivational influences have progressed into goal, which ultimately lead to intention and action.
[9] Language learners should be exposed to many different inputs that cover the four main categories (reading, writing, speaking, and listening).
[11] Cohesive groups interact and share personal information, participating actively in conversations essential for second language acquisition.
[10] Dörnyei suggests many ways teachers can create group cohesiveness in a second language learning classroom including, but not limited to: 1.
Proximity, contact and interaction - When designing their classrooms and learning tasks, teachers should consider students' physical closeness in their seating plans.
[11] The way desks are arranged and how a classroom is personalized has an impact on students' ownership and engagement with the learning environment.
These positive feelings, memories and shared experiences are brought back to the classroom, building group cohesiveness.
[11] Group norms can be applied explicitly by the teacher or school, or can develop implicitly as an unspoken, agreed upon code of conduct.
[11] Studies have shown that positive group norms can have a significant impact on a student's motivation and academic achievement.
[12] The degree of guidance a teacher provides will change depending on a group's level of maturity and their development towards self-direction in their learning.
[11] There are practical and deliberate strategies a teacher can use to promote student motivation once group cohesiveness and positive interpersonal relationships have been established.
[11] Teachers need to generate enthusiasm and share the benefits of learning a second language to promote positive student attitudes.
[11] Tasks should be motivating and learners' self-esteem and confidence protected, as there will be many distractions, and commitment to self-established goals may diminish.
[11] They can highlight students' progress and successes, reinforce the importance of effort over ability and provide supportive and motivating feedback.
[4] Building on the work of psychologists Hazel Markus and Paula Nurius (1986) and their article Possible Selves https://cursa.ihmc.us/rid=1LQJK1Z9J-16LFNTG-39MK/Possible%20Selves%20ARTICLE.pdf, Dörnyei developed the L2 Motivational Self System framework.
The Ought-to L2 Self - This is the learner's image of what future qualities they ought to possess to prevent negative outcomes, involving duties, expectations and responsibilities imposed externally by others.
[13] In order for the Ideal L2 Self to act as a powerful motivator, the learner must have a strong and detailed vision of themselves as an L2 speaker.
[15][14] Teachers can help learners realize their Ideal L2 self by raising self-awareness and enhancing the vivacity of students' L2 images, dreams and desires.
[19] Rather, motivation ebbs and flows, depending on many factors including the day, the topic, or the context, constantly changing over time.
[19] Vision, according to Dörnyei, is the highest-order of motivation, a goal combined with an imagined future reality, capable of overcoming these natural ebbs and flows, transforming action and engagement into long term effort.
[19][20] The DMC, combined with tangible achievement of sub-goals, propels a learner forward, maintaining momentum.
[19] Sometimes a person's vision for themselves can lay dormant for many years, waiting for the right set of circumstances to present themselves, a turning point in their lives.
[21] DMCs take on a life of their own, they create an all-consuming preoccupation, a momentum that propels a person towards the attainment of their goal.
[19][20] To create a vision-inspired second language learning environment where students' Directed Motivational Currents may emerge and are nurtured, Dörnyei suggests the following: 1.
[21] A recent systematic review of Directed Motivational Currents has shown that, when they are deliberately induced by teachers, Directed Motivational Currents can result in intense stress, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, and panic attacks in students—raising ethical concerns about this teaching strategy.
[5] In his most recent article it was identified that there is more benefit for language learners who have access to deeper engagement with materials that include mental imagery.