A Critical Review on the Socio-educational Model of SLA

Abstract—Gardner's socio-educational model is the leading theory of motivation in the area of language learning (MacIntyre, 2002). Focusing on integrative motivation (Gu, 2009), it presents a dynamic model in which attitude and motivation affect language achievement, and language achievement itself affects attitude and motivation in an almost cyclical fashion (Gardner, 2001b). Although many researches have dealt with this model, few have scrutinized it a concise format. This paper, consequently, attempts to meet such an end. Index Terms—socio-educational model, motivation, integrativeness, orientation, attitudes toward the learning situation I