Engaging Language Learners in Contemporary Classrooms

Student engagement, as an emotional, behavioural, and cognitive construct (Reschly and Christenson 2012), has long been theoretically and practically researched in the field of education (Sinatra, Heddy, and Lombardi 2015), although this topic attracted little attention in the arena of second language acquisition (SLA). Yet how teachers can effectively engage students in language learning still needs to be further investigated. The book under review, in which Mercer and Dörnyei focus on the affective variables of learning engagement and explore the construction of an ecological environment to actively involve learners in language learning, is an answer to this call. Most importantly, Mercer and Dörnyei propose principles and strategies for teachers to adopt in their attempts to trigger and maintain students’ learning engagement. The book treats student engagement as consisting of active behavioural participation in language learning, which is highly influenced by the students’ own psychology and their...