Robert C. Gardner obtained his Ph.D. in psychology from McGill University in 1960 under the direction of Wallace E. Lambert. He spent his last year of residency studying and working with John B. Carroll at the Graduate School of Education, Harvard University. He joined the Department of Psychology at the University of Western Ontario as a lecturer in 1961, and was promoted to Assistant Professor in 1962, Associate professor in 1966, and Professor in 1970. In July 2000, he was appointed Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Western Ontario, where he is continuing his research on individual differences in second language acquisition, teaching the graduate course in research design, and serving as statistical consultant to the department.

Offering a historical and empirical account, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the socio-educational model of second language acquisition. This approach to understanding motivational variables that promote success in the learning of a second or foreign language—distinguishing between language classroom motivation and language learning motivation—is a major one in the history of this field of research. Chapters include a discussion of the definition and measurement of motivation; historical foundations of the model; recent studies with the International Attitude Motivation Test Battery for English as a foreign language in different countries; the implications of the model to the classroom context; and a discussion of criticisms and misconceptions of the model. The book provides graduate students and researchers with unique coverage of this research-oriented approach as well as serving as a source book for the area. It is ideal for courses on motivation in second language learning, or as a supplemental text for research-oriented courses in applied linguistics, educational psychology, or language research in general.