Chapter 2. Agency in the EFL Classroom: The Motivational Role of Extracurricular Skills
Annika Albrecht and Carmen Becker
Annika Albrecht and Carmen Becker
Abstract
This chapter examines how integrating learners’ extracurricular skills into the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom can significantly enhance intrinsic motivation, autonomy, and agency. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory, autonomous language learning principles, and research on personal learning environments (PLEs), the authors show how learners’ interests, such as drawing, filmmaking, music, cooking, or gaming, function as powerful mediators of competence and self-efficacy. Evidence from empirical studies and classroom cases demonstrates that when students apply skills they already master, their perceived competence increases, anxiety decreases, and the locus of causality shifts toward internal motivation. The chapter presents findings from German secondary classrooms and Makerspace-inspired projects, illustrating how multimodal, self-expressive tasks foster autonomy, relatedness, and sustained engagement. Ultimately, the chapter argues that bridging formal EFL instruction with learners’ rich out-of-school learning practices re-imagines motivation, supports inclusive pedagogy, and positions students as capable, creative agents in their own language development.
About the Authors
Annika Albrecht, who holds an MSc in Organizational and Behavioral Psychology, is a lecturer and international teacher trainer with a strong focus on autonomous language learning and Montessori education. As Director of Didactics at a Montessori campus and lecturer in English teacher education at the University of Potsdam, she combines school leadership, hands-on classroom practice, and academic expertise. She is also the author of innovative learning materials for English as a Foreign Language. Her professional interests center on exploring how skill variety and creativity feed into high-quality motivation in the EFL classroom.
Carmen Becker is Professor of English Language Education and Dean of Studies at the School of Humanities and Education, TU Braunschweig, Germany. She has over 25 years’ experience in English language teaching, in-service teacher education, and transnational project management. Her research examines task design that fosters learner autonomy in prepared learning environments and makerspaces. She develops programs and materials for intercultural citizenship education and global learning in foreign language teacher education. Carmen leads the German teams for the Erasmus+ projects “Global Teachers for a Sustainable Future” and “Intercultural Citizenship Education through Teacher Education for the Mediation of Picturebooks.”
Citation
Albrecht, A., & Becker, C. (2025). Agency in the EFL classroom: The motivational role of extracurricular skills. In K. Heim, L. Dam, A. Albrecht, & C. Becker (Eds.), Reforming the foreign language classroom: Empowering learners to take ownership (pp. 37-60). Candlin & Mynard. https://doi.org/10.47908/40/2
This chapter examines how integrating learners’ extracurricular skills into the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom can significantly enhance intrinsic motivation, autonomy, and agency. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory, autonomous language learning principles, and research on personal learning environments (PLEs), the authors show how learners’ interests, such as drawing, filmmaking, music, cooking, or gaming, function as powerful mediators of competence and self-efficacy. Evidence from empirical studies and classroom cases demonstrates that when students apply skills they already master, their perceived competence increases, anxiety decreases, and the locus of causality shifts toward internal motivation. The chapter presents findings from German secondary classrooms and Makerspace-inspired projects, illustrating how multimodal, self-expressive tasks foster autonomy, relatedness, and sustained engagement. Ultimately, the chapter argues that bridging formal EFL instruction with learners’ rich out-of-school learning practices re-imagines motivation, supports inclusive pedagogy, and positions students as capable, creative agents in their own language development.
About the Authors
Annika Albrecht, who holds an MSc in Organizational and Behavioral Psychology, is a lecturer and international teacher trainer with a strong focus on autonomous language learning and Montessori education. As Director of Didactics at a Montessori campus and lecturer in English teacher education at the University of Potsdam, she combines school leadership, hands-on classroom practice, and academic expertise. She is also the author of innovative learning materials for English as a Foreign Language. Her professional interests center on exploring how skill variety and creativity feed into high-quality motivation in the EFL classroom.
Carmen Becker is Professor of English Language Education and Dean of Studies at the School of Humanities and Education, TU Braunschweig, Germany. She has over 25 years’ experience in English language teaching, in-service teacher education, and transnational project management. Her research examines task design that fosters learner autonomy in prepared learning environments and makerspaces. She develops programs and materials for intercultural citizenship education and global learning in foreign language teacher education. Carmen leads the German teams for the Erasmus+ projects “Global Teachers for a Sustainable Future” and “Intercultural Citizenship Education through Teacher Education for the Mediation of Picturebooks.”
Citation
Albrecht, A., & Becker, C. (2025). Agency in the EFL classroom: The motivational role of extracurricular skills. In K. Heim, L. Dam, A. Albrecht, & C. Becker (Eds.), Reforming the foreign language classroom: Empowering learners to take ownership (pp. 37-60). Candlin & Mynard. https://doi.org/10.47908/40/2
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Information About the Book
Title: Reforming the Foreign Language Classroom: Empowering Learners to Take Ownership Editors: Katja Heim, Leni Dam, Annika Albrecht, and Carmen Becker Read more... |