Directed Motivational Currents refer to periods of sustained motivational momentum characterized by clear direction, structured pathways, and feedback. This study examines how teacher cognition shapes DMC-like engagement in exam-driven EFL classrooms and how these processes surface in learners’ moment-to-moment engagement. Using a longitudinal multiple-case design, five EFL teachers in public schools were followed over one academic year. Data included teacher interviews, classroom observations and field notes, teacher reflections, learner interviews, focus groups, and motometers tracking within-lesson engagement trajectories. Data were managed in MAXQDA and analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase model, with triangulation across teacher- and learner-side sources. Findings show that while teachers valued DMC principles, they viewed full DMCs as difficult to sustain under exam cycles and pacing constraints. Instead, teacher cognition emphasized route-building practices, including clarifying direction, sequencing subgoals, maintaining routines, and providing frequent low-stakes feedback, supporting episodic DMC-like engagement. However, institutional route-change events and learner-level fragility disrupted continuity, shifting engagement toward exam-framed persistence and reducing learner-owned momentum. The study delineates the boundary between DMC-like engagement and exam-driven persistence and offers guidance for motivational route design.
Teimourtash et al. (Sun,) studied this question.