An example of how one might cycle through these phases would be:
• A secondary school learner in Saudi Arabia is excited about an upcoming trip to Italy and
decides to take an Italian course (choice motivation).
• After a few months of grammar lessons she becomes frustrated with the course, stops going to
classes (executive motivation) and finally decides to drop the course.
• A week later a friend tells her about a great Italian conversation course she is taking, and her
'choice motivation' is activated again.
• She decides to register in the conversation course and in just a few weeks she develops some
basic Italian conversational skills and a feeling of accomplishment. Her satisfaction level is so
positive (motivation retrospection) that she decides to enroll in a more advanced Italian course
when she returns from her trip to Italy.