Research on Motivation Issues in Speech Therapy: A Design Deconstruction from a Humanistic Perspective

Abstract

Language disorders are becoming increasingly heterogeneous and complex, positioning language health as a critical component of public health. As a core domain within language rehabilitation, speech therapy faces a persistent challenge: limited long-term treatment adherence, largely driven by a decline in patients’ intrinsic motivation—a phenomenon often described as the “motivation dilemma.” Adopting a human-centered analytical framework, this study deconstructs motivational challenges in speech therapy across multiple dimensions, including patient experience, therapist roles, and therapeutic settings. The analysis demonstrates how repetitive training tasks, ambiguous goal structures, insufficient or delayed feedback, and accumulated psychological and social pres- sures collectively contribute to motivational erosion. Rather than proposing specific intervention strategies, this paper offers a problem-oriented, interdisciplinary account of the motivational landscape embedded in speech therapy. The study aims to provide a conceptual foundation for future theoretical development and practice-oriented refinement within rehabilitation and design research.