Better ways to translate 积极? Alright before I get a bunch of crappy answers saying things like:

&gt; postive 
&gt; active 
&gt; energetic 
&gt; vigorous 
&gt; proactive


I just want to say these are not the words -or- phrases I'm looking for.

I feel like 积极 is very versatile and clear but I always have a hard time translating it back to English or finding a good equivalent to express the same thing in English.

For the following contexts what English word or phrase would you use to express 积极?

他在课堂上举手发言不是很积极 
他做事很都积极


I want to use something like enthusiastic but it doesn't quite express it for me...any ideas?
i think proactive and enthusiastic are pretty good translations. you typically use 積極 to describe such qualities in a younger person who's eager to learn or do something but still humble to listen to advice, so it's not used a lot to comment on older people, though you can also use it to describe someone who's new to a role and wants to do a good job. e.g. a newly elected president (who's never been a president before). maybe that's what you feel is missing from the english words? 

same thing for the opposite adjective 消極, which also lends itself better to describe younger people IMHO.