Underprivileged Students’ Second Language Motivation: Cases of Three Highly-Motivated Non-English Major Students

Abstract

This article presents the main qualitative findings from a mixed-methods study which applied Zoltán Dörnyei’s L2 Motivational Self System to explore the L2 motivation of 291 non-English major students in a regional university in Thailand. This article focuses on exploring three highlymotivated underprivileged students’ English motivation to gain insights into the extent to which the students’ possible L2-related selves and L2 learning experiences influence their L2 motivation. Also explored were the participants’ significant others’ perspectives on the participants’ English learning in order to gain a more holistic picture of the phenomena under study and to ensure data triangulation. Data were collected using a range of methods including semi-structured interviews and Snake interviews with the three main participants. Unstructured interviews were conducted with the main participants’ significant others. The interview transcripts were analyzed using content analysis. The findings revealed that there was a balance between the hope-for and feared selves, enabling the participants’ possible selves to motivate them in their English learning. The results also showed that the students’ L2 learning experience provided an immediate learning environment which fostered their development and motivated them in their English learning. These findings yielded important insights into how students’ L2-related selves play a crucial role in motivating them in their L2 learning as well as how policy planners, educators, administrators, teachers and parents can help create an environment which promotes L2 learning and motivation in their respective contexts.