Abstract
The aim of the current study was to develop and validate a new instrument that taps into learners’ self-image as a means of exploring language motivation, which plays a pivotal role in sustaining language learners’ efforts. A critical review of the literature revealed that the current measures of the second language (L2) self-guide instruments in language learning motivation research suffered from either under-representativeness of the ought-to L2 selfothers or weak validity of the ideal L2 selfown. Since multilingualism has become more salient in foreign language education, it was necessary to develop a measurement that could better reflect self-imagery which was both plausible and relevant in foreign language contexts. This study utilized four scales in total that tapped into the targeted latent constructs: ideal L2 selfown, ideal L2 selfothers, ought-to L2 selfown, and ought-to L2 selfothers. Two independent samples recruited from Taiwanese college students were employed in the study. After an item-pool was developed through interviewing and piloting, each subscale was comprised of 4 items, totaling 16 items for formal model testing. The formal model testing involved three phases. Phase I conducted an exploratory factor analysis to explore the possible dimensions using the first sample. Phase II proceeded with a series of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the eight hypothesized models using the second sample. Phase III also relied on the second sample and further examined the item fit performance by using the multidimensional Rasch model. The results of formal model testing confirmed the validity and reliability of a 4-factor correlated model, as well as the fit performance of the finalized scale items, and thus lent strong empirical support to Higgins’s theory regarding the inner structure of future self-guides. It is suggested that the new L2 self-guide scale can be adopted and applied to future L2 and languages other than English motivational research.
Highlights
Language learning motivation has been the target of a large body of research because of the significant role it plays in the process of language learning
The ideal L2 self refers to the representation of image one ideally hopes to possess in the future
Teimouri [32] has put forward a revised model of the L2 self through principal component analysis and the results suggested the L2 selves consist of three components: a unitary ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 selfown, and ought-to L2 selfothers
Summary
Language learning motivation has been the target of a large body of research because of the significant role it plays in the process of language learning. Over the past four decades, L2 motivation theory has evolved from an emphasis on a sociocultural milieu to a focus on the dynamic, cognitively-driven and context-situated self-construction process of a second language [1,2,3]. This paradigm shift highlights a recognition of the important identity-shaping process in L2 learning symbolized by an awareness of learning on a cultural and collective level as well as L2 self-individuality. The ideal L2 self refers to the representation of image one ideally hopes to possess in the future (wishes or aspirations). A principal premise in the L2MSS states that a perceived disparity between a learner’s present state and future self-guide acts as a catalyst to reduce the perceived divide and reach the ideal end-state
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