L2 Learning Motivation Research Articles

한국 대학생 영어학습자들의 종단적 영어 학습동기 변화: 회고적 모티그래프 및 자서전적 에세이를 중심으로

This paper investigates Korean EFL students’ learning (de)motivation factors according to the level of students’ English learning motivation. A total of 41 undergraduate students reflected on their past ten years of English learning experiences and submitted autobiographic essays with ‘motigraph,’ marking their annual changes of English learning motivation from 0 to 10. The data were analyzed with Grounded Theory. The findings revealed that the factors that increased or decreased English learning motivation were different according to students’ level of motivation. Students with low-level motivation were influenced by their teacher or parents, while those with high-level motivation were influenced by their past L2 learning experiences perceived positively by themselves. In both groups, the factors of emotional experiences caused by negative L2 learning experiences were the main reasons for demotivation. This paper emphasizes the importance of subjective appraisal in maintaining students’ L2 learning motivation and recovering from the state of demotivation.

Tahfiz Students’ Attitudes and Motivation in L2 Learning: Through the Eyes of English Teachers

Tahfiz Students’ Attitudes and Motivation in L2 Learning: Through the Eyes of English Teachers

Directed Motivational Currents in L2: A focus on triggering factors, initial conditions, and (non)defining features

Recent trends in the field of L2 learning motivation have led to a proliferation of studies that examine Directed Motivational Currents (DMCs). However, there remains a paucity of evidence on the factors that trigger the launch of DMCs and previous research findings into the central components of DMCs have been contradictory. This qualitative study addresses these gaps by looking at the possible parameters that trigger DMCs, and examining the initial conditions necessary for the launch of DMCs, and the (non)defining core features of it. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 EFL learners pursuing a bachelor's degree in Turkey. The factors triggering learners' DMCs were negative emotion, emergent opportunity, single and explicit goal, good teacher/classmates/motivating class group, moments of realization, a sense of achievement, a passion/interest for something, element of competition, external pressure, a big life decision, vision, outcome led, belief that the work had real value, and inspiring experience. Perceived behavioural control and challenge-skill balance were two initial conditions necessary for DMCs to begin. Goal orientedness, salient facilitative structure, and positive emotionality were found to be the core features of DMCs. The findings offer significant implications for how teachers could exploit these motivational surges to promote learning in EFL settings.

A Multidimensional Understanding of Italian L2 Learner Motivation among University Students in a Predominantly English-Speaking Environment

AbstractStudies on motivation in learning Italian in Australia have mostly shed light on students’ creation of an ideal Italian self (e.g., Caruso and Fraschini). In doing so, they appear mainly to explore students’ psychological reactions to the Italian learning process. Our study aims to complement previous research through the use of a three-level model (D'Orazzi, Motivation) that incorporates the analysis of psychological and cognitive components at the micro level, pedagogical dynamics at the meso level, and social context at the macro level. While taking a strongly quantitative approach, its results also build on and potentially contrast with those of a recent qualitative study undertaken by D'Orazzi and Hajek on university students’ motivation when learning Italian in an English-speaking country such as Australia. In this article, we analyze survey data collected among students of Italian enrolled at a selection of Australian universities. Two online questionnaires were sent to students who answered fifty-one Likert scale questions addressing their learning experience as beginner students over one year of Italian studies. Our results point to the multidimensional and dynamic nature of second language learning motivation over time (Oakes and Howard), also following Danesi's argument that pedagogical factors need to be considered in studies on L2 learning motivation.

Relationship between Intercultural Communicative Competence and L2 Learning: Iranian EFL Learners’ Motivation and Achievement

This study aimed to scrutinize the measurement of ICC and then investigate the relationship between Iranian L2 learners and their L2 learning motivation, and achievement on the one hand, and the difference between ICC and motivation of EFL learners, on the other. To do this, the participants included 60 B.A. Translation and 60 B.A. non-Translation students in universities in Iran. A test battery including the final version of the ICC questionnaire and an L2-learning motivation questionnaire adapted from Gardner’s attitude/motivation test battery was then administered to a random selection of both English and non-English students. The correlation results showed that there was not a significant relationship between L2 learners’ ICC and L2-learning motivation. In the meantime, t-test results depicted that there was not a significant difference between English and non-English Iranian EFL learners. The correlations results showed that there was a significant relationship between ICC and achievement of English students. This study can convince the learners to become aware of the significance of ICC and the effect of teaching English on developing this competence.

Motivation, self-construal, and gender in project-based learning

ABSTRACT Self-construal refers to the process by which individuals define the self in relation to others. It underpins cognition, motivation, and social behavior. While the importance of the self is well acknowledged in the field of second language (L2) learning motivation, how self-construal is associated with L2 learning motivation in project-based learning (PBL) settings remains understudied. Further, considering the observed link between self-construal and gender, self-construal may also account for how gender differences emerge in L2 learning motivation. This study examined the associations among self-construal, gender, and motivation to learn English as a foreign language (EFL) in a PBL context. Japanese university students responded to questionnaires on self-construal and motivation after being taught by the PBL approach for one year. The results showed a prominent impact of gender and self-construal on motivation. Female students and students with higher interdependent self-construal tended to be more motivated toward L2 learning, while male students and students with lower interdependent self-construal tended to be less motivated.

A Review of L2 Learning Motivation Research Using L2 Motivational Self System

Since the initiation of Dörnyei’s (2009) L2 Motivational Self System model (L2MSS) in 2009, research on the second language (L2) learning motivation has witnessed unprecedented achievements. This recent study offered a brief review of significant research findings on L2 motivation that drew on the L2MSS framework from 2009 to 2021. Studies included in this review were categorized by two universal research approaches: quantitative and qualitative. Besides main research results that contributed to the L2 learners’ learning motivational profiles and the theoretical refinements of the L2MSS, brief descriptions of research instruments employed were included to provide insight into research methodologies currently used in L2 motivation and L2MSS studies. The reviewed research findings showed that while the quantitative paradigm remained dominant among studies that employed L2MSS, qualitative studies offered a deeper understanding of L2 motivation and emergent themes of the framework obtained by narrative data. The review provided theoretical and practical implications for future L2 motivation research drawn on the L2MSS.

Hungarian secondary school EFL teachers’ perceptions of their students’ individual differences: A validation study

Besides classroom-based EFL lessons, EFL learners have a plethora of opportunities to learn the language by engaging in out-of-school or in other words extramural English activities. As learners pursue these activities for entertainment purposes, extramural English activities may be closely associated with L2 learning motivation. In addition to motivation, several other individual learner differences, namely L2 anxiety and L2 willingness to communicate are also important in both the school-based and the extramural learning contexts, as motivating and stress-free environments may lead to a decrease in learners’ level of L2 anxiety and an increase in the level of their L2 willingness to communicate. Using the quantitative research paradigm, the present pilot study aimed to investigate Hungarian secondary school EFL teachers’ perceptions of their students’ individual learner differences as well as extramural EFL learning. The preliminary results show that participants demonstrate an overall positive attitude towards extramural EFL learning and considered their students to be relatively motivated to learn English, to be willing to speak English in EFL classes. Finally, participants’ responses also show that they do not perceive their students anxious in EFL classes.

A study of online adult English learners’ perception of their English learning motivation and L2 selves

This study aims to investigate the perception that Korean graduate students are motivated to study English. Unlike the controversial early studies on L2 (second language) motivation (Gardner, 1985; Gardner & Lambert, 1959, 1972), Korean adult English learners were measured to have a distinctive self-system (Dörnyei, 2005, 2009) in their L2 selves. 78 graduate school students from online English reading and practical English classes participated in the study. The semi-structured survey data analysis shows that the ideal self in possible selves significantly correlated with all three sub-types in L2 learning motivation. Their learning-oriented learning motivation, in particular, verified that both ideal self and ought-to self should be significantly meaningful predictors in practical English and English reading classes. The study’s implication considers how English teachers may reflect and utilize the features that Korean adult EFLs’ (English as a foreign language) learning motivation is more based on their inherent factors of possible self rather than external factors in learning L2. Based on the findings of the study, some pedagogical suggestions have been presented for further study.

English as a Vocational Passport: Japanese Medical Students and Second Language Learning Motivation

Recently, Japanese medical students are expected to acquire a high degree of English proficiency with the tacit understanding that it will feature in their future profession through interactions with non-Japanese patients and/or engagement with medical research. However, to the best of our knowledge, the motivation of Japanese medical students to learn English as a second language (L2) has not been studied. Using quantitative and qualitative questionnaires, we investigated the L2 learning motivation of second-year Japanese medical students and the degree to which the students have international posture, i.e., their awareness and openness to internationalization. The results revealed that the students were primarily instrumentally and vocationally motivated; in other words, their chief motivation for L2 learning came from an understanding of the usefulness of L2 proficiency for their future profession. The results also showed that the students had strong international posture, as evidenced by a deep desire to communicate internationally and an understanding of the role of English as a tool for global communication. The findings suggest that, to sustain or improve L2 learning motivation, educators should employ study materials that are pertinent to students’ future needs and professions.

The Effects of Private Education on Motivation and Affective Factors to Initiate L2 Communication in Class

Although private education has been accused of widening the learning gap between students and causing burdensome household expenditure, most elementary students start private English education even before the third grade. Research on effects of private education has presented supportive evidence for its effects on academic achievement. However, its effects have been investigated sparsely on motivation and affective aspects of learning. In addition, types of learning contents were not treated seriously in research. This study examined effects of duration and content types of private education on L2 learning motivation, L2 speaking anxiety, L2 communication confidence, and L2 WTC. A survey was conducted with 96 elementary students and survey data were analyzed. Depending on content types, participants were classified into traditional and communicative groups. Results confirmed significant effects of duration and content types of private education on L2 WTC. The amount of time of private education positively predicted L2 WTC in classrooms. Students who experienced communicative private education were more willing to participate in English communication. In the following analysis, effects of duration on variables were different between traditional and communicative groups. Based on these findings, educational implications and suggestions for future studies are presented.

Freshman Students’ Motivated Behavior Indicators in EAP Courses

Attendance, L2 motivation, and language learning achievement indicators were pursued in a EAP course at a Civil Engineering Department for freshman students . Quantitative methodology via motivated behavior scale, first midterm grades and attendance was employed. The survey instrument was translated into Turkish, and both translation and back translation procedures were conducted to ensure the content validity of the instruments. The study was conducted at a state university in the North of Turkey, with 45 participants. These participants were 1st year students between the ages of 18 and 22. All of the participants -at the time of data collection- were A1 level students, as measured according to descriptors proposed in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (Council of Europe, 2001). The quantitative data were analyzed through SPSS Statistics. Parametric tests were employed as the data showed a normal distribution. Both descriptive statistics and inferential analysis including Independent Samples T-test, One-way ANOVA, Pearson Correlation were applied and conclusions were drawn. The results demonstrated that the freshman learners in the educational context had medium level L2 learning motivation. Female students were a little more successful in their language achievement compared to male students. While motivation had a big impact on language learning achievement and was central in the interplay between the variables, absence had no effect at all. The higher was the motivation, the higher were the grades. This study concludes that achievement is stimulated by motivation

Possible Impact of Overseas Study on Language Ability and Motivation to Study English

The present study explored whether two semester overseas study programs had any impact on participants’ language ability and motivation to study English. The language ability, L2 learning motivation and learning attitude of 65 Japanese university students participating in semester-long study abroad programs were measured pre departure and on their return. TOEIC listening and reading tests were used to measure students’ linguistic gains, and possible changes to students’ L2 motivation and attitudes were measured using a survey created specifically for the purpose of this study. Statistical analysis implied a significant effect from the two overseas programs on TOEIC scores and motivation and attitude, with motivational intensity prior to departure being a significant predictor of TOEIC gains. The findings underscore the idiosyncratic nature of studying abroad, and will be of use in designing and implementing post-overseas study programs.

Motivational Languaging for L2 Learning and Motivation

This paper focuses on the effect of motivational languaging activities (MLAs) on EFL learning motivation. Swain (2006) defines languaging as “the process of making meaning and shaping knowledge and experience through language” (p. 98). We extend Swain’s original notion to L2 motivation; through MLAs, L2 learners are encouraged to talk or write about the importance of L2 learning and their visions in their own words. Various types of activities were implemented for elementary, junior high, and high school students: 1) written, 2) spoken, and 3) spoken plus written activities, in individual or group conditions. By using questionnaires, students’ motivational changes including their ideal L2 self and the ought-to L2 self (Dörnyei, 2009) were measured at the beginning and the end of the participation in the activities. The results indicated that students in experimental groups exhibited various increases in their motivations, compared to no significant changes in control groups. Furthermore, the written form proved to be a more effective type of activities, especially when students engaged in it individually. Findings suggest the usefulness of MLAs for enhancing L2 learning motivation.

Motivational languaging intervention for L2 learners: The differential effect of individual and group writing

This study aims to enhance second language (L2) learners’ motivation and facilitate successful L2 learning by using motivational languaging, an intervention that encourages learners to reflect on, and externalize, their L2-speaking, competent future self-concepts by writing or speaking about them. Two types of effective languaging activities were developed: individual and group writing. Participants were 264 Grade 10 high school students, divided into three groups: one control group and two experimental groups. Using activity workbooks, the first experimental group engaged in ‘individual writing’ guided by a series of questions in their workbooks (e.g. reasons for learning English and their ideal images of using English). The second experimental group carried out ‘group writing’, including group discussions and writing of group members’ opinions. The activities were conducted in the participants’ first language, Korean, for 30–40 minutes once a week for six weeks. The results indicated, in the two experimental groups, that the participants’ L2 learning motivation was enhanced, including the ideal L2 self. When observing the changes in the influence of motivation on motivated L2 learning behavior and English proficiency, meaningful increases were only found in the individual writing group, with the ideal L2 self showing more powerful impact on the two criterion measures after the activities.

Strategic Criticism in Second Language Class

Criticism is one of the important speech acts in class. Some teachers' criticism may threaten students’ face and lower their self-confidence and motivation in L2 learning. “Green Criticism”, which is indirect and friendly, is suggested to establish a harmonious relationship between teachers and students as well as improving teaching efficiency. It can be presented in two forms: verbal criticism and non-verbal criticism: As to verbal criticism, appropriate words like appropriate person deixis, hedges and positive words should be carefully selected to protect students’ self-esteem. Besides, empathetic mood such as passive voice, subjunctive, rising tone and stroking can be utilized to lessen face-threatening acts. Other pragmatic skills including application of request and humor as well as violation of CP are also effective in solving problems occurring in class. As for non-verbal criticism, keeping silent, using eye contact, walking around, changing facial expression and employing gestures are techniques to solve problems in class effectively. Different problems occurring in an English class of 7th grade in a training school in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province of China are used as examples to illustrate the strategies of criticism.

Perezhivaniya in L2 learning and motivation from a sociocultural perspective: A qualitative analysis of retrospective L2 learning essays

This article focuses on the role of perezhivaniya , or “emotional experiences,” in understanding L2 learning motivation. In creating, maintaining, and possibly terminating L2 learners' ideal or ought-to L2 selves (Dörnyei, 2009), not all L2-related experiences but only emotional ones having personal, subjective meaning are primarily involved. By using a grounded theory approach, 103 pre-service teachers' previous L2 learning experience and their motivational fluctuations from preschool to high school were analyzed. The motigraph of students showed that early childhood English education made a noticeable difference. The qualitative data proved the importance of early English input, the role of significant relationships, and the synergistic effect of emotional experiences and their positive appraisal. This article argues that L2 learners' accumulation of emotional experiences and their appraisal of those experiences are crucial to recognizing their L2 selves and enhancing the level of L2 learning motivation. The issue of self- and other-regulation and the expansion of the zone of proximal development through perezhivaniya are also discussed. • This article focuses on L2 learners’ previous learning experience and their motivational fluctuations. • Perezhivaniya are conceptualized as specific emotional experiences. • L2 motivation arises once perezhivaniya are appraised by a learner. • Self- and other-regulation and the expansion of the ZPD through perezhivaniya are discussed.

The Contribution of Individual Differences to L2 Pronunciation Learning: Insights from Research and Pedagogical Implications

Adult second language (L2) learning often exhibits great variability in its rate and outcome. Although research shows that learning trajectories are partly shaped by social and contextual factors (e.g. Larson-Hall, 2008), certain learner factors play an important role in enhancing L2 pronunciation learning by helping L2 learners notice and process input efficiently, whereas certain learner factors may impede L2 pronunciation learning by impairing attention control or slowing down L2 input processing. Therefore, in order for language teachers to provide effective instruction and help students improve their L2 pronunciation proficiency, it is beneficial for them to understand the differential impact of learner characteristics on L2 learning and adapt such understanding to their instruction and learning activities.The aim of the current article is to provide a review of existing studies that have explored individual differences (IDs) in relation to L2 pronunciation acquisition and to present implications for effective L2 pronunciation teaching. The article begins with an introduction of the paradigm shift in L2 pronunciation research and the conceptual framework of IDs proposed by Dörnyei (2009). This is followed by a summary of the processes involved in L2 pronunciation learning. The third section focuses on the characteristics of four IDs that have been found to influence the development of L2 pronunciation. Those IDs include foreign language learning aptitude (e.g. Saito and Hanzawa, 2016), musical aptitude (e.g. Milovanov et al., 2010), L2 learning motivation (e.g. Moyer, 1999), and anxiety (e.g. Baran-Łucarz, 2016). Based on the discussion in the third section, the last section will offer various applications of IDs research findings to L2 pronunciation instruction (e.g. instructional approaches, feedback, and pronunciation syllabi) for successful L2 pronunciation teaching.

The effects of drama-based activities as a language learning tool on learners’ motivation in Non-Malay-medium national schools in Malaysia

Transitioning from Non-Malay-medium national primary schools to Malay-medium or English-medium secondary schools proved to be a struggle for many students due to the lack of emphasis on audio-lingual skills of the second language (L2) throughout their six-years of primary education. This study aims to explore the effects of drama-based activities as a language learning strategy on L2 learning motivation among students aged between 12 to 13 years old from Non-Malay-Medium National Schools. Six students were recruited through purposive sampling to participate in this qualitative experimental research. Over a period of 14 weeks, pre-intervention interviews (on the first week), intervention (over the span of 2 hours per week for 12 weeks), and post-intervention interviews (on the fourteenth week) were carried out. The content of the intervention was adapted from the Trinity College London’s Grade 4 Communication Skills syllabus. The instruments used for data collection include:(1) pre-determined pre-and post-intervention interview protocols and (2) classroom observation rubric. Two themes emerged in the analysis of this study: (a) language learning motivation and (b) affective filter. Findings revealed that participants were motivated and possessed self-confidence in the language learning process. The current study provides instructional implications for instructors and learners besides contributing to the novelty in the area of the research setting and sampling for future studies.

'온라인 영어 수업에서 학습 동기와 의사소통의지: 구조방정식 모형

Due to the spread of COVID-19, colleges have quickly adopted online learning. The purpose of the study was to examine the causal relationship among factors influencing L2 learning motivation and willingness to communicate (WTC) of Korean EFL college freshmen in online classes. The relative contributions of the factors to L2 motivation and WTC were analyzed by the structural equation modeling. The results showed that students’ ought-to L2 self was the strongest direct predictor of their motivated behavior and followed by the effectiveness of technological mode (synchronous vs. asynchronous) of the online classes. On the other hand, in the L2 WTC structural model, it was found that perceived L2 competence and communication anxiety had a direct path with students’ WTC. Therefore, these two factors that directly affected WTC have proven to be the same in face-to-face and online classes, while the students’ feeling of alienation was indirectly related to their WTC through a mediating role of communication anxiety. Based on the research findings, pedagogical implications in relation to teaching EFL in the post-COVID-19 era are suggested.