L2 Self Research Articles

Second language motivational self system of sixth graders in Turkey: A correlational study

Investigating the foreign and second language (L2) motivational self system (L2MSS) of Turkish sixth graders, this study reports relationships among three components (ideal L2 self, ought‐to L2 self, and L2 learning experience) of the L2MSS and the variables of school type (public and private), gender, and intended effort. Data were collected from 170 students in two public and two private secondary schools in northwestern Turkey through a questionnaire. The results of correlation analysis indicate a strong positive correlation between ideal L2 self and L2 learning experience, and the variables of school type and gender did not make a difference. Intended effort was found to have a strong positive correlation with these L2MSS components. The results of multiple regression analysis provide further evidence for especially intended effort as a significant predictor of L2MSS, whereas the school type and gender did not contribute to the system. The major implications of the study and future research possibilities are discussed.

“Open Your Mind, Sharpen Your Wits”: A Narrative Approach to the Benefits of Study Abroad as Perceived by Erasmus+ Students

ABSTRACT This article provides qualitative information chronicling the study-abroad experiences of eight Erasmus+ students. Data were obtained from the analysis of focus-group discussions, e-journal narratives, plus background and language contact questionnaires. Combined, such data illustrate the participants’ discursive positions on their socialisation patterns and the impact of Erasmus+ on their overall L2 selves, identity and transcultural competence, whilst also pointing to possible language gains. Results show that participants perceive they have widened their social circles, experienced personal growth, accrued new knowledge, and begun to perceive their own imagined communities differently. Finally, the article identifies several factors that seem to have had an impact on such results, and points to Erasmus as a life-changing experience.

A longitudinal study of foreign language anxiety and enjoyment

The present longitudinal study investigated the changes of FLE (foreign language enjoyment) and FLA (foreign language anxiety) over time in the foreign language classroom and their relationship with foreign language learning motivation and learners’ personality traits. Fifty-five college students completed an FLE/FLA questionnaire after English classes over 14 weeks. They also completed a motivation questionnaire and a personality questionnaire. The results revealed that FLE was less stable over time as compared to FLA. A number of motivational factors (e.g. ought-to L2 self, ideal L2 self, motivated behavior) were found to be related to both the mean and the variance of FLE and FLA over time. Moreover, several personality traits (e.g. extraversion) also played a role in FLE and FLA. Pedagogical implications were discussed.

The Role of Second Language Motivation in Constructing the Self: An Empirical Study to Investigate the Role of Motivational Trajectories in Negotiating and Reconstructing Academic Sojourners’ Desired Selves in the UK

<p style="text-align:justify">This study is an endeavour to explicate the dissonance of the linguistic quality outcome of study abroad (SA) experiences by exploring the second language (L2) motivation of six academic sojourners in Manchester. A person-in-context approach revealed that developing intimate relationships with ‘native-speakers’, providing L2-mediated interaction opportunities with international students, and social approval were key determinants of the extent to which SA students were invested in social practices. Such social engagements were found to stem from second language motivation that is part of identity construction process. In addition, the thematic analysis of the narrative inquiries suggests that the global status of the English language defies the traditional conceptualisations of L2 motivation as most participants’ motivations were formed despite their negative or neutral attitudes towards the English community. The findings also endorse the role of the other as a robust motivational source by which learners can replenish their motivation stream, leading to social identity investment to construct their ideological selves. The paper concludes with a recommendation to re-interpret the conceptualisation of the Ideal L2 Self system because ‘native-speakers’ are rarely the closest parallels to L2 learners, and it should incorporate explicit intrinsic orientations. Furthermore, language institutions in SA contexts should direct their focus on establishing conversation clubs and hosting social events for SA students to provide a safe space for their identities to be developed, enacted and reconstructed.</p>

'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.

L2 Motivational Self System of the Seminary Students learning English Language in Pakistan

This study tests the validity of Dörnyei (2005) L2 Motivational Self System in a new context of Madrassa. A mixed-method approach has been applied in this study. A structured questionnaire was designed and distributed among 1000 students of fifteen different Madrassas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The current study posits that the Dörnyei model of the L2 Self System is not valid in the Madrassa context. The study examines that ideal and Ought-to L2 selves are the weakest contributors in motivating Madrassa students for second language learning. The findings reveal no significance among the three main components (ideal self, ought-to self and L2 learning experience) of the L2 Motivational Self System. Moreover, the new construct of learning English for religious purpose was found useful, and all the participants showed their interest in it. This study concluded that multiple personal and religious factors strongly affect the motivational level of Madrassa students.

A Study of Chinese University English Majors’ L2 Motivational Self

As a highly important affective variable, motivation has always been a focus of research in second/foreign language (SL/FL) learning and proved to play a critical role in SL/FL learning. Even so, considering the complex and dynamic nature of SL/FL motivation, it always deserves research. Guided by the newly proposed framework of L2 Motivational Self System (Dörnyei, 2005, 2009), the present mixed-method study hence explored Chinese English majors’ L2 motivational self. One hundred and one English majors from a prestigious university in Beijing answered the questionnaire and 15 of them were interviewed in the present study. Analyses of the data revealed the following main findings: (1) the participants were generallyhighly motivated to learn English, had vivid images of themselves as proficient English users in the future, had positive appraisals of their L2 learning experiences, and had a moderately good perception of their ought-to L2 self, (2) senior students reported having significantly higher ideal L2 self and held more positive attitudes towards English learning experience. Based on these findings, some pedagogical implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Comparing self-determination theory and the L2 motivational self system and their relationships to L2 proficiency

This study empirically compares two often-utilized motivation theories in L2 studies: self-determination theory and the L2 motivational self system. It also examines the relationships among their motivational constructs, learners’ intended L2 learning effort, and L2 proficiency. While a number of studies have utilized these models in order to examine second language learners’ motivation, there has not been a thorough comparison of the two. Furthermore, while many studies have demonstrated the structural relationships between the motivational constructs of the two theories and the learner’s self-reported amount of effort, fewer studies have examined their L2 achievement. The results of this study indicated that the constituents in the two theories are correlated as predicted. Furthermore, while internalized types of motivation in self-determination theory predicted intended learning effort, which then led to L2 proficiency, the strength of the ideal L2 self was much weaker than the L2 learning experience, unlike what is argued in the theory.

Exploring the relationship between motivations, emotions and pragmatic marker use in English-medium instruction learners

Abstract The aim of the present study is twofold: first, it compares full-English-medium instruction (EMI) and semi-EMI learners on a series of motivational and emotional factors (the ought to, and the ideal L2 self-motivational orientations, attitudes towards English, and foreign language anxiety and enjoyment). Second, it investigates the relationship between these individual differences (IDs) and pragmatic marker (PM) use. No previous studies have investigated these phenomena among semi and full EMI learners, despite the recognized need for more research into the effects of IDs and pragmatic learning in EMI settings. Participants were second and third-year EMI students. A monologue and an interaction task were used to obtain oral data, and questionnaires were used to gather data on IDs. Results showed that EMI and semi-EMI groups did not differ according to motivational orientation. However, there were significant differences between learner’s motivations depending on the year of study, where third year learners were more ought to self-motivated than second-year learners. Other findings revealed that both strong ought to L2 self-oriented learners as well as learners who enjoyed EMI demonstrated an increased frequency of PM use and that learners with positive attitudes towards English reported stronger ideal L2 selves.

Tibetan CSL learners’ L2 Motivational Self System and L2 achievement

Motivation, a key factor explaining learners’ success or failure in learning a language, is a well-researched topic in the area of second language acquisition. The present paper reports on a study that draws on Dörnyei’s (2009) Second Language Motivational Self System (L2MSS) to explore Tibetan students’ motivation for learning Chinese as their second language (CSL) and its effect on their Chinese learning achievement (CA). 198 Tibetan students took part in a questionnaire survey and a follow-up Chinese language proficiency test. The results show that all three major components of the L2MSS, namely, the ideal L2 self (IS), the ought-to L2 self (OS), and the L2 learning experience (LE), can predict Tibetan students’ intended learning effort (ILE) directly or indirectly. Learners’ IS and OS have been found to be the positive direct predicator and the negative direct predicator of the CA respectively. The findings confirm the powerful strength of the tripartite L2MSS in predicting learners’ ILE, explaining 55% of their variance, but a weak predicting power for the CA, explaining only 13% of its variance, in the Tibetan CSL context in mainland China. The results have significant pedagogical implications for CSL education in China and abroad.

Types of social media activities and Hong Kong South and Southeast Asians Youth’s Chinese language learning motivation

Social media hold great potential for language learning since language learning is closely intertwined with socialization. However, previous studies have primarily examined social media experience as a whole, without taking into consideration of the differential influences of different types of social media activities. This study examined how different social media activities impacted language learning motivation through analyzing survey responses from 565 secondary school south and southeast Asian students in Hong Kong. The structural equation modeling analysis revealed that passive consumption of social media contents and active contribution of social media contents both contributed positively to language learning motivation via both cultural identification and ideal L2 self. However, the two types of social media activities were associated with cultural identification differently, where passive consumption predicted bicultural harmony and active contribution predicted bicultural blendedness. The findings confirm the value of both types of social media activities and suggest capitalizing on the motivational impact of everyday social media activities for language learning. The findings call for in-depth research into the differential impacts of different social media activities.

The relationship between ideal L2 self, achievement attributions and L2 achievement

This study examines whether learners’ (high vs. low) ‘ideal L2 self’ exerts an effect on causal attributions and which of these causal attributions could predict future L2 achievement. To this end, 1006 EFL students were invited from a state university in Ankara, Turkey. The data were collected with an attribution scale composed of 29 questions and with a questionnaire containing 10 items measuring learners’ ideal L2 self. The researchers also collected the students’ achievement scores to measure the predictive power of causal attributions. The impact of high and low ideal L2 self on causal attributions was analyzed through MANOVA and the prediction power of these attributions for achievement was measured through regression analysis using SPSS 23. It was found that learners’ ideal L2 self (high vs. low) influenced causal attributions, including ability, school system, teacher, family and classroom environment. It was also found that the attribution to effort, luck and ability are the best predictors of future exam scores of learners. These predictors could provide insightful implications for EFL teachers with regard to the actions they can take in order to diagnose motivationally at risk students and to boost their motivation through effective designs of interventions embedded into the curriculum.

Feared L2 self as an emerging component of the reconceptualized L2 motivational self system

The purpose of this non-experimental quantitative study was to measure Feared L2 Self (FL2S) as a new component of the existing L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) and offer a new model through partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). As for the instrument to measure L2 selves, an adopted survey consisting of 72 5-point Likert scale items, five open-ended questions, and a demographic questionnaire was distributed; however, for the purpose of this study, only L2 self related items and constructs were included in the measurement and structural model. The participants were 1022 adult English language learners (ELLs), and ELLs’ English learning experience was redefined as the collection of everyday ESL learning experiences. Results indicated that the strongest relationship was between English learning experience (ELExp) and Ideal L2 Self (IL2S) component, which is also supported by previous studies. Furthermore, the second strongest relationship was between Ought-to L2 Self (OL2S) and FL2S, as well as between ELExp and OL2S. FL2S was an emerging factor reconceptualizing the L2 Motivational Self System (R-L2MSS). Considering the large number of participants and the data obtained from all over the U.S., this study proposes a new and important concept. In the light of these results, implications are provided for ELLs and ESL teachers.

An Investigation into Motivational Self-Systems of Turkish English Language Learners in Higher Education

Motivational self-systems have been researched in various educational settings including the English language teaching environment. However, motivational self-systems in the Turkish educational context still need to be investigated more due to the scarcity of studies in the local context, specifically with relation to the majors of the language learners. The current mixed-methods sequential explanatory study focuses on Turkish language learners' motivational self-systems and their correlation with the major of the learners. The quantitative data were collected from 118 participants in the Fall Term of 2019-2020 Academic Year based on convenience sampling at a language preparatory school of one of the state universities in Adana, Turkey through an adapted questionnaire. The qualitative data were gathered from 40 participants through reflective papers the participants were asked to keep at the beginning and end of the semester. The quantitative data were analyzed via SPSS 21 and the qualitative data were analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings indicated that there was no dominant L2MSS of Turkish language learners. The findings implied that the ideal L2 self of Turkish learners did not strongly correlate with their majors while their ought-to L2 self-had a strong correlation for some of the majors. Keywords: ELT, L2 motivational self-systems, ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self, Turkish language learners. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-34-02 Publication date: December 31 st 2020

Exploring motivational strategies in higher education: Student and instructor perceptions

This study offers cross-cultural validity of motivational strategies, as well as reliability and validity measures of an adapted questionnaire in a new context. Foreign/second language (L2) learning motivation has long been demonstrated to have a substantial impact on second language acquisition; L2 teachers play a major role in learner motivation with their use of motivational strategies in classes (Dornyei, 2001; Dornyei & Kubanyiova, 2014). Motivational strategies vary in their effectiveness and appropriateness in different EFL contexts (e.g., Dornyei, 2001; Guilloteaux & Dornyei, 2008). There is little research, however, in combining the theory and practice in motivation research; in other words, there are few studies that examine motivational strategy research in conjunction with the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS). To fill this gap, the current study examined college EFL instructors’ motivational teaching practices, informed by the ideal L2 self guide in Turkey, from both instructors and students’ perspectives. Quantitative data were collected via a motivational strategies questionnaire that was created and validated specifically for this study – Teachers’ Use of Motivational Strategies Scale (TUMSS). Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, and an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were conducted to analyze the data (N= 454). Results indicated that instructors frequently used a variety of motivation-enhancing strategies; group comparisons of perceptions and EFA results via the three latent variables raised some important issues; independent samples t-tests indicated a statistically significant group difference for the strategies in Factor 3, those related to the ideal L2 self, while showing no difference for the other two factors. Pedagogical implementations are discussed.

The Relationship Between Future Career Self Images and English Achievement Test Scores of Japanese STEM Students

Background: College and university science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students in Japan, who hope for careers in science and technology fields, lack the motivation to learn English as a second language (L2), impairing their current capacities to learn the L2 and their future abilities to communicate globally once employed. Literature review: Although these students’ motivation to learn English seems strongly linked to the external pressure to do well on a standardized English test, gain employment, and progress up the career ladder, this extrinsic motivation may not be as beneficial for their L2 learning as positive images of themselves using English in future situations. Three types of future career-related self images—an Ideal L2 Self, a Probable L2 Self, and an Ought-to L2 Self—are hypothesized to promote L2 achievement. Research methodology: Data from questionnaires examining psycholinguistic variables for 1013 Japanese STEM students of English were subjected to ANOVA and multiple regression analysis with three L2 Self variables as predictor variables and scores from the TOEIC standardized English exam as the outcome variable. Results/discussion: ANOVA results showed that students had a strong image of themselves as needing English for future career goals, as measured by the Ought-to L2 Self, but had lower levels of Ideal L2 Self, the variable measuring a future image as a fluent user of English. In the regression analysis, the Ought-to L2 Self predicted lower TOEIC exam scores; conversely, the Ideal L2 Self predicted greater TOEIC scores. These paradoxical results indicate that Japanese STEM students struggle motivationally to improve English skills needed for future STEM job-related communication, despite feeling pressured to do so. Conclusions: To encourage the formation of students’ images of Ideal L2 selves or stronger Probable L2 selves, STEM teachers and language teachers of Japanese STEM students could introduce motivational interventions. For example, positive role models of English language learners could visit classes and demonstrate how they have applied their English as a foreign language (EFL) learning experiences to future careers.

Short-term and long-term study abroad: The impact on language learners’ intercultural communication, L2 confidence, and sense of L2 self

ABSTRACT Study abroad (SA) has recently become an increasingly popular option for language learners who wish to engage in an immersive educational experience while living in a different culture, but not all SA programmes are created equal. Length of time can vary significantly, from a days or weeks up to a year or more spent in the target culture, and this can affect not only linguistic development but also non-linguistic factors such as intercultural communication, confidence using the second/foreign language (L2), and a sense of L2 self. The purpose of this study was to examine how two groups of Japanese learners of English going abroad for different lengths of time (one month (n = 79) and one year (n = 70) respectively) were affected across a range of non-linguistic variables. Pre- and post-SA survey data were collected, and results indicate that both groups achieved significant benefits in increased L2 speaking confidence and a strengthening of sense of an ideal L2 self, while also undergoing a weakening of ought-to L2 self. However, the degree of change was not uniform across groups. Moreover, the short-term SA participants demonstrated a decrease in ethnocentricity whereas the long-term participants did not.

Grit and motivation for learning English among Japanese university students

This study contributes to the limited research assessing how constructs (e.g., grit) from Positive Psychology (PosPsy) can contribute to better understanding motivation for learning a second language (L2). A total number of 441 Japanese female university students enrolled in English language classes participated in this study. Results showed that a positive global self-construct (i.e., grit), positive L2 domain self-constructs (i.e., grit for L2 learning and interested L2 self) and positive L2 motivational constructs (i.e., L2 reading and listening self-efficacy) and negative L2 motivational variables (i.e., L2 reading and listening anxiety) can be reliably measured with self-report scales with female Japanese students and how the relationship strength among variables followed the predicted order. This paper contributes by introducing new concepts from PosPsy to motivation in L2 learning and offers validation evidence that scales can be created to measure selected constructs from PosPsy that augment L2 motivation studies.

Exploring Classroom Willingness to Communicate: The Role of Motivating Future L2 Selves

<p>This study investigated the link between future L2 selves and Willingness to Communicate (WTC) in the classroom in the UK university context. We applied a mixed methods approach to collect data from 121 Chinese overseas students where a questionnaire was used before semi-structured interviews were conducted with six participants. Two key quantitative findings were: 1) There is a strong positive correlation between ideal L2 self and classroom WTC; 2) A student’s major moderates the relationship between the ought-to L2 self and classroom WTC. Students from non-English-related majors had a greater influence of ought-to L2 self on their WTC in the classroom, while ought-to L2 self does not seem to affect the WTC of English-related majors in the classroom. Follow-up interviews triangulated the quantitative findings with further illustrations in terms of the role of future L2 selves in stimulating WTC in the classroom and the potential differences between students with different academic backgrounds.</p>

A Mixed-Method Approach on the Role of Self-Constructs in Self-Regulation

The current mixed-method research aimed to investigate the effects of self-constructs on self-regulation. To this end, a number of 127 Iranian EFL learners were chosen randomly as the sample of the study. To collect data, semi-structured interviews were designed. Also, correlation analysis and regression analysis were run on the data. The results of interview data suggested that motivated learners who reported self-regulation tended to display positive visualization of their ideal L2 self and self-efficacy beliefs. Besides, the result of correlation analysis indicated that ideal L2 self had stronger association with self-efficacy beliefs than with self-regulation, suggesting that it is necessary to hold positive beliefs towards language learning in order to visualize oneself as a proficient and successful language user. Of the two self-constructs, self-regulation turned out to be most strongly associated with self-efficacy followed by ideal L2 self indicating that what characterizes self-regulated learners is that their levels of self-efficacy is higher compared to those who are not. Finally, the result of regression analysis revealed that self-efficacy and, to the lesser extent, ideal L2 self were found as direct predictors of self-regulation. It seems unlikely to be a motivated learner without the actual beliefs in ones’ ability and a strong actualization of one’s image as a successful language user.