Ought-to L2 Self Research Articles

Exploring Second Language Motivational Self System of Thai Junior High School Students

Research has demonstrated the influence of motivation on second language (L2) acquisition processes. This study aimed to explore the L2 motivational self-system (L2MSS), i.e., the ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self, and L2 learning experience of Thai junior high school students and investigate whether there are differences of the three components of the L2MSS between genders. 355 students participated in the study. The L2MSS questionnaire adopted from Swatevacharkul (2021) was employed for data collection. Results revealed that, on average, the ideal L2 self, the ought-to L2 self, and L2 learning experience were moderate. It was also found that the Ideal L2 self and ought to L2 self had no significant difference between male and female students, while the L2 learning experience was significantly different. This means that males have more positive L2 learning experience than females, indicating significant gender-based variations in the L2MSS.

Examining the relationship between the L2 motivational self system and technology acceptance model post ChatGPT introduction and utilization

Since the introduction of the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS), numerous studies worldwide have highlighted its effectiveness in elucidating Second Language Acquisition. However, the influence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technology on this model remains largely unexplored. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is a widely employed framework for examining the impact of a new technology, and this study explores the intercorrelation when these two models are considered together. Conducted with 35 s-year university English as a foreign language (EFL) students in humanities, the study involved two sessions of instructor-led ChatGPT usage writing workshops, followed by the collection of survey responses. Data analysis unveiled a notable correlation between the L2 Motivational Self System and the Technology Acceptance Model. Particularly noteworthy is the finding that Ought-to L2 Self positively predict Actual Usage. The study discusses pedagogical and theoretical implications, along with suggesting future research directions.

Young Chinese Language Learners’ L2 Motivational Self System and Learning Achievement in Chinese Literacy Acquisition

ABSTRACT This study investigated the impact of young Chinese second language learners’ motivation on their Chinese literacy acquisition. Based on the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS), 188 Grade 5 ethnic minority students in Hong Kong were assessed. They completed an L2MSS questionnaire, a Chinese oral vocabulary test, and Chinese literacy measures, which covered Chinese character reading, spelling, reading comprehension, and sentence writing. Structural equation modelling results showed that the L2MSS tripartite predictors—ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self, and learning experience—predicted the students’ intended learning effort and literacy achievement, controlling for oral vocabulary. The ought-to self had the strongest total effect on effort and achievement, while the ideal self had a substantial effect on the learning experience and indirectly contributed to effort. This study argues that young learners’ perceived social expectation significantly influenced their motivation to learn to read and write Chinese. Their identification as fluent Chinese readers and writers generated positive learning experiences that were conducive to literacy learning.

Modeling L2 motivation change and its predictive effects on learning behaviors in the extramural digital context: a quantitative investigation in China

Abstract Language learning in the extramural digital (ED) context has recently gained momentum because it focuses on second language (L2) learners’ autonomous, unstructured, online learning activities beyond the classroom. Drawing upon Dörnyei’s L2 motivational self system (including the ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self, and L2 learning experience) to operationalize L2 learners’ motivational mindsets, this study aims to investigate whether L2 English learners’ ought-to L2 self can be translated into their ideal L2 self and predict learning behaviors within the ED context. Survey data from 310 undergraduate students in a top-tier Chinese university were collected and analyzed following a structural equation modeling approach. The results indicate that participants’ ought-to L2 self can facilitate the development of their ideal L2 self only through the full mediation effect of the L2 learning experience in the ED environment. Also, while students’ ought-to L2 self cannot directly predict their motivated learning behaviors in the ED context, there exists a significant indirect impact through the joint mediation of the L2 learning experience and ideal L2 self. These findings contribute to the ongoing conversation about L2 motivational dynamics by unveiling the conversion and interaction of different L2 motivational forces in digital and out-of-class settings.

Unpacking the role of motivation and enjoyment in AI-mediated informal digital learning of English (AI-IDLE): A mixed-method investigation in the Chinese context

This paper examines how Chinese university students negotiate their second language (L2) motivational dynamics, including their ideal and ought-to L2 selves, to participate in informal digital learning of English (IDLE) mediated by generative artificial intelligence (AI). It demonstrates the extent to which enjoyment, the most observable positive emotion in L2 learning, influences their involvement in AI-mediated IDLE (AI-IDLE) activities. Employing an explanatory sequential mixed-method design, this study surveyed 690 Chinese undergraduate students and conducted 12 post-survey interviews. Using a structural equation modeling approach, the quantitative analysis reveals that participants’ ideal L2 self can significantly predict both their sense of enjoyment and AI-IDLE, while the ought-to L2 self is only able to directly predict enjoyment. The quantitative results also demonstrate that enjoyment can partially mediate the relationship between the ideal L2 self and AI-IDLE and simultaneously fully channel the indirect impact of the ought-to L2 self on AI-IDLE. Supplementing these quantitative findings, the interview data provides a nuanced understanding of how motivation and enjoyment shift and interact with learning contexts as participants engage in AI-IDLE. Drawing on these quantitative and qualitative insights, this study identifies implications for pedagogy, particularly in terms of motivating Chinese university students to engage in IDLE while maintaining emotional well-being in the age of generative AI.

Out-of-class English learning anxiety and its relation to motivation among Chinese university English majors

A wide range of studies have examined foreign language anxiety (FLA). However, these studies have primarily examined the context of classroom-based learning, while neglecting out-of-class learning settings. Thus, this study investigated the factor structure of out-of-class FLA and its relationship to L2 motivation (Ideal L2 Self, Ought-to L2 Self, and L2 Learning Experience). The data comprised 20 interviews and 557 survey responses from English majors at Chinese universities. This study identified three out-of-class FLA factors: anxiety about learning effectiveness, learning approaches, and effort management. It further revealed a close association between out-of-class FLA and L2 motivation. Out-of-class L2 Learning Experience was the most salient predictor and was negatively associated with all three dimensions of out-of-class FLA. The Ideal L2 Self exhibited negative associations with anxiety about the learning approach and effort management, whereas Ought-to L2 Self was a positive predictor of anxiety about the learning approach and learning effectiveness. These findings enrich our understanding of the affective aspects of out-of-class learning and suggest the significance of facilitating learners’ out-of-class L2 Learning Experience and Ideal L2 Self to help them overcome FLA in a self-directed out-of-class learning context.

Relocating from EFL to EMI: a case study on L2 learning motivation of English major students in a transnational university in China

Drawing from (Dörnyei’s, The Psychology of the language learner: Individual differences in second language acquisition, 2005) L2 Motivational Self System, this case study delved into the L2 learning motivations of liberal arts and science English majors at a transnational university in China, where English Medium Instruction (EMI) is prevalent. The study aimed to uncover how the EMI educational setting, alongside disciplinary backgrounds, shapes students' motivational landscapes. Utilising a mixed-methods approach, a 4-point Likert scale questionnaire was first administered to 182 students, followed by semi-structured interviews with six purposively selected participants to ensure a representation of diverse perspectives. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and an independent samples t-test to pinpoint motivational differences between the two groups, with Cohen’s d effect size test further elucidating the significance of these differences. Thematic analysis of qualitative data provided a deeper layer of insight, which, when cross-examined with quantitative results, revealed a nuanced understanding of motivational dynamics. Key findings highlighted that both student groups were driven by factors such as ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self, international posture, and instrumentality. However, within the EMI context, liberal arts students exhibited heightened sensitivity to their ought-to L2 selves, language anxiety, and teacher influence compared to their science counterparts (p < 0.05, dCohen > 0.8). These distinctions underscore the EMI context's role in modulating motivational profiles, particularly accentuating certain motivational factors among liberal arts students. In light of these EMI-mediated motivational nuances, the study proposes several educational implications, including enhancing teachers’ professional development training, integrating English learning in EMI programmes with students’ aspirations, and fostering intercultural interactions to enrich students’ language and cultural experiences.

Examining the Effects of L2 Self-Guides on Chinese University EFL Learners’ Attitudes Towards Classroom Language Choice

Second language (L2) learning motivation has been widely acknowledged as a crucial factor in the success of instructed L2 acquisition. However, the effects of L2 motivation on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ classroom language choice (CLC) are relatively under-explored based on a systematic theoretical framework. Recently, a growing trend towards bi/multilingualism has aroused controversy over the current English-only policy in Chinese EFL higher education. To inform a more motivating classroom language decision, this study, grounded on the framework of the L2 motivational self system (Dörnyei, 2009), aims to investigate learners’ attitudes towards the English-only approach and first language (L1) use in the EFL classroom and examine the effects of L2 self-guides on learners’ CLC attitudes. Following a mixed methods approach, an adapted questionnaire was distributed to 252 Chinese first-year undergraduate EFL learners. Follow-up semi-structured interviews were conducted among twenty respondents to seek further explanations for their responses. The descriptive, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship between L2 self-guides and attitudes towards CLC. Through thematic coding, qualitative data were analysed to supplement quantitative results and explore the explanatory power of L2 self-guides on learners’ CLC attitudes. The findings reveal students’ general preference for the appropriate use of L1 and suggest that ideal L2 self and ought-to L2 self were correlated with and could positively predict learners’ attitudes towards English immersion as well as L1 use respectively. The different motivational characteristics of ideal and ought-to L2 selves identified in this study may inform education practitioners of a translanguaging pedagogical practice and call for a language policy-making and curriculum-planning process taking students’ motivational states along with CLC attitudes into thorough consideration.

The impact of future L2 selves and positive emotions on self-regulated writing strategies: A mixed method approach

While extensive research supported the facilitative role of motivation in general self-regulated learning (SRL) strategy use, its connection to writing-specific SRL strategy use remains underexplored. Furthermore, the exploration of the interplay between motivation and SRL strategy use in second or foreign (L2) writing was absent within the motivational-self system. Even less is known about the mechanism between motivational factors and SRL strategy use in L2 writing. This study aims to fill the gap by testing the mediating role of positive emotions (enjoyment, pride, and hope) between future L2 writing selves (ideal L2 self and ought-to L2 self) and SRL strategy use in the Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) writing context with a mixed method design incorporating both quantitative and qualitative methods. Three hundred and sixty students enrolled in College English writing classes were recruited and they reported their responses to standardized measures. Results of structural equation modelling (SEM) showed that positive emotions partially mediated the link between ideal L2 writing selves and SRL but not between ought-to L2 writing selves and SRL. Semi-structured interviews about students’ in-depth perceptions of the three constructs complemented our quantitative results. Theoretical and pedagogical implications are also discussed.

A Review of Studies on L2 Motivational Self System

The Second Language Motivational Self-System (L2 MSS) is the motivation model elaborated in this article. The aim of this article is to review the model, present a summary of research, that empirically analyses the model and its key features, and suggest future research options. In the article, the issue with the model will be addressed one by one. Then, theoretical descriptions of the model will be presented, followed by its empirical investigations and criticism. Theoretical elaboration of the model is based on Gardners model of motivation, Markus and Nurius possible selves and Higgins self-discrepancy theory. Numerous empirical studies examining the model in various contexts around the world found that the ideal L2 self, which associates integrativeness motives and the internalised instrumental, is the strongest component of the model, and the ought-to L2 self, which is relatively less internalised or motivating. The model has been modified to take learning experiences into account. However, unbalanced attention is given to the L2MSSs constituent parts.

Ought-to L2 Self and Its Influence on L2 Motivation and Demotivation: A Case of College English Majors

Ought-to L2 Self and Its Influence on L2 Motivation and Demotivation: A Case of College English Majors

The Influence of Motivation on English Learning Initiative of Undergraduate Art and Sports Students

This article adopts a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis, in order to explore the relationship between motivation and learning initiative of art and sports students. The respondent of the study is the undergraduate art and sports student from several comprehensive universities in China. The analysis establishes the connection between different types of motivation and learning initiative. Learning motivation is divided into six categories: intrinsic interest, learning context, stage achievement, future development, social expectation, and intermediary tools. Data is collected through questionnaires and is analyzed with the help of SPSS software. The results indicate that the English learning initiative of art and sports students shows a decreasing trend after college entrance examination. In terms of motivation, intrinsic motivation is low, while the extrinsic and instrumental motivation are relatively high. It presents a characteristic of ought-to L2 self. The higher the proportion of instrumental motivation accounts the total motivation, the lower the initiative for English learning. English learning initiative is also influenced by the degree of dispersion of motivation proportion.The more average the motivation types, the higher the initiative. Both educators and art and sports students need to work together to enhance students ideal L2 self motivation for English learning, and thus raise their initiative for English learning.

The Impact of a Vision Intervention on Translation and Interpretation Students’ L2 Motivation

Visionary teaching interventions have had a positive impact on developing and strengthening students’ ideal L2 self and motivated behavior. However, research on the effects of this kind of intervention on the motivation of translation and interpretation students is scarce. Using a mixed methods approach, the study aimed to evaluate the impact of a semester-long intervention, focused on translation and interpretation students’ future professional careers, on their motivation, intended effort, and willingness to communicate. The participants were translation and interpretation students with a B1 level of English, who were divided in two groups for the study. The treatment group received a vision intervention (N=14) whereas the control group (N=14) did not. To measure the differences in motivation before and after the intervention, a questionnaire was used. Additionally, a semi-structured interview was used to explore in greater depth the students’ perceptions of the experience. The results of this study reveal that visionary teaching increased both ideal L2 self and intended effort of students. Furthermore, it showed that the intervention was memorable for students and that it benefited them in establishing a future L2 professional vision as well as outlining the steps to achieve it. Our findings suggest the importance of including visionary teaching in translation and interpretation programs so that students can become motivated and involved in their future professional paths.

Examining the relationships among motivation, informal digital learning of English, and foreign language enjoyment: An explanatory mixed-method study

AbstractThis explanatory mixed-method study seeks to understand the relationships between second language (L2) motivation (including the ideal L2 self and the ought-to L2 self) and students’ informal digital learning of English (IDLE) and whether such relationships are mediated by the most prominent positive emotion – enjoyment. A total of 391 Chinese university students participated in the survey, and 15 of them were interviewed later. Quantitative analysis revealed a strong positive relationship between the ideal L2 self and participants’ IDLE, which was partially mediated by foreign language enjoyment (FLE), while the hypotheses that the ought-to L2 self significantly predicted FLE and IDLE were rejected. The qualitative data added details to how a vivid and elaborate L2 vision contributed to enhanced English learning enjoyment and served as the most influential motivator for IDLE practices. Meanwhile, the external and instrumental motives could not predict Chinese university students’ enjoyment, disempowering them to invest in productive language learning practices in the informal and digitalized environment. The discussion of these findings and pedagogical implications helps to chart the path for utilizing the power of the ideal L2 self to engage Chinese university students with the extramural and digitalized language learning ecology.

Can L2 motivation be modelled as a self-system? A critical assessment

Some two decades ago, Dörnyei (2005) proposed that motivation for L2 learning could be modelled as a self-system. Despite the profound influence of Dörnyei's scholarship and impact of the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) model, the fundamental premise that motivation for L2 learning can constitute a self-system has escaped critical scrutiny. Highlighting how the self-system constitutes a framework within which self-referential cognition is organized, and that self-appraisal occurs in relation to socially-derived standards (Bandura, 1978; Higgins, 1990), this article critically assesses the utility of a self-system conceptualization. This is accomplished by addressing five problem areas connected with the L2MSS and which relate to the model's self-system conceptualization: the “fantasy problem” (nondifferentiation of desire and fantasy), the “ought-to L2 self problem” (unspecificity of relevant others and internalization processes), the “integrativeness problem” (difficulty of incorporating affiliation motives), the “learning experience problem” (failure to account for relational and biographical influences), and the “context problem” (inadequate modelling of learner–environment interactions). Critical engagement with these problem areas demonstrates how the self-system conceptualization embodied in the L2MSS is tightly circumscribed, and how a self-regulatory system framework can provide greater utility.

Motivation of EFL Vietnamese Students in Economics-related Majors

Motivation plays an essential part in learning, especially in second language acquisition (SLA). This paper investigates the learning motivation of Vietnamese economics-related majors studying English as a Foreign Language (EFL), utilizing Dornyei’s (2005) L2 motivational self-system as the theoretical framework. The subjects were 236 first-year and 99 second-year students. A mixed method research design with both quantitative and qualitative approaches was employed. The 6-point scale questionnaire was adapted from Dörnyei’s (2005, 2009), including 24 items to explore students’ Ideal L2 Self, the Ought-to L2 Self, the students’ attitudes and their effort in learning English. The quantitative data were analyzed with SPSS software for Mean, Standard Deviation, and correlations. The open-ended section and focus group interview probed further into the students’ motivation, influencing factors, as well as the student recommendations for stakeholders in order to enhance their motivation to learn English. The study proposes some implications for EFL instructors, curriculum developers, and administrators to promote students’ motivation in English learning.

Dialogic investigations: Motivation in Japanese language learning

Over the past 15 years, the L2 motivational self system (Dörnyei, 2005, 2009) has been a dominant framework in the field of second language (L2) motivation. Yet, since the model’s introduction, there has been a theoretical discordance between the two components associated with future self-images (the ideal L2 self and the ought-to L2 self) and the third component related to the actual process of learning (the L2 learning experience). To remedy this shortcoming, this study draws on Bakhtin’s (1981, 1986) theory of dialog. Bakhtin claims that any use of language is a dialog between self and others and that language is learned through the assimilation of speech genres used by others for similar purposes in typical situations of social communication. The analysis of interview data obtained from three Japanese-as-a-second-language learners shows how situation-specific and future-oriented motivations are related to each other. The learners’ engagement in dialog with imagined Japanese speakers is developed through their engagement in dialog with actual Japanese speakers, and regardless of whether the dialog is actual or imagined, the participants orient themselves to speech genres of the language that correspond to particular social contexts.

Chinese undergraduate students' motivation to learn Korean as a LOTE.

As rates of multilingualism increase, interest in the field of Languages Other Than English (LOTEs) has been growing over the last few years. This study investigated the motivation held by Chinese undergraduate students for learning Korean as a LOTE using Dörnyei's L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS). In total, 123 subjects responded to the 6-point Likert scale measuring their Korean learning motivation. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 22. Logistic regression was applied for identifying variables that distinguished the first-year from the second-year learners of Korean, while canonical correlation analysis was used to examine the correlation between two sets of variables, the first set of dependent variables of the ideal L2 self and the ought-to L2 self, and the second set of independent variables of family influence, instrumentality promotion, instrumentality prevention, attitude to learning Korean, cultural interest, attitude toward community and integrativeness. Results showed that variables of family influence, cultural interest, and attitude to learning Korean were statistically significant in distinguishing the first-year from the second-year learners in terms of affective variables. In addition, canonical analysis showed that the dependent variable set of the ideal L2 self and the ought-to L2 self together shared nearly 69% variance with the independent variable set, indicating that the ideal L2 self and the ought-to L2 self together were highly related with these affective variables in the independent variable set. The findings of the current study suggest that more creative Korean language learning activities be adopted to help sustain the high levels of affect among Korean language learners.

The Effects of Foreign Language Enjoyment and Future Selves on Learning English

Recently, there has been considerable academic interest in the positive emotions of language learners. As a contribution to this field, the aims of this study were to identify foreign language pleasure (FLE) patterns and their relations with language learning motivation. A total of 145 Korean university students joined the study and their responses to surveys related to the FLE and L2 future selves were analyzed. It was found, first, that there were three underlying FLE factors named Teacher-facilitator enjoyment, Private-internalized enjoyment, and Social enjoyment. Second, these factors were mostly correlated with L2 future selves. It also indicated that ought-to L2 self and the first and third FLE factors were not related to self-perceived proficiency, unlike ideal L2 self and the second FLE factor, that is, Private-internalized enjoyment. Lastly, the result of mediation analysis suggested that private-internalized enjoyment serves as a mediator in the way ideal L2 self affected self-perceived proficiency. The implications based on the findings were discussed.

대학 졸업예정자의 영어학습동기가 진로결정 자기효능감 및 진로준비행동에 미치는 영향

The purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of prospective college graduates’ English learning motivation on career decision-making self-efficacy and career preparation behavior, and whether career decision-making self-efficacy mediates in the relationship between English learning motivation and career preparation behavior. To this end, an online survey was conducted on 288 prospective graduates enrolled in an university in Chungcheongnam-do. As a result of this study, ought-to L2 self directly affects goal achievement, but ideal L2 self affects the lack of job information among career preparation behavior. In addition, as a result of analyzing the mediating effect of career decision-making self-efficacy, it was found that extrinsic motivation and ideal L2 self motivation increased goal achievement and information collection through goal selection as a medium. Based on the results, some implications are discussed.