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This study investigated the role of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in facilitating informal digital English learning activities among second language (L2) learners in a Chinese context. It explored how factors like learners' ideal L2 self-imagination, international posture, and perceptions of information quality influence their engagement with productive (e.g., writing, speaking) and receptive (e.g., reading, listening) informal digital learning activities mediated by generative AI. Drawing from theories of consumption values and self-determination, the research model examined relationships between these variables. The findings suggest that while generative AI holds promise for informal digital language learning by facilitating imagination of an ideal multilingual self, there are opportunities to enhance functionality for L2 contexts. Nurturing an international mindset through interventions may also promote informal learning across genders. Adapting informal digital learning resources based on factors like information quality perceptions could increase engagement. This study provides insights into harnessing generative AI effectively for blended language learning solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Recent studies elaborating on the L2 learning experience component of the L2 Motivational Self System (Dörnyei, 2005, 2009), especially through a narrative identity perspective, mark a new direction in L2 motivation research. This paper extends this work by exploring the connection between the L2 learning experience and ideal L2 self components. Emerging from different theoretical origins, these components have proved difficult to reconcile. Especially in an EFL environment such as Japan, where learners may lack well-defined goals for their English learning beyond university entrance, investigations into the role of L2 learning experience in developing ideal L2 selves can offer practical value to both learners and teachers alike. Adopting an L2 narrative identity perspective (Dörnyei & Ryan, 2015), this study portrays the case of a Japanese pre-service elementary school teacher. Qualitative data was collected from her participation in an undergraduate English-through-drama course. Dramaturgical coding analysis revealed two interconnected L2 narrative dynamics related to her overarching ideal L2 self: one professional and one personal. Evidence is discussed for the tracing of these ideal L2 self-conceptualizations back to key episodes in her L2 learning experience. An important functional interrelation is suggested between L2 learning experience and the development of ideal L2 self-guides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study intended to propose a model of intercultural communicative competence integrating international posture, L2 motivational self-system, autonomy, and cognitive learning strategies. To do so, 180 EFL learners in the Iranian EFL context, selected by convenience sampling procedure, participated in the study. The findings, derived from structural equation modeling, showed that the model adequately fits to the data. That was discussed that interest in seeking international affairs and making intercultural friends, desire to bridge the gap between their current and future selves, taking responsibility for learning, and employment of deep/surface learning strategies direct learners to open conversation with the speakers of other ethnicities. Finally, implications for language teachers and policymakers to inspiring learners to be competent in intercultural communication were provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the relationship between high school students' subjective well-being, English learning motivation, and English proficiency. Three sub-components of subjective well-being were included in this study: positive efficacy well-being, positive emotional well-being, and positive relationship well-being. In all subcomponents of subjective well-being, the mean value of female students was higher than that of male students. In addition, the students with upper and middle levels of English proficiency showed higher subjective well-being than those with a lower level. Among the subcomponents of subjective well-being, positive relationship well-being was found to have the most significant effect on both the ideal L2 self and the ought-to L2 self. Among English learning motivations, the higher the ideal L2 self, the higher the English proficiency. The subjective well-being and the ideal L2 self positively affected English proficiency. This study suggests that appropriate educational activities are needed to enhance students' subjective well-being and form a concrete ideal L2 self. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most interesting areas in second and English-language teaching and learning has been the study of motivation. In this study, the L2 Motivational Self-System theory (Dörnyei, 2005) was adopted in the conceptual framework with the emphasis on learning experiences through the 5Ts of motivation in the classroom (Renandya, 2014). The purpose of this study were to: 1) investigate the levels of motivation towards English language learning among secondary students, and 2) identify the factors that affect the English language learning motivation of secondary school students. The participants consisted of 462 secondary students at Ave Maria School in Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thailand. An explanatory mixed-method design with quantitative and qualitative data was used in this study. The research results showed that the level of students’ motivation towards English language learning among secondary students was high based on the three main components: Ideal L2 Self, Ought-to L2 Self, and L2 Learning Experience. Furthermore, the qualitative data brought to light the types of support that secondary students required, which were classified into five themes: Ideal L2 Self; Ought-to L2 Self; 5Ts of motivation in the classroom; Peers; and social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study intends to identify the interrelationships between motivation, perceptual learning styles, cognitive variables, and language proficiency in a single framework. In particular, the role of the Ideal L2 self, visual learning styles, and L2 confidence for predicting learners’ language proficiency and their willingness to communicate in real life were investigated. The results revealed that visual learning styles have a positive effect on the Ideal L2 self and are indirectly associated with L2 proficiency through the mediating function of motivation. These relationships provide evidence that learners with more vivid images of the distance between their actual and Ideal L2 selves find learning a goal-oriented activity and as a result, are encouraged to make more endeavors to reach higher levels of proficiency. The desire to bridge the gap between their current and ideal selves helps learners reduce anxious arousals and feel more competent to accomplish L2 tasks, which in turn helps learners be more prepared and willing to communicate. Finally, implications for language teachers and policy makers to inspire learners to become more engaged in L2 activities are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the findings from a study that examines the motivations of adult Australians of non-Italian origin to learn Italian in continuing education contexts in Sydney. The study embraces a view of motivation as a multifaceted phenomenon that is produced in a social environment through the interaction between the second language learners and the context in which they operate. The findings reveal that in the Australian multicultural context, the motivation to learn Italian is influenced by a process of negotiation of identity, triggered by both the presence of a well-established Italian migrant community, and the exposure to Italian cultural elements. Thus, the 'investment' of students in learning Italian may be generated by the desire to acquire some forms of symbolic capital rather than material resources, as in the case of other more 'global' languages (e.g., English). The willingness to invest in the acquisition of elements of symbolic capital indicates learners' desire to achieve goals related to self-growth and identity development, which in turn generates greater gains in wellbeing. Interviews with the participants also reveal that intrinsic factors, such as affiliation (with the target language speaking community, as well as with the community of learners in Sydney), and self-realization (correspondence with the ideal self-image of a competent language speaker), are key motivators for this group of students. The desire to belong to a community, of either speakers of Italian or like-minded people involved in the same learning trajectory, highlights the importance of cultivating meaningful relationships to increase individuals' wellbeing and to nurture a sense of attachment and affiliation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students who secure admission to the universities in Sri Lanka do not pay attention on learning English as a Second Language (L2) when they sit for their qualifying examination for the universities. Once they enter the university they get different perceptions of the world including that of the importance of English. This study investigates the perceptions on the motivation levels and the bicultural identity of the freshmen at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka. The perceptions of the learners are investigated under three different categories; Ideal L2 Self, Ought L2 Self, and L2 Learning Experience. This endeavour studies the learners' L2 selves and the factors that impact the L2 selves. A questionnaire has been administered to gather data from the informants and the results reveal the factors contributing to the L2 identity construct of the particular Tamil medium learners. The collected data has been analyzed based on the factors for the motivating capacity of the Ideal and Ought Selves which would to hinder or enhance the motivational impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent L2 motivation research has paid attention to the dynamic nature of motivation and to the process of motivational changes in L2 learning. While studies have mostly focused on the factors positively influencing L2 motivation, relatively little research has been conducted on the factors that influence learner demotivation. In this light, the study examined the factors affecting Korean college students' demotivation and their reaction to demotivation by drawing on the notions of ideal L2 self and ought-to L2 self in Dörnyei (2005, 2009). Based on interviews with twenty-nine Korean college students, three factors were identified as demotivating factors: lack of meaningful purpose, lack of improvement and success experiences, and lack of self-determination. It was noted that the conflict between the students' desire to use English for communication and the immediate need to gain good scores on standardized tests was the main source of learner demotivation. However, the students with a strong ideal L2 self were more successful in setting personalized goals and participating in personally meaningful activities when demotivating factors were present. The findings indicate the importance of learners' ability to visualize their ideal L2 self in overcoming demotivation and remotivating themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the last ten years, language learning motivation research has focussed on how learners see knowledge of a language as part of their identity. This article presents the findings of a qualitative interview study that investigated whether personal growth is also a strong element in the motivation of Australian university students to learn German. After first outlining the theoretical framework in which the study is situated and describing the research design and method, the article will present the main findings and argue that personal growth as well as a desire to broaden one's horizons are strong motives for Australian students of German. The article concludes by discussing the findings and their implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the relationship between students' perceptions of learning contexts and motivation to learn English in Korea. Three categories of contexts were operationalized: the transnational context as learners' international interest including study-abroaddesires, the national context as awareness of English learning to prepare for CSAT (College Scholastic Ability Test) and their classroom experience as the last category. A total of 433high school students were assessed on measures of L2 learning goals, perception of contexts, self-reported L2 proficiency and motivational intentionin the questionnaire, followed by focal participants' interviews and essays. The statistical analyses show that transitional and classroom categories are statistically correlated with motivational intention. However, the national context is negatively correlated with actualmotivation. Multiple regression analyses found that the transnational category is the best predictor form otivational intention, while the national category involves the least significant predictor. The students' classroom experience is also a meaningful, milder than transnational, predictor. Synthesized results of both quantitative and qualitative data suggest thatL2 motivation is more of a sociolinguistic construct that should be construed in relation to multiple social contexts. Findings also suggest Dörnyei's (2005, 2009) notion of the ideal L2 self can better explain the complexity of L2 learning motivation, whereby the integrative-instrumental dichotomy loses its explanatory power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the increase in international trade, mass transportation, and information technology, the role of English as a global language has changed, and conventional EFL/ESL motivation needs paradigmatic reconstruction. This study compares Dörnyei's (2009) recent proposal of a second language (L2) motivat-ional self-system with Gardner's (1985) socio-educational model by investigating 2,832 Korean students' English learning motivation from Grades 3 through 12 in 14 different schools. The cross-grade survey results indicated that Korean EFL learners' motivational intensity showed a curvilinear pattern, which means their motivation consistently decreased until Grade 9 but increased from Grades 10 to 12. A series of regression analyses showed that Dörnyei's L2 motivational self-system was a better predictor than Gardner's socio-educational model in terms of the explanatory power for students' English proficiency; students' ideal L2 and ought-to L2 selves explained better than integrativeness and two types of instrumentality (i.e., promotion- and prevention-based). This confirms the findings of recent literature conducted in different nations. Also, the study provides empirical evidence that the ought-to L2 self, which is an external, social form of L2 motivation, functions only at the cognitive level, whereas the ideal L2 self, a more internalized form, taps into both the cognitive and affective levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the perceptual learning style, ideal L2 self, and motivated L2 behavior of Chinese, Japanese, South Korean, and Swedish high school students. Guided by Dömyei's (2005, 2009a) L2 motivational self-system, this quantitative study extends Al-Shehri's (2009) and Tae-Young Kim's (2009a) research by reinterpreting the role of perceptual learning styles in the creation of learners' ideal L2 self and the maintenance of their motivated L2 behavior. The statistical analysis found that learners' perceptual learning styles (i.e., visual, auditory, and kinesthetic styles) were significantly correlated with their ideal L2 self and motivated L2 behavior. However, the results of the regression analysis indicate that none of three perceptual learning styles were meaningful predictors of motivated L2 behavior. Instead, only ideal L2 self were found to be meaningful predictors of their motivated L2 behavior. The ANOVA results indicate that although the Chinese students were more likely to show motivated L2 behavior than the other students, they showed a significantly lower level of the ideal L2 self than the Swedish students. By focusing on the relationship between learners' perceptual learning styles and motivated L2 behavior based on the L2 motivational self-system, this study provides evidence that the creation of ideal L2 selves plays a pivotal role in sustaining motivated L2 behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]