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This research delves into the dynamics of growth mindset, ideal L2 self, grit, and student engagement using well-established data collection instruments in the context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning. A sample comprising 379 participants drawn from diverse language institutes in Iran, provided empirical data for this study. Employing structural equation modeling and validated scales for each construct, the study unveils a partially mediated model, illuminating the intricate relationships among the variables under investigation. The findings reveal that both ideal L2 self and growth mindset exert a significant influence on student engagement, with grit serving as a crucial partial mediator in these associations. Moreover, growth mindset demonstrates a notable indirect effect on student engagement, primarily mediated by grit. The study not only advances our understanding of motivational drivers in EFL learning but also yields practical insights for educators and curriculum designers seeking to bolster student engagement and perseverance in language learning environments., Esta investigación indaga en las dinámicas de la mentalidad de crecimiento, el yo ideal en L2, la perseverancia y el compromiso estudiantil utilizando instrumentos de recolección de datos bien establecidos en el contexto del aprendizaje del inglés como lengua extranjera (EFL). Una muestra de 379 participantes provenientes de diversos institutos de idiomas en Irán proporcionó la base empírica para este estudio. Empleando modelado de ecuaciones estructurales y escalas validadas para cada constructo, el estudio revela un modelo parcialmente mediado, iluminando las relaciones intrincadas entre estos factores clave. Los hallazgos muestran que tanto el yo ideal en L2 como la mentalidad de crecimiento ejercen una influencia significativa en el compromiso estudiantil, siendo la perseverancia un mediador parcial crucial en estas asociaciones. Además, la mentalidad de crecimiento demuestra un notable efecto indirecto en el compromiso estudiantil, principalmente mediado por la perseverancia. El estudio no solo avanza en nuestra comprensión de los impulsores motivacionales en el aprendizaje de EFL, sino que también ofrece ideas prácticas para educadores y diseñadores de currículo que buscan fortalecer el compromiso estudiantil y la perseverancia en entornos de aprendizaje de idiomas.

Elevers motivation samt kunskapsmässiga och framtida mål i spanska undersöks utifrån enkätsvar från 77 gymnasieelever i steg 3 och 4 samt intervjuer med två elever i steg 5. Arbetets teoretiska ramverk utgörs av tre motivationsteorier: self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) med begreppen inre och yttre motivation, the socio-educational model (Gardner, 2001) med begreppet integrativ motivation och L2 Motivational Self System (Dörnyei, 2009) med begreppet ideal L2 self. Resultatet visar att cirka hälften av informanterna känner sig motiverade av att läsa spanska och det är främst på grund av yttre betingad motivation via meritpoäng och betyg. Dock har runt två tredjedelar som mål att resa till spansktalande länder och prata med målspråkstalare, som kan härledas till en integrativ motivation. Drygt hälften av informanterna tror att de kommer kunna bra spanska i framtiden, vilket indikerar en stark framtidsinriktad språklig självbild., Students’ motivation, knowledge targets and future goals in Spanish are studied based on questionnaires completed by 77 students enrolled in stage 3 and stage 4, as well as interviews with two students in stage 5. The theoretical framework consists of three motivational theories: Self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) with the concepts of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, the socio-educational model (Gardner, 2001) with the concept of integrative motivation and L2 Motivational Self System (Dörnyei, 2009) with the concept of ideal L2 self. The result shows that nearly half of the respondents feel motivated studying Spanish, mainly due to extrinsic motives, such as merit points and grades. Furthermore, about two-thirds aim to travel to Spanish-speaking countries and communicate with target language speakers, which is considered an integrative motivation. About half of the respondents believe that they will speak Spanish well in the future, which indicates a strong future-oriented self-image in their language study.

This phenomenographic study examines how imagining a future self as an English speaker and extramural English habits interact and affect the desire to learn English and engagement in the English classroom. The study was carried out in northern Sweden, and used a purposive sample of 23 pupils in the fifth and sixth grade of Swedish compulsory school. Mixed-methods data collection was used which included a questionnaire, an interview, and two linguistic portraits. Findings from this study indicate that in a Swedish compulsory school context young pupils are capable of imagining possible future English selves, and that these imagined future selves are dependent on the pupils’ dreams and aspirations or a view of English as a useful global language. Additionally, while these imagined future English selves are a reason for the pupils to learn English and indirectly affect their desire to learn English, they fail to explain the pupils’ engagement in English class with but a few exceptions.

Theoretical basis of this paper is the heuristic L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS). The research aims to determine the degree to which the ideal L2 self can be regarded as a significant factor with regards to its power to make a difference in students’ actual motivated behaviour in L2 communication. The research sample consists of 396 students. The ideal L2 self is a predictor variable. Willingness to communicate and the obtained grades are criterion variables. Gender, period of time spent learning English / German, and whether students are residing in the country where the target language is spoken are all moderator variables. Systematic non-experimental observation method based on Dörnyei and Taguchi´s survey was used in this study. Cronbach’s alpha indicated high reliability in the presented sample (.92). Willingness to communicate was investigated using McCroskey´s questionnaire. The findings indicate a rather complex picture of the observed L2 MSS constructs and the importance of their components in the field of L2 learning. Therefore, for further research, it is suggested that the ideal L2 self should be divided into two constructs: obligations that the individual would like to comply with and obligations that others expect him/her to comply with. The contribution of the L2 learning experience should also be considered because otherwise, it is difficult to determine the progress of the model design and what to do with it in practice.

This article presents the main quantitative findings in a study that applied the tenets of Zoltán Dörnyei’s (2005, 2009) L2 Motivational Self-System (L2MSS) to explore the L2 motivation of over 500 undergraduate students in the Region of Murcia, Spain. We used the lens of the ideal and ought L2 selves to gain insight into participants’ intentions to invest effort in learning the L2, the variables affecting their decision and their current involvement in L2 acquisition. We also explored the role of the somewhat fuzzy concept of the L2 learning experience within the L2MSS distinguishing past from present learning experiences. The ideal L2 self emerged as the strongest variable in relation to intentions to learn across the sample. Regarding external influences on the self, instrumentality prevention appears to be more relevant to motivated behavior than an ought L2 self. Quite negative past learning experiences were detected in the sample along with a lack of parental encouragement in learning the L2 leading us to conclude that these factors may have had a detrimental effect on English learning and acquisition among the sample observed., En este artículo se presentan los resultados principales de un estudio empírico en el que se aplica la teoría del Sistema Motivacional del Yo L2 (SMYL2) (Dörnyei 2005, 2009) para analizar la motivación para el aprendizaje de la L2 (inglés) en una muestra de más de 500 estudiantes universitarios en la Región de Murcia, España. De un total de 14 variables incluidas en el estudio, analizamos en mayor detalle el papel (todavía algo ambiguo) del tercer componente del SMYL2—la experiencia de aprendizaje L2—estableciendo una distinción entre experiencias pasadas frente a las experiencias más actuales. El yo ideal L2 resultó ser la variable más influyente de todas las examinadas en relación con las intenciones futuras de los participantes. En lo que se refiere a influencias externas, la variable de instrumentalidad en su dimensión preventiva resultó tener mayor relevancia que un yo L2 deóntico o de obligación. Por último, detectamos cierta negatividad en cuanto a las experiencias pasadas de aprendizaje de inglés además de un nivel bajo de apoyo familiar, aspectos que posiblemente hayan tenido un efecto negativo sobre la competencia comunicativa de la muestra estudiada.

The study investigated the effects of 283 college students’ perceptual learning styles, imagination, and the ideal L2 self on their motivated L2 behavior. The college students were found to prefer a visual learning style the most, followed by auditory and kinesthetic styles. Statistical analyses indicated that visual and auditory styles were meaningfully correlated with motivated behavior, while the kinesthetic style was not; this was consistent with the findings of younger students. Sequential regression analysis found that the ideal L2 self had the most explanatory power, followed by imagination, auditory style, and visual style. No statistically significant difference was found between male and female students in the perceptual learning style variables., El estudio investigó los efectos que tienen los estilos de aprendizaje perceptuales, la imaginación y el ideal de uno mismo en L2 sobre el comportamiento motivado en L2 de 283 estudiantes universitarios. Los estudiantes prefieren mayoritariamente un estilo de aprendizaje visual, seguido por estilos auditivos y quinestésicos. Los análisis estadísticos indican que los estilos visuales y auditivos estaban significativamente relacionados con el comportamiento motivado, mientras que el estilo quinestésico no; esto fue similar a los resultados de estudiantes más jóvenes. El análisis de regresión secuencial reveló que el ideal de uno mismo en L2 tuvo el poder más explicativo, seguido por la imaginación, el estilo auditivo y el estilo visual. La diferencia de género no fue encontrada dentro de las variables.

This article reports the first meta-analysis of the L2 motivational self system (Dörnyei, 2005, 2009). A total of 32 research reports, involving 39 unique samples and 32,078 language learners, were meta-analyzed. The results showed that the three components of the L2 motivational self system (the ideal L2 self, the ought-to L2 self, and the L2 learning experience) were significant predictors of subjective intended effort (rs = .61, .38, and .41, respectively), though weaker predictors of objective measures of achievement (rs = .20, -.05, and .17). Substantial heterogeneity was also observed in most of these correlations. The results also suggest that the strong correlation between the L2 learning experience and intended effort reported in the literature is, due to substantial wording overlap, partly an artifact of lack of discriminant validity between these two scales. Implications of these results and directions for future research are discussed.

Forskning visar att träning i att använda målspråket behövs för att befästa språkkunskaperna och att högre muntlig användning av målspråket av både lärare och elever i under- visningen leder till högre resultat. Samtidigt finns det utmaningar i att förmå eleverna att våga öva på just att tala målspråket. Med detta som utgångspunkt undersöktes vad som påverkar motivationen hos elever i årskurs 8 för att delta muntligt på spanska, på lektionerna. Studien, där både elever och lärare deltog, genomfördes april 2017 på en svensk grundskola med hjälp av enkäter, semistrukturerade intervjuer samt lektionsobservationer. Resultaten visade att elever som var positivt inställda till att prata spanska på lektionerna, och som rapporterade högst faktiskt talande på lektionerna, angav faktorer som förknippas med en tydlig ’Ideal L2’-självbild samt positiva upplevelser av språkundervisningen och erfarenheter av talande som främsta motivationskällor för sin språkinlärning. Det senare verkar ha störst inflytande på elevens motivation för att delta aktivt på lektionerna. Eleverna angav för få uppmaningar till målspråkstalande som ett hinder för att öva sitt talande, liksom social och kunskapsmässig osäkerhet. Mängden målspråksanvändning på lektionerna, för lärare och elever, speglade lärarnas olika uppfattningar om utvecklingen av den muntliga språkförmågan. Vidare forskning föreslås inom bl.a. elevstyrda mål för talandet per lektion som ett sätt att öka elevernas motivation för att öva målspråkstalandet.

Research on the L2 Motivational Self System has drawn considerable attention in Second Language Acquisition. Previous studies have discussed the system itself, its basic concepts and their relationships to such affective variables as anxiety in various L2 learning contexts. The findings of these studies suggest that (1) having a clearer image of one's ideal L2 self might facilitate motivated L2 learning behaviour, (2) affective variables can promote or hinder learners' will to envision their ideal L2 selves, and (3) the system has both theoretical and pedagogical implications for L2 learner autonomy. The present survey study aimed to validate the system among Japanese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners in two groups, whose learning contexts made it respectively easier and harder to formulate a clear image of an ideal L2 self. Survey data were analysed using multiple-group structural equation modelling. Results showed that the proposed model fitted both groups, but the relationships among variables in the model were different according to the group. The study also illustrated the dynamic interplay of affective variables (e.g. anxiety, self-efficacy) and the basic tenets of the system thereby providing us with useful insights into L2 learner autonomy.

The objective of this article is to explore, in a Japanese EFL context, the ideal L2 self with some hypothesized relationships among motivated learning behaviour, self-efficacy, L2 anxiety, and the perceived amount of information related to learners’ future self-guides by performing structural equation modelling on the data of 126 Japanese first-year university students. Moreover, the present study examines the possibility of postulating two levels of the ideal L2 self to confirm whether a theoretical model better than Dörnyei’s original one can be attained by doing so. The SEM analysis showed that we can postulate two levels of the ideal L2 self, indeed resulting in a better theoretical model. The proposed model revealed that self-efficacy and the perceived amount of information had a positive influence on learners’ formation of a better ideal L2 self. Furthermore, the model indicated that the ideal L2 self and self-efficacy positively affected motivated learning behaviour, while the ideal L2 self negatively affected anxiety. Based on these findings, the authors argue that the L2 motivational self system (with the two levels of the ideal L2 self) can be developed into a framework that explains not only L2 motivation but also other affective variables, all in one system.

This paper reports the first investigation in the second language acquisition field assessing learners’ implicit attitudes using the Implicit Association Test, a computerized reaction-time measure. Examination of the explicit and implicit attitudes of Arab learners of English (N = 365) showed that, particularly for males, implicit attitudes toward L2 speakers are associated with self-reported openness to the L2 group and with strength of correlations among attitudinal and motivational variables. Implicit attitudes also moderated important paths in the L2 Motivational Self System. The paper concludes that implicit attitudes seem to be a meaningful individual difference variable, adding a new dimension to our understanding of language motivation.

This research paper examines Swedish students’ attitudes and motivation towards English education in two upper secondary schools, using Dörnyei’s (2005) L2 motivational self system. Of interest is whether theoretical and vocational students have motivational differences when it comes to learning English as a second language. A quantitative questionnaire was compiled using the instrument variables from previous studies of L2 motivation, and question items, which were “re-theorized” for this particular study. 58 students participated, of which 30 were theoretical students and 28 vocational students. Results were then analyzed across three dimensions of L2 motivation: ideal L2 self, ought to L2 self, and L2 learning experience. Findings revealed that, on average, both groups were motivated to learn English as a second language, but that there is an apparent difference between theoretical and vocational students’ attitudes towards learning an L2: the theoretical students’ data showed that they have stronger influence than vocational students in the ideal l2 self, integrative/integrativeness, instrumentality-promotion, attitudes to l2 community, ought-to l2 self, instrumentality-prevention, family influence, attitudes to learning English, and criterion measures.

Since the inception of the L2 motivational self system (Dörnyei, 2005), which operationalises motivation as a function of learners’ future identities, the field of L2 motivation has seen a growing interest in mental imagery. Numerous studies have examined the role of a future self-guide, that is, the ideal L2 self, and have confirmed it to be powerful for explaining learner motivation (e.g., Csizér & Lukács, 2010; Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2009); however, few studies have explored how mental imagery, a key dimension of the ideal L2 self (Dörnyei & Chan, 2013), can manifest itself in actual motivated behaviour. Using in-depth interviews, the present study aims to explore the motivational capacity of the natural use of mental imagery in three doctoral candidates studying at a British university. The main research focuses on examining how imagery was employed to stimulate the participants’ L2 learning and their doctoral research as well as career choice. This paper proposes a conceptual framework of types, functions, and conditions of imagery in academic and professional achievements based on the data obtained. It reveals an intriguing array of imagery types, functions, and conditions, which shape the achievement of the individuals’ desired goals. Recommendations and implications for future research on imagery use in SLA are also discussed.

This thesis consists of two mixed-methods studies: a validation study and an application study of Dörnyei's (2009a) L2 Motivational Self System with participants from China. The quantitative part of the validation study involved 1,154 Chinese middle school and university students from mainland China and the follow-up qualitative study consisted of ten Chinese university students at a British university from mainland China. Structural equation models and correlational analyses validated the L2 Motivational Self System in China. The issues of family, face, responsibility, and pressure clarified the motivational role of the Chinese family and explained the main relationships in the system. Differences in the motivational orientation of the two sub-groups demonstrated the ability of the system to represent different age groups. The application study involved an intervention programme that I developed at a British university in order to motivate my participants to put more time and effort into learning English by enhancing their vision of their Ideal L2 self. The programme contained 31 participants who were international students from China. The programme made most of the participants more motivated to learn English and all of them more confident in their English. There was a significant increase in the strength of the participants' Ideal L2 self as a result of the programme. The vision of the participants' Ideal L2 self and their goals for learning English became more clear and specific due to the programme. Motivation and confidence were found to mutually affect each other. Most of the participants' imagination improved as a result of the programme. They became more proficient in English, more aware of the importance of English in their lives, and their attitudes toward learning English became more positive due to the programme.

This thesis consists of two mixed-methods studies: a validation study and an application study of Dörnyei's (2009a) L2 Motivational Self System with participants from China. The quantitative part of the validation study involved 1,154 Chinese middle school and university students from mainland China and the follow-up qualitative study consisted of ten Chinese university students at a British university from mainland China. Structural equation models and correlational analyses validated the L2 Motivational Self System in China. The issues of family, face, responsibility, and pressure clarified the motivational role of the Chinese family and explained the main relationships in the system. Differences in the motivational orientation of the two sub-groups demonstrated the ability of the system to represent different age groups. The application study involved an intervention programme that I developed at a British university in order to motivate my participants to put more time and effort into learning English by enhancing their vision of their Ideal L2 self. The programme contained 31 participants who were international students from China. The programme made most of the participants more motivated to learn English and all of them more confident in their English. There was a significant increase in the strength of the participants' Ideal L2 self as a result of the programme. The vision of the participants' Ideal L2 self and their goals for learning English became more clear and specific due to the programme. Motivation and confidence were found to mutually affect each other. Most of the participants' imagination improved as a result of the programme. They became more proficient in English, more aware of the importance of English in their lives, and their attitudes toward learning English became more positive due to the programme.