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This article examines Vietnamese students' motivation for learning Mandarin Chinese during their study abroad in Taiwan and their construction of self in relation to this language learning motivation. A combination of several concepts of ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self, instrumental motive, integrative motive, linguistic capital, and multiple self-aspects is used as a theoretical lens to gain insights into the students' Chinese learning motivation. The study employs a qualitative research approach in which semi-structured interviews with English-medium students from five Taiwanese universities were conducted. Findings reveal that the students' motivation for learning Chinese contributed to portraying their ideal and ought-to Chinese selves, which subsume their different instrumental and integrative motives for language learning. The ideal Chinese self they would like to become possesses Chinese linguistic capital, which would confer on them advantages pertaining to their study, career development and social relations. The students' ideal Chinese self also incorporates and reinforces their (desired) cultural, economic and social selves. Implications for supporting international students' motivation for out-of-class language learning and their construction of self at the institutional level are then discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivational development can no longer be considered as the stable phenomenon as it was considered in the past. It is now an element of individual difference which is constantly influenced by contextual factors. This study applied a dynamic system perspective and drew upon Dörnyei's (2005) L2 Motivational Self-System to examine both male and female Iranian EFL learners' motivational and behavioral variability over time with different levels of proficiency. To this end, 590 beginner to upper intermediate male and female students completed the Motivational Factors Questionnaire at one-month intervals during the semester. The results indicated that the students' motivation could possibly be explored under dynamic systems' principles. The findings demonstrated how students' motivation changed over time and how it could be predicted in a moderately stable manner. The outcomes also showed that students' motivational and behavioral developments were mediated by their proficiency levels and gender. Implications and directions for further research were also stated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The acquisition of a second language has consistently emerged as a fundamental concern among students globally, paralleled by the enduring significance of motivation for second language learning. The primary objective of this study was to examine the intricate interplay between the motivational dimensions of the L2 selfsystem, encompassing the ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self, and L2 learning experience, and their potential impact on the attainment test scores of Iranian pre-intermediates and intermediate EFL learners. By exploring the correlation between these specific motivational factors and the learners' test performance, the study shed light on the nuanced dynamics and significance of these motivational constructs within Iran's distinct cultural and educational context. Methodology: A descriptive correlational study was explicitly devised to ascertain the correlation between the L2 motivational self-system and the attainment test scores of Iranian pre-intermediates and intermediate EFL learners. A total of 150 students, encompassing both males and females, aged between 18 and 29 years, representing various academic disciplines, participated in this study. Ryan's (2009) Motivational Factors Questionnaire was administered among the participants. The study involved the analysis of 21 items pertaining to ought-to L2 self, ideal L2 self, and L2 learning experience. Results: Adopting multiple regression analysis, it was indicated that the ideal L2 self and L2 learning experience were noteworthy predictors significantly impacting the attainment test scores. However, ought-to L2 self could not significantly predict the attainment test scores. Conclusion: By virtue of the valuable implications engendered by the findings of this study, they confer upon L2 pedagogy a distinctive advantage, empowering instructors with the capacity to promote the students' ideal L2 self-concept, thereby optimizing their learning experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Directed Motivational Currents (DMCs) can be described as intense surges in motivation which can carry second language (L2) learners towards achieving their L2 related goals. DMCs are triggered by powerful stimuli which can be diverse in nature, and they depend on various conditions. DMCs are characterized by several key features, including goal-orientedness, a salient facilitative structure, and positive emotionality. Individuals experiencing DMCs are highly focused on a clearly defined goal accompanied by a vision of an idealized future self that has reached the goal. This vision is supported by a new set of automatized behavioural routines, subgoals, and affirmative feedback. Furthermore, individuals experience positive emotions while engaged in pursuit of their L2 goal, regardless of the type of activity or task in question. The aim of this study was to describe DMCs among English L2 university students based on an analysis of interview data. The findings indicated that Croatian university students displayed the key features of DMCs, which were launched due to various triggering stimuli, the most common of which were intrapersonal reasons. L2 goals were mainly related to a future career in the teaching profession, while visions of their ideal L2 self were tied to becoming proficient English language speakers, but also to personal development. Most students used automatized behavioural routines which aided in attaining their goals. The results also suggested that negative feedback did not have a detrimental effect on students' motivation. Moreover, students' DMCs were associated with positive emotionality, through the satisfaction gained by goal attainment which reciprocally affected their self-confidence. [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 paper investigates the L2 motivation of Saudi university students in ESP (English for Specific Purposes) and EGP (English for General Purposes) courses. One of the common arguments about ESP courses suggests that they are more likely to generate higher levels of motivation than other types of English courses (i.e., EGP courses). Some scholars (e.g., Basturkmen, 2010; Dudley-Evans & St John, 1998; Hutchinson & Waters, 1987) hold this view, asserting that ESP courses are more relevant to learners' needs and interests, which increases their motivation. However, none of these claims are based on empirical research; the present study aims to fill this gap. Using Dörnyei's (2005, 2009) L2 Motivational Self System, 4,043 students enrolled in ESP and EGP courses at four Saudi universities completed an online survey. The analysis showed a significant relationship between learners' motivation and their attended English course. The ESP group had higher ideal L2 selves and more positive attitudes towards the L2 learning experience than the EGP group, whereas the ought-to L2 selves were not significantly different. In addition, a multiple regression model was designed, and indicated that the two self-constructs had an impact on participants' L2 achievements, either positively or negatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) has been extensively investigated among learners of English, this study explores through a crosslinguistic lens its applicability to learners of a language other than English (LOTE), in this case French. Quantitative survey analysis among 522 university learners of French and English in two European countries (Sweden and Poland) suggests that while the framework is relevant in the case of learners of French, other motivation constructs are also at play. The L2MSS supposedly subsumes various traditional motivational constructs (e.g. integrative orientation, instrumental orientation), yet there is evidence to suggest that these were perceived as distinct constructs in their own right, especially by the learners of French. Even a strong form of integrative orientation was found to play an active role among the learners of French who had spent time in a francophone country and had learnt the language for longer. As such, the article argues for a more comprehensive approach to second language (L2) motivation theory that is also sensitive to factors at play in the specific case of LOTEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self, and L2 learning experience of the L2 motivational self system (L2MSS) among Thai EFL senior high school students. It took the form of an explanatory mixed-methods research design using the L2MSS questionnaire adopted from Taguchi et al. (2009) and Subekti (2018) to collect quantitative data from 183 students and a semi-structured interview with 6 students for qualitative data. Results from the questionnaire revealed that the ideal L2 self and L2 learning experience were high, while the ought-to L2 self was moderate. The thematic content analysis generated five themes: 1) use of English in the envisioning future career, 2) entertainment as a motivator for self-study, 3) influence of external motivational factors on internal motivation, 4) the impact of learning context, and 5) threat of examination on learning for communication. The paper concludes by recommending further research on a relationship of L2MSS constructs and English learning achievement and how the three motivation constructs predict English learning achievement. Researching the roles of parents in creating English learning motivation, and peers influence on self-efficacy development as a means to generate self-images is also suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guided by the Second Language Motivational Self System (L2MSS) framework, this study examined to what extent the L2MSS components of ideal self, ought-to self, and learning experience described the motivation of learners who chose to enroll in college elective courses of modern languages other than English (LOTEs) in the monolingual social setting of Taiwan. Questionnaire surveys were conducted at the end of two consecutive semesters and learners were interviewed. Triangulation of survey and interview data suggested that a positive learning experience was the strongest variable in motivating effort. Although some classroom factors were known, others worth further exploration in instructional settings were pointed out. The ought-to L2 self was found to be an insignificant predictor with questionable validity. Instead, academic responsibility and instrumentality were found to be more relevant factors. Results on ideal self were less straightforward, suggesting that the ideal self for LOTEs may be qualitatively different from the English ideal self. Comparisons of data sets across time and learner groups indicated motivation did not change over time. By considering major L2MSS components and related constructs together, this study uncovered their relative adequacy in explaining LOTE motivation and suggested possible new perspectives for studying LOTE motivation in instructional settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The L2 motivational self system (L2MSS) theory (Dörnyei, 2005) has been the dominant theory in L2 motivation research for over a decade now, yet it has been scarcely investigated in the Greek education context. The present study explores the ideal L2 self, the ought-to L2 self, instrumentality promotion and instrumentality prevention aspects of Greek junior high school students (N=598) in relation to demographic variables such as gender, school grade, self-reported competence, extra language classes and parental educational level. The results indicated the following order of frequencies in the motivational variables in descending order: instrumentality promotion, ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self, and instrumentality prevention. The anova results indicated that females and students who have higher perceived level of competence, attend extra language classes and whose parents' are more educated demonstrate statistically significantly higher scores in ideal l2 self and instrumentality promotion. The results are discussed in relation motivation enhancement teaching interventions. (151 words) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spread of technology in today's world has made contact across cultures easier than ever. The current study aimed at exploring the association between EFL learners' intercultural contact and their L2 motivational self system. The study also dealt with the relationship between the components of intercultural contact and those of L2 Motivational self system. The research participants completed two relevant questionnaires online. The results revealed that the major sources of intercultural contact among Iranian EFL learners were media and art. The results of correlational analysis showed a significant association between intercultural contact and L2 motivational self system and their components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although ideal L2 self has been considered an importance source of L2 motivation, little empirical research has examined its specific properties and their motivational capacities. This study investigates how five properties of the ideal L2 self—centrality, accessibility, plausibility, vividness, and the existence of plans and strategies—predict two motivational criteria: the ideal L2 self's self-guiding role and general intended learning effort. It also proposes and tests an elaborateness scale for learners' descriptions of their ideal L2 selves in order to examine how descriptive elaborateness relates to the properties of the ideal L2 self and to motivation. Forty-four students wrote narratives about their ideal L2 self, and completed a questionnaire on specific aspects of the ideal L2 self and their motivation in general. The analysis finds only centrality to be a significant predictor for intention to learn, and only accessibility and plausibility to be significant predictors for the ideal L2 self's self-guiding role. The elaborateness of narratives was weakly related to a global ideal L2 self, as well as to the centrality and plausibility of the ideal L2 self. Elaborateness was also related to future intended learning effort, but not to the ideal L2 self's guiding role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In researching second language (L2) learners' motivation, the traditional Gardnerian concept of integrativeness was readily applicable in a world where discrete L2 communities were often clearly identifiable. However, the growing dominance of global English has rendered this construct less relevant for the ever-increasing numbers of L2-English learners for whom there is no geographically-defined L2 community with which to integrate. This transformation of the language learning landscape has seen integrativeness reinterpreted as a concept more aligned with individuals' self-identification and future visions as L2 users. The demand for English teachers worldwide has led to large numbers of first-language English speakers finding such work outside their own countries, but their motivation to learn the languages of their host nations remains unexplored. Based on interviews with 14 English as Foreign Language (EFL) instructors in South Korea, the present study found that most lacked the clear future L2 self visions required to drive motivation. In such cases, the traditional concept of integrativeness also retains its explanatory value, particularly as participants tended to attribute their lack of motivation to elements of the broader society in which they were living. These findings have implications for research on similar cohorts operating in a globalized marketplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender differences in language learning motivation have not been extensively examined. Thus, this survey study explores gender differences in the population of 599 Polish learners of English aged 14–16. Unlike other studies, it not only compares means but investigates whether there are gender differences in the way the variables interact with each other. Findings show that females scored higher than males on scales of international orientation, ideal L2 self and self‐regulation. No gender differences were observed on instrumentality, self‐efficacy beliefs, English self‐concept and intrinsic motivation. There is also a significant difference in the strength of links between self‐regulation and instrumentality, self‐efficacy beliefs as well as English self‐concept. Thus, gender effects appear more extensive than previous research has shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the ideal L2 self as the proposed key driver of self-motivation in L2 learning has received considerable scholarly attention over the past ten years, the conditions for its motivational capacity remain largely unexplored in empirical studies. This article details a quantitative measure that operationalizes the ideal L2 self in terms of specific properties that have been associated with its motivating capacity and links these with effort expended towards its attainment. The results of a study into the properties of the ideal L2 selves of 97 German upper-intermediate to advanced learners of English are discussed, in which levels of self-motivation to attain a specific ideal L2 self were most strongly associated with how frequently the ideal L2 self was envisioned, followed by the perceived present-future self-discrepancy and the extent to which this ideal L2 self was desired. Although the perceived plausibility of a specific ideal L2 self was also positively associated with effort expended towards its attainment, its unique contribution to predicting effort did not reach significance when the variance explained by the other properties was controlled for. The implications of these findings for researchers and language educators are discussed. [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]

This paper analyzes two recent Korean immigrants' ESL learning motivation using Dörnyei's (, The L2 motivational self-system. In Z. Dörnyei & E. Ushioda (Eds.), Motivation, language identity and the L2 self, pp. 9-42) Second Language (L2) Motivational Self-System, which is synthesized with Engeström's (, Activity theory and individual and social transformation. In Y. Engeström, R. Miettinen, & R. Punamáki (Eds.), Perspectives on activity theory, pp. 19-38) Activity Theory (AT) framework. Over a 10-month period, the author conducted semi-structured monthly interviews and stimulated recall tasks. The findings of this case study suggest the following: (1) when sociocultural factors are mediated by L2 learners' beliefs, these factors may directly influence learners' ideal L2 self and ought-to L2 self; (2) learners' sensitivity with inclusive attitudes can transform the L2 learning environment into meaningful affordances; and (3) if there is no tension among elements in individual's AT system, the individual's ideal L2 self can be maintained. From the Vygotskian AT perspective, this paper implies that affordances may positively affect maintenance of the ideal L2 self and the ought-to L2 self and that AT can function as a coherent framework for these two L2 selves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent theorizing on second language (L2) motivation has proposed viewing motivation as a function of the language learners' vision of their desired future language selves. This would suggest that the intensity of motivation is partly dependent on the learners' capability to generate mental imagery. In order to test this hypothesis, this study investigates whether learner characteristics are related to sensory and imagery aspects with indices of the strength of the learners' future L2 self-guides (ideal and ought-to L2 selves) and how these variables are linked to learning achievement in two target languages, English and Mandarin, assessed both by self-report and objective measures. One hundred seventy-two Year 8 Chinese students (ages 13-15) completed a questionnaire survey, and the results reveal several significant associations between the future self-guides and intended effort and actual grades, including a consistently positive relationship between the ideal self and the criterion measures. The findings also confirm the multisensory dimension of future self-guides, suggesting the importance of a broad imagery capacity (including both visual and auditory components) in the development of individuals' future self-identities. Finally, the ideal-self images associated with different languages were shown to form distinct L2-specific visions, which has various implications for future research with regard to the potential positive or negative interaction of these self images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This article explores 59 university students' motivation for learning German as a foreign language over the course of one academic year. It sheds light on the role of the ideal L2 self, integrative and instrumental orientations, and task-based self-efficacy for students' motivation and pays particular attention to the relationship between the ideal L2 self and self-efficacy beliefs. With the exception of integrative orientation, all variables were significantly correlated with self-perceived effort and thus appeared to play a role in students' motivation to engage with language learning. While students could well imagine becoming proficient users of German, task based self-efficacy to deal with the specific language tasks required at university was relatively low at the beginning of the year, and self-efficacy beliefs for speaking and listening further declined over the course of the year. Given the significant correlations between the ideal L2 self and task based self-efficacy, it is proposed that attending to students' self-efficacy beliefs may also nourish students' ideal L2 self. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper reports a study of Pakistani undergraduate students' motivation to learn English, using Dörnyei's (2009) L2 Motivational Self System as the main theoretical framework, while including some context-specific factors. The purpose of the study was both to contribute to the ongoing validation of Dörnyei's model for describing contemporary L2 motivation and to capture motivational factors which were salient in this under-researched global context. A survey was designed and administered to over 1000 undergraduates in various institutions in the Pakistani province of Punjab. Correlation and regression analyses of the data provide considerable empirical support for the validity of the L2 Motivational Self System and its relevance in the Pakistani context, with attitudes to the learning experience and the Ideal L2 self again found to be the strongest predictors of learning effort. However, a proposed new construct – National Interest – made a strong contribution to the Ideal L2 self, highlighting the need to understand the association of English with the national identities and interests of learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to explore how two different intervention programmes that were based on Dörnyei's L2 Motivational Self System succeeded in motivating Chinese university students to learn English by enhancing their vision of their Ideal L2 Self. One was a voluntary programme at a university in England, whereas the other was conducted within a compulsory credit-bearing English course at a university in Hong Kong. In spite of the differences between the two programmes, including the design of the interventions, the tasks employed, the length of the programmes and the types of students who participated in the study, the findings revealed that both programmes were effective in motivating the participants to learn English and increasing their linguistic self-confidence through strengthening their vision of their Ideal L2 Self, and making their goals clearer and more specific. Lessons learned from the two pioneering programmes and recommendations for future similar programmes will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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]

Abstract: The research reported in this paper investigates how the motivational and attitudinal dispositions of students who learnt both English and German simultaneously at the time of data collection differ for the two foreign languages. The study is based on data gathered with the help of a standardised questionnaire from 237 16/17-year-old learners of English and German. Based on L2 Motivational System, it can be concluded that students’ Ideal L2 self proved to be the most significant component of predicting motivated learning behaviour for both English and German as a first or second foreign language. However, only English as a first foreign language (as opposed to as a second foreign language) was appraised with solely positive attitudes and dispositions by the students. For German (either first or second foreign language) and English as a second foreign language, the negative effects of the motivational dimensions related to the other foreign language cannot be neglected. In order to explain the complex results, they will be discussed within the framework of the Dynamic Systems Theory (DST; ). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

As L2 motivation and resilience have been found to play a critical role in second language learning, this study takes the initiative to investigate and verify the structural relationship between resilience, L2 learning motivation and L2 proficiency at beginner, intermediate and advanced level. To collect the data, the participants (N = 132 EFL learners) were administered a placement test and two questionnaires to rate their level of proficiency, resilience and L2 motivation, respectively. The results of Structural Equation Modeling analysis (SEM) revealed that L2 proficiency was directly influenced only by the beginners' L2 motivation. It was found that the intermediate learners' L2 proficiency was directly influenced by both L2 motivation and resilience. Conversely, the results indicated that the advanced students' L2 proficiency was directly impacted only by resilience. In addition, the study determined that L2 motivation has a significant indirect impact on L2 proficiency through resilience only at the advanced level. More generally, L2 proficiency was shown to be directly predictable by both L2 motivation and resilience, and L2 motivation was revealed to have significant direct and indirect effects on L2 proficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]