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Evidence from recent studies has shown that sustained perseverance and passion for long-term goals in the domain of second language (L2) learning – a personality trait called L2 grit – is associated with various aspects of language learning, including positive psychological attributes (e.g. motivation, beliefs, and emotions), actions (e.g. learning efforts and strategy use), and achievement (e.g. course and task performance). Meanwhile, relatively little has been written about the mechanism through which such relationships emerge. Expanding upon L2 grit’s association with self-regulated learning (SRL) behaviors and SRL-related psychological variables, this study explores the development of L2 grit and its role in language achievement using the SRL framework. One hundred and eight English majors in Japan responded to a questionnaire, granted permission to access their L2 class records, and completed a standardized L2 test. The main findings include: (1) the psychological attributes that facilitate SRL may play a critical role in increasing levels of L2 grit, (2) the relationship between L2 grit and achievement in language classes was mediated by behavioral self-regulation (intensified learning efforts), and (3) L2 grit may promote different types of self-regulatory behaviors depending on learners’ status (i.e. learning experience and proficiency levels) and learning situations (e.g. learning content and goals). The results provide one explanation for the superior performance of gritty learners in L2 classes observed in previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The communicative component of language learning has gained importance in line with the needs of the 21st century. So, different factors which influence the communicative ability of language learners has caught the attention of the researchers. Willingness to communicate (WTC) is one of these individual variables which affects the communicative ability of learners and various aspects of this construct are widely investigated in different language learning contexts. However, the number of studies in Turkish English as a foreign language (EFL) context is limited. Thus, the primary goal of the study was to investigate L2 WTC in Turkey. 711 preparatory school students at a state university completed measures of WTC, communication confidence, motivation, ideal L2 self, learner beliefs, classroom environment, and a vocabulary test. According to the results of the structural model, the relationships of classroom environment with both WTC in English and communication confidence were fully mediated by motivation to learn English, ideal L2 self, and learner beliefs. Moreover, the relationships of learner beliefs and ideal self with WTC in English were fully mediated by communication confidence. Motivation to learn English directly influenced WTC. Lastly, vocabulary size indirectly influenced WTC through communication 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]

This study investigates the Saudi EFL students' L2 motivation based on the L2 Motivational Self System in an online learning environment in the Saudi EFL context during the global change of the educational systems and the shift from face-to-face learning to online learning due to COVID-19 pandemic. The study adopted a mixed-methods approach by using a QUAN-qual method involving a questionnaire and semi-structed interviews for data collection. 440 female EFL secondary school students from the city of Madinah, Saudi Arabia participated in the quantitative phase. The questionnaire aimed to measure students' L2 motivation in light of the L2 Motivational Self System. Further semi-structured interviews were conducted with 7 female EFL secondary school students to provide a more in depth understanding of their experiences. After the analysis of the data, it was revealed that more than half of students have ideal L2 self. The study also revealed that learners' have positive attitude towards online learning although the communication aspect is missed, which students considered it as an important element in online learning. The study recommends stakeholders to adopt new approaches that focus on promoting students' future ideal L2 selves and enabling them to form and visualize their ideal L2 selves in virtual EFL classrooms and implement online learning platforms that ensure interactions between students and teachers and students themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

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]

Learners’ emotions in learning a foreign language are claimed to shape complicated dynamic associations contributing to their motivational and linguistic outcomes, as evidenced by recent research in this area. In order to advance this research area, this study sought to investigate the foreign language enjoyment (FLE) and foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) as the predictors of ideal L2 self in Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context. The total number of 195 English-major students from various universities completed an online survey containing the three scales in question. The measurement models were first verified using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Then, the structural model for the relations among the variables was tested employing structural equation modeling (SEM). The SEM results showed that although FLE and FLCA significantly predicted ideal L2 self, FLE was a stronger predictor of ideal L2 self than FLCA. This study provides significant pedagogical implications for EFL practitioners.

This study explores the process of how a learner recognises the value of a Self-Access Learning Center (SALC) and takes charge of her own learning through self-reflection of her language learning environments beyond the classroom as well as her ideal future self-image as a motivational factor. A university student who majors in English drew a mind map as a tool to reflect on her learning activities beyond the classroom before and after engaging in various reflective activities. Employing a qualitative narrative case study approach, multiple data sources, which included two mind maps, written descriptions of them, and a follow-up semi-structured interview, were analysed from an ecological perspective. The findings show that the learner's self-reflection on her learning environments beyond the classroom, as well as her stronger image of ideal future-self, guided her to step forward to take action to engage with the SALC to create a meaningful space to achieve her goals. The learner's self-reflection on her engagement with the environments, strategic advice from her friends, and a clearer image of her ideal future self are seen as key factors for the development of her learner agency. The benefits of teachers including self-reflection during class time on learning beyond the classroom as an aid to develop learner agency are also outlined. [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]

Learners' emotions in learning a foreign language are claimed to shape complicated dynamic associations contributing to their motivational and linguistic outcomes, as evidenced by recent research in this area. In order to advance this research area, this study sought to investigate the foreign language enjoyment (FLE) and foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) as the predictors of ideal L2 self in Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context. The total number of 195 English-major students from various universities completed an online survey containing the three scales in question. The measurement models were first verified using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Then, the structural model for the relations among the variables was tested employing structural equation modeling (SEM). The SEM results showed that although FLE and FLCA significantly predicted ideal L2 self, FLE was a stronger predictor of ideal L2 self than FLCA. This study provides significant pedagogical implications for EFL practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Future second language (L2) self-images have proven integral to L2 motivation, prompting several attempts to purposefully develop learners' ideal L2 selves over the past decade through the use of vision-building techniques. Some of these 'vision interventions' have reported successfully enhancing learners' L2 self-images and motivation; other studies, however, diverge from an unqualified success narrative, citing for example a lack of increase in learner effort despite stronger future vision. Data collection has also been typically restricted to the period of the intervention itself, and so insight into the long-term take-up of the introduced techniques, or how potential outcomes develop over time, remains limited. To gain further understanding into such issues, we have charted the evolving nature of the L2 vision intervention over the past decade, and complemented the learning from previous studies by conducting a five-week vision-building course with 25 learners of English for academic purposes (EAP) in the UK university-pathway system. Interview data gathered over the course of 10 months – the longest investigation of vision-building we are aware of – demonstrated fluctuating engagement with visualization, and accordingly, our analysis looks critically at the notion of self-image-centred intervention in instructed second language acquisition (SLA). While we believe that L2 vision can indeed be consciously enhanced, we argue that success depends largely on how general principles are adapted to specific learning contexts. The discussion highlights challenges that instructors may encounter in staging such interventions, and offers practical lessons for using self-images in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study leverages positive psychology (PP) to explore the reciprocal relationships among foreign language enjoyment (FLE), ideal L2 self, and grit in English major learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). It further examines the potential for growth mindset to predict these constructs over time. Employing a cross-lagged panel design, the research investigates these relationships among 903 EFL learners in Iran, assessed at two time points. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is utilized to analyse the hypothesized reciprocal and predictive effects. The findings reveal a significant lagged effect of ideal L2 self on both FLE and grit, suggesting that a stronger ideal L2 self at the initial assessment predicts higher levels of FLE and grit at the subsequent time point. Additionally, growth mindset exhibits a significant influence on all three constructs, but only at the first assessment point. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the motivational dynamics underlying EFL learning success and highlight the potential benefits of fostering a growth mindset and a strong ideal L2 self among learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of positive psychology to the SLA domain triggered a bulk of research on how learners can thrive and flourish in the language classroom emphasizing the role that character strengths play in the achievement of goals. In this study, we examined character strengths in the context of second language (L2) learning and their role in a critical goal of L2 learning - the Willingness to Communicate (WTC) in the target language. Specifically, we examined the impact of L2 grit, Ideal L2 Self (ILS), and growth language mindset (growth LM) as complex direct and indirect predictors of WTC. Data was collected from 450 Iranian EFL learners with diverse language proficiencies. The predictor of L2 grit, the possible mediators of ILS and Growth LM, and the outcome variable of WTC were modeled in a double latent mediation model. Results indicated that ILS and growth LM fully mediated the relationship between L2 grit and WTC. As such, the study highlighted the role of personal strengths such as grittiness, self-motivation, and a growth LM in the L2 learning context. Finally, future research avenues are suggested based on the findings of this study. • Ideal L2 Self (ILS) and growth language mindset (LM) fully mediated the relationship between L2 grit and willingness to communicate (WTC). • ILS was the stronger mediator explaining the relative priority of having a positive picture of oneself using English. • This study supported character strengths (L2 grit, growth LM, and ILS) as individual predictors of WTC. • Personal strengths such as grittiness, self-motivation, and a growth LM play a key role in the L2 learning context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the well-established importance and effectiveness of pragmatic instruction in expediting ESL and EFL learners’ pragmatic development as frequently corroborated by many scholars, the cognitive and psychological dimensions of learners in pragmatic learning and the way those might impact their pragmatic learning has so far received insufficient attention. Therefore, the present study has made every possible effort to delve into the possible impact of ideal L2 self, and ought-to L2 self on EFL Learners’ L2 functional use. Fifty-two Iranian English students took part in this research project. First, the two questionnaires (i.e. ideal L2 self and ought-to L2 self) adopted from Dörnyei and Taguchi (2010) were distributed among the participants. Moreover, the participants went through a six-week instructional period and received pragmatic instruction at the end of their regular class hour for thirty minutes. Finally, all the participants were required to complete two discourse completion tests containing eight scenarios borrowed from both Schauer’s (2009), and Jalilifar’s (2009) as pretest and posttest. This would enable the researchers to assess the participants’ pre- and post-instructional pragmatic knowledge. Descriptive statistics and independent samples t-tests were run to analyze the data. The findings indicate that high ideal L2 self group significantly outperformed the high ought-to L2 self group with regard to their pragmatic performances on discourse completion tests. The study further implies that factors such as the individuals’ ideal L2 self can be regarded as determining and pivotal when it comes to the amount of learning that takes place in learners with either high ideal L2 self or those with high ought-to L2 self.

This article aims to reveal how learners make use of a space for self-directed learning to promote collaborative autonomous learning, drawing on data collected at a Japanese language institution for the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) care worker candidates in Osaka. The data analysis shows that, through the activities the learners chose and organized, they imagined an ideal L2 self and created their own L2 world. As soon as the self-directed learning session had started, they created their own group on Facebook and promoted learning activities which were related with their real lives in Japan. These activities on Facebook created a learning space beyond the classroom. These online activities they engaged in eventually returned to the classroom space and led to them increasingly taking ownership of the physical space. This research reveals that an important factor for self-directed learning is providing learners spaces and allowing them to explore the boundaries and possibilities of that space. The learners in this case study used the space to translate their past experiences and present emotions into the second language context, and moreover, to strategize for the future. To encourage collaborative autonomous learning, the activities must be organized around learners’ inner worlds where their emotions, experiences and futures exist.

Directed motivational currents (DMCs) is a novel construct investigated by motivation researchers. Earlier studies on DMCs have focused on explaining its unique nature while the individual difference (ID) factors impacting upon its power and long-term sustainment has been under-researched. The aim of this research study was to reveal the structural interactions among DMC dispositions, self-regulated strategy use, language learning effort, ideal L2 self and imagination capacity/vision of tertiary level EFL learners in Turkish higher education context. The study was conducted with 305 participants and it employed a quantitative research design. Data were collected using a composite survey instrument. Findings showed that imagination capacity, ideal L2 self, language learning effort, and self-regulated strategy use had direct or indirect effect on DMC experience. It is probable, therefore, that these ID factors could help explain long-term existence of DMCs depending on the strength of their predictive power. On the basis of these findings, providing learners with vision-setting and vision-sustaining activities, encouraging them to put effort into the learning process and teaching them how to self-regulate via some external interventions were proposed to enhance the strength and sustainment of this unique experience. [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]

While there has been a surge of publication on L2 motivation studies, not much has been investigated regarding motivation to learn languages other than English. As a longitudinal interview study, the present study investigated two cases of Japanese university students focusing on the development of ideal L2/L3 self and ideal multilingual self. The results indicated that the development of ideal L2/L3 self was closely related to that of ideal professional self, and an elaborate ideal L2/L3 self helped learners persist and achieve high competence in the target languages. Furthermore, reading skills were considered especially important among the interviewees, which was not emphasised in contexts where learners have daily contact with the target languages. One of the interviewees was not negatively impacted by English and becoming multilingual, which seemed to be helped by a range of factors including ideal L2/L3 self, strong intrinsic motivation, and rich life experiences. The case demonstrated the possibility of developing an ideal multilingual self and becoming multilingual even in an era when English functions as a global language. Based on the results, theoretical and pedagogical implications that might be particularly helpful in foreign language contexts are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

This study was conducted to find the relationship between learners’ L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS), consisting of Ideal L2 Self, ought-to L2 Self, and L2 Learning Experience and their achievement. The participants of this quantitative study were 56 Indonesian undergraduate students who were taking English for Biotechnology class, an English for Academic Purpose (EAP) class. This study was conducted based on several rationales. Despite many researchers’ support on L2MSS’ strength in predicting L2 learning, they have not conclusively established the extent to which learners’ motivation measured with their L2MSS influences their achievements and to date, there have only been few studies investigating the relationships between L2MSS and actual learning achievements. Besides, despite L2MSS’ growing popularity in the field of motivational research, motivational studies using L2MSS in the Indonesian university context are generally still very rare. Hence, this study can serve to pave a way for further motivational studies using L2MSS in the context. The study found that in general learners had high a level of motivation as measured with L2MSS questionnaires. The study further found several results which were rather surprising. First, Ideal L2 Self and L2 Learning Experience did not have significant relationships with achievement. Even ought-to L2 Self and achievement correlated negatively. It was also found that, despite many experts’ support on L2MSS’s strength in predicting L2 learning, the participants’ L2MSS could not be a strong predictor of their achievement. Based on the results, discussions on possible contributing factors were presented along with the implications of this study results in the field of motivational studies. Based on the possible limitations of the study, furthermore, some directions for future studies are also presented.

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]

This study examined the influence of teachers' use of face threat mitigation (FTM) strategies on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' state motivation, motivation to process instructional materials, vision of their ideal L2 self, and L2 achievement in a distance course. To this end, sixty-three EFL learners were assigned into one of the two conditions: high FTM condition and low FTM condition. In the high FTM condition, the teacher buffered the threats to the students' face needs via the use of FTM tactics. In the low FTM condition, the teacher's interventions were, on the other hand, direct and without any efforts to mitigate the possible threats. The results indicated that teachers' efforts to positively redress their instructional feedback interventions can positively influence EFL learners' state motivation and motivation to process instructional materials, can promote their vision of their ideal L2 self, and can contribute to language learning success. The study concluded that the way EFL teachers communicate their feedback interventions is as important as, or even more subtle than the forms and the modality of feedback they select. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an interdisciplinary science, SLA studies are receptive to ideas formulated in other disciplines. Although the relevance of psychology for SLA is often underestimated, its influence has recently grown with the advent of neurosciences and the increased interest in learner variables. One f concept from psychology that is potentially interesting is theories of the self, some of which have recently been adapted into research on foreign language learner motivation. In this article, we examine two particular psychological concepts (possible selves and self-discrepancy) as sources of an influential L2 motivation model -- Dörnyei's L2 Motivational Self System -- which is very little debated in French SLA literature. We outline the main points of the three theories, analyse them and try to assess the adaptation process. As in any case of transfer between disciplines, the source theories are altered, but the result has proven a meaningful and enriching addition to studies of L2 motivation. [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]

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

Socio-economic status (SES) has been consistently shown to influence students' educational achievement, but to date, few studies have investigated the role of SES in language learning motivation. This study aims to examine to what extent two indicators of SES, school location and parents' education, affect motivation of Polish 15-year-olds to study English. The questionnaire, completed by 599 participants, was based on Motivational Systems Theory [Ford, M. 1992. Motivating humans: goals, emotions, and personal agency beliefs. London: Sage Publications.] The results indicate that both school location and parents' education affect language learning motivation. Students from rural schools and those whose parents have a lower level of education tended to be less motivated than their peers from cities and those whose parents have higher levels of education. The differences concerned the goals the students adopted, their personal agency beliefs, emotional arousal processes, ideal L2 selves and self-regulation. This study highlights the need to raise teachers' awareness of the issue. From the methodological perspective, it stresses the necessity to ensure sample representativeness in terms of students' SES when conducting research on affective factors in language learning and calls for more research involving participants from lower SES backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research examined the effects of instrumentality‐promotion and attitudes to culture and community on ideal L2 self in two educational contexts in Iran, an expanding circle country where English has not played an official or institutional role. The data obtained from 833 learners in high schools and universities was analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) and multi‐group structural equation modelling (MSEM). The results show instrumentality‐promotion is more strongly linked with ideal L2 self and there is not a statistically significant difference in the positive effect of instrumentality‐promotion and attitudes to culture and community on learners' ideal L2 self according to the group. The findings illustrate the way in which English learners in this context develop identities needed for constructive interaction in a multicultural world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to explore the relationships between the variables – experience abroad, self-efficacy, and self-perceived proficiency – and the self-concept in the L2 Motivational System and identify which of these variables contribute more to its explanation. Research data on 197 Korean university students majoring in English related studies were collected and analyzed using simple and hierarchical multiple regressions. This study re-confirms ideal L2 self as being more influential on motivated learning behavior than ought-to L2 self, which is consistent with many previous studies. It was also found that experience abroad is statistically related to ideal L2 self, but not to ought-to L2 self, which means, as experience abroad increases, ideal L2 self is likely to be enhanced. The results also identified the crucial role of self-efficacy in the formation of ideal L2 self while taking experience abroad into account. Additionally, the students' ideal L2 self was found to be more readily explained by their proficiency in communicative skills than that of academic skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on exploring various aspects of future L2 selves of Pakistani undergraduate students, which may be the critical components of their L2 motivation. It will also explain the socio-contextual factors which may be essential to shape the Future L2 selves of these Pakistani students. Qualitative method, based on semi-structured interviews as the tool, was used to collect data about the detailed visions of participants' future L2 selves. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The findings revealed strong motivational influences of future L2 selves on the participants. The presence of bright and plausible ideal selves among the participants was a crucial motivational indicator strengthened by the existence of accompanying action plans to achieve them. The participants also seemed to possess strong ought-to selves wrapped in their future responsibilities, fears of career, social status, personal image, and expectations of significant others. A strong connection between participants' Ideal and Ought-to L2 selves implies their deep internalization of the belief that English is essential to realize their future career dreams and reduce their fears of failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employed a large-scale cross-sectional survey (n = 443) to develop and validate second language (L2) regulatory styles [Noels et al. 2000. "Why are You Learning a Second Language? Motivational Orientations and Self-Determination Theory." Language Learning 50 (1): 57–85] in the sample of successful English learners in an English as a second language context. Confirmatory factor analysis was used in this study to test five different models and the preferred model identified as many as six factors of regulatory style (i.e. intrinsic knowledge, intrinsic accomplishment, integrated regulation, identified regulation, introjected regulation and external regulation) in that context. Integrated regulation was the most endorsed factor among all regulatory styles, and it had a medium correlation with identified regulation. Different from Noels and her colleagues' proposition [Noels, Clément, and Pelletier 2001. "Intrinsic, Extrinsic, and Integrative Orientations of French Canadian Learners of English." Canadian Modern Language Review 57 (3): 424–442] that it was hard to differentiate integrated regulation from identified regulation, the findings of this study suggest otherwise, and L2 regulatory styles would do well to extend its scope to allow for integrated regulation as a separate entity. Thus, foreign language teachers are expected to help students internalise the behaviour of this foreign language learning into their own goals or needs. That behaviour contributes to an individual's psychological well-being [Ryan and Deci 2000. "Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-being." American Psychologist 55: 68–78] and then contribute to an ideal L2 self. Introjected regulation was rejected, signifying that successful L2 learners need more autonomous motivation to be high achievers. Therefore, it is suggested that the specifics of a language proficiency group and different learning contexts as well should be taken into account in the future study on language learners' motivations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study had two objectives: (a) to quantitatively investigate whether Japanese language learners of English have inclusive second language (L2) self-related motivations, and how inclusive L2 self-related motivations contribute to English learning effort and self-rated English ability, and (b) to qualitatively examine how Japanese learners of English incorporate parental expectations and values about English into their L2 self during each stage of their English learning experience, and how higher and lower English proficiency learners incorporate parental values and opinions into their L2 self. We found that an inclusive L2 self-related motivation explained the interaction between social/contextual factors and English learning effort or self-rated English ability. A gap was observed between higher and lower English proficiency groups regarding the degree of incorporating parental expectations, values, and feelings about English into their sense of L2 self. Having an inclusive L2 self successfully introduces different viewpoints into current self-related motivational frameworks within language learning contexts, which to date have only emphasised individual levels of self perspectives to the exclusion of inclusive self figures derived from social surroundings. [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]

Despite awareness of the important role of motivation in second/foreign language (L2) learning, a thorough investigation into the motivational influence on the L2 writing processes and products has been neglected. In an attempt to fill this research gap, the present study explored the effects of different types of L2 self-related motivation (ideal and ought-to L2 selves) drawn from the theory of the L2 motivational self system (Dörnyei, 2005) on writing strategy use and writing quality. Sixty-eight Korean undergraduates with a low level of overall English proficiency responded to questionnaires designed to measure their ideal and ought-to L2 selves and writing strategy use. They also completed a descriptive composition task aimed at assessing their writing quality. Regression analyses revealed that the ideal L2 self had a significant positive effect on both planning strategy use and writing outcomes, whereas the ought-to L2 self was merely correlated with revising strategy use. This study provides some empirical support for the potential of an idealized future L2 self-image to become a major determinant of writing processes and products. The results are discussed with reference to a promotion/prevention focus and a sensitivity of the ideal and ought-to L2 selves to positive/negative learning outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is an interview study of Eldin, a 14-year-old Bosnian boy living in Sweden since the age of six. The aim is to investigate how Eldin became a gamer and how he, strongly motivated, learned foreign/second (L2) English mainly through self-access gameplay. Using language learning motivation theories, Dörnyei’s (2005, 2009) L2 Motivational Self System and Dweck’s (2006) concept of mindsets, the questions are: (i) By whom and at what age was the learner introduced to video games?, (ii) What was it about the games that kept the learner motivated for two years before he started to play ‘for real’?, and (iii) How does the learner himself describe his process of language learning? Data consist of an in-depth interview and three university-level vocabulary/multiple-choice tests measuring English proficiency. Guided by the questions, interview data were analyzed qualitatively. Eldin’s mindset seems to favor naturalistic language learning, matching his interest in gaming. Experiences of having fun and daring to use ‘trial-and-error’ in gaming have contributed to his English proficiency, which is equivalent to a passing grade at second-semester university level. Elements of gaming (in particular, competition, stories, and escapism) appeal to Eldin, thereby indirectly contributing to his successful learning of English.

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]