Motivation is considered an important factor in initiating and sustaining the second language (L2) process. Since learning an L2 can be seen as a lengthy process, one that needs sustained motivation over a long period of time, learners need to be able to successfully deal with their and others’ emotions in order to generate and sustain their motivation for learning. The role of learners’ emotions and trait emotional self-efficacy, or trait emotional intelligence (EI), in L2 motivation and language learning has been a relatively unexplored area. To fill this gap, the current study posed three research questions that addressed the relationship between L2 motivation and trait EI, which is based on the trait EI theory (Petrides, 2001) and deals with emotion-related self-perceptions, such as emotion control, emotion expression, empathy, and emotion perception (Petrides, 2001). As Dörnyei (2009) proposed the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) in response to the need to further develop the socio-educational model, the current study further tests the validation of a modified version of the L2MSS by investigating intermediate and advanced international English language learners from diverse backgrounds. Using a quantitative approach, this study examined (a) the relationship between the possible selves (the ideal/ought-to/anti-ought-to) and trait emotional intelligence, including the four broader factors: sociability, emotionality, well-being, self-control; and (b) to what extent can the four factors predict the three different selves, and (c) the relationship between L2 learning experience, possible selves, and trait EI. A total of 143 international ESL students enrolled in an English Language Program in the United States participated in the study. A possible selves questionnaire, L2 learning experience questionnaire, and trait emotional intelligence questionnaire (TEIQue SF) were administered. The underlying factors from the exploratory factor analysis performed on the possible selves questionnaire responses were ‘the ideal L2 self’, ‘the ought-to L2 self’, and ‘the anti-ought-to L2 self.’ The correlation analysis showed significant correlations between (a) trait EI and ideal/ought-to L2 self; (b) ideal L2 self and emotionality/sociability/well-being; (c) ought-to L2 self and emotionality/sociability/well-being; (d) anti-ought-to L2 self and emotionality; (e) L2 learning experience and trait EI; (f) the L2 learning experience and the ideal/anti-ought-to L2 self; (g) L2 learning experience and emotionality/sociability/well-being. A four predictor standard multiple regression model revealed that the trait EI sociability factor was the only significant predictor of the ideal L2 self. On the other hand, the trait EI emotionality factor was the only significant predictor of both the ought-to and anti-ought-to L2 selves. This study illustrates that there are important associations between L2 motivation and constructs of positive psychology, especially emotional intelligence, and that positive psychology might stimulate future L2 motivation research. Lastly, this study offers a number of implications for use of positive psychology in the SLA classroom.

In this study, I explore the dynamic relationships between how students feel about their school, school belonging, and to what extent they feel motivated to study a second language, L2 motivation. School belonging, which has rarely been studied in the field of applied linguistics, is widely discussed in educational psychology, and its relationship with academic achievement has been examined. However, the relationship between school belonging and L2 motivation has hardly been investigated. The first purpose of this study is to fill this gap by verifying the existence of a sense of school belonging as a psychological factor among first-year Japanese university students in an English as a foreign language context, and then to investigate its relationship with L2 motivation. I employ a convergent mixed method design in which the quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted at the same time. Quantitative data were collected through surveys from 540 first-year students in four Japanese universities, including higher- and lower-ranked universities. The qualitative data were collected through self-reflection from 176 students, comments from 413 students, and interviews with 11 students. The interviewees were selected based on their willingness to participate. The quantitative data and qualitative data were collected three times in 2018 and 2019: the first time in May and June 2018, the second time in September and October 2018, and the third time in January and February 2019. Validity evidence for the surveys was gathered through a pilot study. In the main study, school belonging was verified as one large factor mainly using Rasch analysis. The general relationship between school belonging and motivation to learn English and the changes of those relationships over the course of the year were assessed by calculating the responses to the questions with structural equation modeling (SEM). Details of students’ feelings toward their school and their connections to English learning motivation were investigated through analyses of the qualitative data. The quantitative results showed that a sense of school belonging that varies among first-year Japanese university students exists and that the relationship between school belonging and L2 motivation and their changes over the course of the year can be explained in a model in which individual differences in school belonging and L2 motivation and their changes are explained. The qualitative results support the finding that school belonging and L2 motivation are related to each other and also show that students change their school belonging and L2 motivation dynamically for a variety of reasons. Students can change their perceptions of school and language learning from positive to negative or negative to positive, and their changes can be uneven when looked at through the lens of sub-components of these constructs. By merging quantitative results and qualitative results, differences were found between the two types of data analyses. School was found to predict changes in school belonging and L2 motivation in the quantitative analyses, while different types of students, such as those who have positive school belonging and negative L2 motivation and those who have negative school belonging and positive L2 motivation were found in the same school in the qualitative analyses. Moreover, concepts of school belonging and L2 motivation were validated as hypothesized in the quantitative analyses, while unexpected ideas, such as belonging to multiple groups and loss of L2 motivation due to technological developments, were revealed by the result of the qualitative analyses. These results imply that fostering school belonging among university students can lead to studying English harder. / Teaching & Learning

Today, English is spoken by more non-native speakers than native speakers; current estimates by Graddol (2007) indicate five to one. With this transformation English has become the international language of business and intercultural communication. The emergence of English as Lingua Franca is apparent in Korean society where English plays a defining role in educational, career, social, cultural, and economic domains. Despite such inextricable links the acquisition of English in Korea has not been successful. This study examines the relationship between Korean university students' International Posture or non-ethnocentric attitude (Yashima, 2002, p. 57) and their L2 (Second Language) Learning Motivation, and L2 Proficiency in English, first described by Yashima (2002) in her study of Japanese EFL (English as a Foreign Language) tertiary students. The methodology used in this thesis was quantitative as it employed Likert scales in order to elicit students' International Posture, and L2 Motivation, and obtained L2 Proficiency from percentile grades in the TOEIC exam. With the use of path analysis software, AMOS 7, data from 118 university freshman (majoring in English literature) from Hannam University, South Korea were analyzed in order examine the relationship between International Posture, L2 Learning Motivation, and L2 Proficiency among South Korean EFL students. The results indicated a significant and very strong relationship between International Posture and L2 Learning Motivation and a significant and moderate relationship between L2 Learning Motivation and overall L2 Proficiency. The findings of the study conclude that EFL learner motivation can be understood by an agglomeration of integrative and instrumental motivational orientations. The findings in this study also suggest that the tendency for Korean EFL learners to approach, rather than avoid, interaction with people of different cultures is especially important to understanding Korean tertiary level students' attitude, motivation and performance in EFL. These findings could be implemented in the classroom by providing Korean EFL learners with safe and appropriate opportunities to interact with foreigners. Potential areas for further research include longitudinal studies (utilizing both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies) that look into the effect of EFL learner age, gender, and teaching pedagogy on International Posture, L2 Learning Motivation, and L2 Proficiency.

While much of the literature in the field of second language (L2) motivational variance has focused on macro-level or societal variables to account for males’ disinterest to learn French, very few studies consider micro-level factors, that is, those within the language learning classroom. To fill this gap in the literature, this exploratory and descriptive study examines, from both the perspective of male Core French learners and Core French teachers, possible pedagogical elements that boys perceive as contributing factors to their demotivation to learn French. A mixed method design was employed and data were collected from a sample of 75 male Core French students and six Core French teachers on southern Vancouver Island. The quantitative data were collected through the use of modified questionnaires, while the qualitative data were gathered using focus group interviews. There are three major findings in the current study. First, male Core French learners reported being disinterested in the topics of study used in the Core French classroom and demotivated by the Core French textbook. Second, male Core French learners criticized the overdependence of written modality exercises implemented in the language classroom, suggesting that the repetitive nature of the written exercises discourages them to learn French. Third, male Core French learners were shown to strongly disfavour the teacher-centered approach most often described by learners. They reported that a more student-centered approach, which incorporated games and a significant increase in speaking and interactive activities, might encourage them to be more motivated to learn French. Based on these findings, implications and future research directions are discussed. / Graduate / dtrerice@uvic.ca

This study focused on investigating students’ complex L2 motivational systems in an equally complex educational environment. It analyzed students’ motivation while learning Spanish in a Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) course taught in a student-centered technology-enhanced classroom at a university in the Midwest. The innovative curriculum for the course emphasized student interaction, and revolved around the development of a collaborative entrepreneurial wiki project. This study addressed the expanding call for considering motivation as multidimensional, changing and contextualized (Crookes & Schmidt, 2006; Dörnyei, MacIntyre, & Henry, 2015) by steering away from simplistic cause–effect quantitative paradigms. It addressed the topic through the lens of Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST) and utilized two contemporary L2 motivation frameworks for making sense of the data: the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) (Dörnyei, 2005, 2009), and Directed Motivational Currents (DMCs) (Muir & Dörnyei, 2013; Dörnyei, Ibrahim, & Muir 2015). It adopted in-depth qualitative case study methodology to answer the following research questions: 1. How can students' L2 motivations be described while learning Business Spanish through an innovative curriculum? 2. What are the factors affecting students’ L2 motivations throughout the course? Four students enrolled in this class during the Fall 2015 were randomly selected as the participants for this study. Data were collected throughout the academic semester and included: 1) four in-depth interviews with each student; 2) the work students developed collaboratively on the wiki; 3) course evaluations submitted to the instructor of the course; 4) students’ academic records and 5) classroom observations of the times students worked on the wiki. Findings revealed that the self system interacted with the motivational system of students in this class, and was determinant in guiding their motivational trajectories throughout the semester. The self system was also instrumental in shaping experiences students had related to the elements of the immediate L2 learning context. Moreover, factors stemming from the immediate L2 context that fulfilled students’ self-concordant goals were also instrumental in keeping students engaged with the process of learning; and completing the wiki project became a shared goal for students in each group. These factors led students to experience a group motivational wave — with characteristics of group DMCs — as they became more and more involved with the wiki project for the course. In terms of the work completed, students’ motivations translated into detailed wiki projects that incorporated more content than specified by the project’s guidelines and requirements. Finally, the study also generated insights into areas in which the L2MSS and DMCs could be expanded or refined in order to better account for students’ complex motivational trajectories.

This study explored the relationship between the use of motivational strategies by Albanian and Japanese teachers and the observed and reported motivation of missionaries at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Provo, Utah. The aim of this study was to collect baseline data about the motivational strategies already employed by teachers in the Albanian and Japanese areas of the MTC and to explore the relationship that the teachers' use of these strategies has with the motivation of the respective missionaries. The data for this study was collected from seven teachers and 28 learners during a series of observations using a modified version of the Motivation Orientation of Language Teaching (MOLT), a classroom observation instrument developed by Guilloteaux and Dörnyei (2008). The MOLT is used to record the observable motivated behavior of learners as well as the motivational practices of the teachers according to Dörnyei's (2001) foreign language classroom motivational strategy framework. Each participating class was observed using the MOLT three times during the missionaries' nine-week stay in the MTC. The data from the observations was supplemented with teacher and learner surveys administered during the first and final weeks of the study period. Not only was this study useful for collecting valuable information about teaching practice at the MTC, but it also adds a new dimension to the empirical research that has been done in motivation in second language acquisition by expanding the research to English speakers being taught in foreign languages, whereas most research had been focused in ESL and EFL contexts. It is the first study to combine surveys with an observation component in target languages other than English. The results of this study support previous findings that teacher use of motivational strategies does indeed correlate significantly with learner motivation.

This study aims to seek answers to what type of motivation strategies serve the development of foreign language learning in an effective way. Motivation is a complex concept and therefore there are no absolute answers to what kind of strategies are preferable, but there are plenty of recommendations and research about motivation. One of the main issues in foreign language learning is students lack of self-confidence, which often leads to motivational issues and loss of interest. In today`s globalized society, knowing a foreign language can lead to new opportunities, both in social and professional life. The teacher has a crucial role in finding ways to reach out to each student and finding a motivational strategy suited for every individual. On the other hand, applying strategies such as for example an ”open class environment”, is more adequate when teaching multiple students at the same occasion. It is important to understand the combined use of different types of motivational strategies, depending on the circumstances, is one of the corner stones in improving the students results.

The shift toward bilingualism and multilingualism in historically monolingual societies resulting from globalization has positioned second/foreign language (L2) learning research as a significant field. Extensive research in L2 motivation over decades has demonstrated motivation to be a significant determiner of L2 learning achievement and has yielded many sound L2 motivation theories and frameworks. The latest L2 motivation framework is the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) offered by Dörnyei (2005, 2009). Numerous studies have been conducted to validate this theory in different English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts (e.g., in China, Iran and Japan: (Taguchi, Magid & Papi, 2009); in Hungary: (Csizér & Kormos, 2009); in Saudi Arabia: (Al-Shehri, 2009); and in Turkey: (Thompson & Erdil-Moody, 2014). Studies have found the theory sufficiently elaborate to explain the multifaceted L2 motivation in its dynamic nature. This study utilized the theoretical framework of L2MSS to examine L2 learners’ motivation. Due to the importance of motivation in L2 learning and achievement, research focusing on EFL instructors’ use of motivation-enhancing strategies has gained significance. To fill a longstanding gap in L2 research for a unified and systematic motivational strategies framework for teachers, Dörnyei (2001) offered the Motivational Teaching Practice in the L2 Classrooms Model (MTP) – which offers various strategies that L2 teachers can use to enhance student motivation. The current study used this MTP theoretical framework to investigate L2 teachers’ motivational teaching practice. However, how the L2MSS could be integrated into the motivational teaching practice has not been adequately studied and requires further examination. Moreover, most language teacher education programs lack motivational teaching practice training for pre-service L2 teachers. Consequently, the present study aims to fill the gap in L2 research by examining a) how to promote EFL instructors’ motivational teaching practice through a training program on motivation-enhancing strategies within the L2MSS framework; b) how L2 teachers’ consistent and systematic use of motivation-enhancing strategies within this framework impact students’ motivated learning behaviors. Another way this study contributes to L2 research is by offering both quantitative and qualitative empirical data in an understudied EFL context, Turkey, concerning the relationship between motivational teaching practice and learner motivation. The study employed a mixed-methods experimental design. The researcher collected data from February 2015 to June 2015, coordinating and delivering the teacher workshops, and analyzing and interpreting the data. The data involve various sources: self-report questionnaires from L2 teachers and students, classroom observations of teachers’ motivational teaching practice and students’ motivated learning behaviors, semi-structured interviews with teachers and students, teachers’ strategy logs and reflective journals. Quantitative and qualitative data analysis procedures were employed to analyze the data. The self-report questionnaire data were analyzed via exploratory factor analyses, Cronbach’s alpha, descriptive statistics, independent and paired samples t-tests; the classroom observation data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA; strategy logs were analyzed using descriptive statistics; and the qualitative data via classroom observations, reflective journals and interviews were analyzed via content analysis. The researcher coded, categorized, themed, and analyzed the data separately. This study intends to a) contribute to the L2 motivation research, b) offer pedagogical recommendations for motivational teaching practice to promote learner motivation within the L2MSS framework, c) contribute to the pre-service L2 teacher training to promote motivational teaching practice. The results showed that instructors’ and students’ perceptions of instructors’ use of motivational strategies demonstrated both differences and similarities, indicating that both groups have varying perceptions in regards to instructors’ motivational teaching practice. An overall analysis of the MTP across 25 different EAP classes showed an average use of motivational strategies excluding any of the recently suggested strategies that enhance the L2 self guides (the ideal L2 self and the ought-to L2 self) of learners grounded in the L2MSS theory. The classroom observation and L2 motivation data that were collected in both experimental and control groups before and after the treatment showed that instructors who received motivational teaching workshop started using more varieties of strategies more often and in a more consistent way compared to the control group instructors who did not receive any treatment. Similarly, experimental group students in the classes where instructors used more consistent and varied motivational strategies demonstrated more motivated classroom behaviors compared to the control group students. Experimental group instructors’ reflective journals and strategy logs also indicated an increased awareness of MTP and more conscious effort in trying to vary their motivational strategy use and develop their own consistent MTP. The interviews with the experimental group instructors showed that instructors were more confident in their MTP, more conscious in their choice of motivation-enhancing strategies and lesson and material design that address learners’ ideal L2 selves. They all expressed that participating in the study including but not limited to taking the MTP workshop, implementing those strategies in their classes, continuous feedback and discussion sessions with the other experimental group instructors and the researcher, writing the reflecting journals and the strategy logs were altogether helped them to a great deal creating a “transformational experience like a wake-up call” in their teaching. Interviews with the students revealed that experimental group students were happier in their EAP class this semester compared to their previous pre-requisite EAP class because they were kept more motivated, engaged and active throughout the semester. They found their instructors as the most motivating factor on their motivation and achievement this semester.

The present study sets out to explore the impact Swedish upper secondary students' present learning environments have on their motivation to learn English as a second language. More specifically, we aim to investigate student opinions on how their learning situation and their teachers’ approach to leadership and pedagogy affects their motivation in L2 English. The study is performed with the third component of Dörnyei’s (2005) L2 Motivation Self-System, the L2 Learning Experience, as a theoretical point of departure. The L2 Learning Experience emphasizes the motives connected to the immediate learning environment through course-specific, teacher-specific, and group-specific aspects. A quantitative study including four qualitative questions was carried out by a self-report questionnaire to four different Swedish upper secondary schools. The results showed that the students’ learning environment was positive for their motivation across all schools. Moreover, it was found that students seem to consider the teacher’s role to be an important factor in their motivation and learning in L2. A teacher’s mood, spontaneity, and flexibility all seem to be influential aspects of the students’ motivation. This demonstrates the importance of making room for creating meaningful teaching situations and relationships with the students. We conclude that if the motivation was emphasized explicitly in the Swedish curriculum, then teachers would perhaps receive the time and the tools to achieve Skolverket’s goal of stimulating a lifelong desire to learn.

In Swedish schools the education should stimulate students’ creativity, curiosity and self-confidence, as well as provide security and generate the will and desire to learn. Therefore, the aim of this case study is to investigate the area of motivation and how motivation is affected by the usage of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). Initially, the theoretical foundation for the research, including scaffolding and important theories of second language learner motivation, are outlined and defined. The Process Motivational Model (PMM), is used as a framework to investigate key aspects of motivation in language learning by using two different pedagogical approaches. Our findings show a rise in key aspects of motivation when using CLIL. The learning environment changes positively, and the learner engagement increases when the content of the lesson is fun and authentic. The major conclusions from the results of the case study are that (i) the students were more intrinsically motivated during CLIL-lessons and the L2 learners efforts improved, (ii) the combination of the curricular subject matter Geography and English increased the interest to learn, (iii) the motivation of the students that were passive or interruptive during the non-CLIL lessons increased significantly during the CLIL-lessons (iiii) and the feelings of competence and self-worth increased after the CLIL-lessons. This study is a qualitative case study based on observations, focus groups and a teacher interview in an elementary school in Sweden.