The L2 motivational self system from a Chinese perspective
A mixed methods study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/japl.v6i1.69Keywords:
L2 motivational self-system, mainland China, mixed methods, structural equation modelling, family, faceAbstract
This mixed methods study compares the Second Language (L2) Motivational Self System of 1,154 middle school and university students from mainland China with a multi-group structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis and ten case studies of university students from mainland China. The main findings are that the issues of family, face, responsibility and pressure that are discussed in the interview data clarify the motivational role of the Chinese family and explain the main relationships of the L2 Motivational Self System identified by the SEM analysis as well as the relationship between the two types of instrumentality and the Ideal L2 Self. Differences in the motivational orientation of the two sub-groups demonstrate the ability of the system to represent different age groups. A comparison of the findings with recent motivational studies in Hungary reveals similarities in terms of the impact of the Ideal L2 Self, Ought-to L2 Self and attitudes towards learning English on the amount of effort that the participants invest in learning English.
References
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Coetzee-Van Rooy, S. (2006) Integrativeness: Untenable for world Englishes learners? World Englishes 25 (3/4): 437–450. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-971X.2006.00479.x
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Dörnyei, Z. and Csizér, K. (2002) Some dynamics of language attitudes and motivation: Results of a longitudinal nationwide survey. Applied Linguistics 23 (4): 421–462. http:// dx.doi.org/10.1093/applin/23.4.421
Dörnyei, Z. and Csizér, K. (2005) The effects of intercultural contact and tourism on language attitudes and language learning motivation. Journal of Language and Social Psychology 24 (4): 1–31.
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Dörnyei, Z. and Ushioda, E. (eds) (2009) Motivation, Language Identity and the L2 Self. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Dörnyei, Z. and Ushioda, E. (2011) Teaching and Researching Motivation (2nd edn). Harlow: Pearson Education.
Gao, Y., Yuan, Z., Ying, C. and Yan, Z. (2007) Relationship between English learning, motivation types and self-identity changes among Chinese students. TESOL Quarterly 41 (1): 133–155.
Gao, X. (2004) Motivation to Learn English in China: Coursebooks, School Types and Learning Outcomes. Doctoral Thesis. University of Nottingham, Nottingham.
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Ho, M-C. (1998) Culture studies and motivation in foreign and second language learning in Taiwan. Language, Culture and Curriculum 11 (2): 165–182. http://dx.doi. org/10.1080/07908319808666548
Irie, K. (2003) What do we know about the language learning motivation of university students in Japan? Some patterns in survey studies. JALT Journal 25 (1): 86–100.
Kormos, J. and Csizér, K. (2008) Age-related differences in the motivation of learning English as a foreign language: Attitudes, selves, and motivated learning behavior. Language Learning 58 (2): 327–355. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2008.00443.x
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Lockwood, P., Marshall, T. C. and Sadler, P. (2005) Promoting success or preventing failure: Cultural differences in motivation by positive and negative role models. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 31 (3): 379–392. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0146167204271598
Markus, H. R. and Kitayama, S. (1998) The cultural psychology of personality. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 29 (1): 63–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022022198291004
Neuliep, J. W. and McCroskey, J. C. (1997) The development of a US and generalised ethnocentrism scale. Communication Research Reports 14 (4): 385–398. http://dx.doi. org/10.1080/08824099709388682
Noels, K. A. (2003) Learning Spanish as a second language: Learners’ orientations and perceptions of their teachers’ communication style. In Z. Dörnyei (ed.) Attitudes, Orientations, and Motivations in Language Learning, 97–136. Oxford: Blackwell.
Noels, K. A., Pelletier, L. G., Clément, R. and Vallerand, R. J. (2000) Why are you learning a second language? Motivational orientations and self-determination theory. Language Learning 50 (1): 57–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/0023-8333.00111
Richards, L. and Richards, T. (2006) NVivo (Version 7.0) [Computer Program]. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Ryan, S. (2009) Ambivalence and commitment, liberation and challenge: Investigating the attitudes of young Japanese people towards the learning of English. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 30 (5): 405–420. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01434630902928447
Tachibana, Y., Matsukawa, R. and Zhong, Q. X. (1996) Attitudes and motivation for learning English: A cross-national comparison of Japanese and Chinese high school students. Psychological Reports 79: 691–700. http://dx.doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1996.79.2.691
Taguchi, T., Magid, M. and Papi, M. (2009) The L2 motivational self system among Japanese, Chinese and Iranian learners of English: A comparative study. In Z. Dörnyei and E. Ushioda (eds) Motivation, Language Identity and the L2 Self, 66–97. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Ushioda, E. (2001) Language learning at university: Exploring the role of motivational thinking. In Z. Dörnyei and R. Schmidt (eds) Motivation and Second Language Acquisition, 99–125. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press.
Ushioda, E. (2006) Language motivation in a reconfigured Europe: Access, identity, autonomy. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 27 (2): 48–161. http:// dx.doi.org/10.1080/01434630608668545
Ushioda, E. and Dörnyei, Z. (2009) Motivation, language identities and the L2 self: A theoretical overview. In Z. Dörnyei and E. Ushioda (eds) Motivation, Language Identity and the L2 Self, 1–8. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Warden, C. A. and Lin, H. J. (2000) Existence of integrative motivation in an Asian EFL setting. Foreign Language Annals 33 (5): 535–544. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-9720.2000. tb01997.x
Yashima, T. (2000) Orientations and motivations in foreign language learning: A study of Japanese college students. JACET Bulletin 31: 121–133.
Yashima, T., Zenuk-Nishide, L. and Shimizu, K. (2004) The influence of attitudes and affect on willingness to communicate and second language communication. Language Learning 54 (1): 119–152. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2004.00250.x
Clément, R. and Kruidenier, B. (1983) Orientations on second language acquisition: 1. The effects of ethnicity, milieu and their target language on their emergence. Language Learning 33 (3): 273–291. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1983.tb00542.x
Coetzee-Van Rooy, S. (2006) Integrativeness: Untenable for world Englishes learners? World Englishes 25 (3/4): 437–450. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-971X.2006.00479.x
Crookes, G. and Schmidt, R. W. (1991) Motivation: Reopening the research agenda. Language Learning 41 (4): 469–512. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1991.tb00690.x
Csizér, K. and Kormos, J. (2009) Learning experiences, selves and motivated learning behaviour: A comparative analysis of structural models for Hungarian secondary and university learners of English. In Z. Dörnyei and E. Ushioda (eds) Motivation, Language Identity and the L2 Self, 98–119. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Deci, E. L. and Ryan, R. M. (1985) Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior. New York: Plenum.
Dörnyei, Z. (2005) The Psychology of the Language Learner: Individual Differences in Second Language Acquisition. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Dörnyei, Z. (2009) The L2 motivational self system. In Z. Dörnyei and E. Ushioda (eds) Motivation, Language Identity and the L2 Self, 9–42. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Dörnyei, Z. and Csizér, K. (2002) Some dynamics of language attitudes and motivation: Results of a longitudinal nationwide survey. Applied Linguistics 23 (4): 421–462. http:// dx.doi.org/10.1093/applin/23.4.421
Dörnyei, Z. and Csizér, K. (2005) The effects of intercultural contact and tourism on language attitudes and language learning motivation. Journal of Language and Social Psychology 24 (4): 1–31.
Dörnyei, Z., Csizér, K. and Németh, N. (2006) Motivation, Language Attitudes, and Globalisation: A Hungarian Perspective. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Dörnyei, Z. and Ushioda, E. (eds) (2009) Motivation, Language Identity and the L2 Self. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Dörnyei, Z. and Ushioda, E. (2011) Teaching and Researching Motivation (2nd edn). Harlow: Pearson Education.
Gao, Y., Yuan, Z., Ying, C. and Yan, Z. (2007) Relationship between English learning, motivation types and self-identity changes among Chinese students. TESOL Quarterly 41 (1): 133–155.
Gao, X. (2004) Motivation to Learn English in China: Coursebooks, School Types and Learning Outcomes. Doctoral Thesis. University of Nottingham, Nottingham.
Gardner, R. C. (1985) Social Psychology and Second Language Learning: The Role of Attitudes and Motivation. London: Edward Arnold.
Gardner, R. C. (2001) Integrative motivation and second language acquisition. In Z. Dörnyei and R. Schmidt (eds) Motivation and Second Language Acquisition, 1–20. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press.
Gardner, R. C. and Lambert, W. E. (1959) Motivational variables in second language acquisition. Canadian Journal of Psychology 13 (4): 266–272. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ h0083787
Higgins, E. T. (1987) Self-discrepancy: A theory relating self and affect. Psychological Review 94 (3): 319–340. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.94.3.319
Higgins, E. T. (1998) Promotion and prevention: Regulatory focus as a motivational principle. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 30: 1–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ S0065-2601(08)60381-0
Ho, M-C. (1998) Culture studies and motivation in foreign and second language learning in Taiwan. Language, Culture and Curriculum 11 (2): 165–182. http://dx.doi. org/10.1080/07908319808666548
Irie, K. (2003) What do we know about the language learning motivation of university students in Japan? Some patterns in survey studies. JALT Journal 25 (1): 86–100.
Kormos, J. and Csizér, K. (2008) Age-related differences in the motivation of learning English as a foreign language: Attitudes, selves, and motivated learning behavior. Language Learning 58 (2): 327–355. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2008.00443.x
Lamb, M. (2004) Integrative motivation in a globalizing world. System 32 (1): 3–19. http:// dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2003.04.002
Lai, E. (1999) Motivation to learn English in Hong Kong. Language, Culture and Curriculum 12 (3): 280–284. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07908319908666584
Liu, M. (2007) Chinese students’ motivation to learn English at the tertiary level. Asian EFL Journal 9 (1): 126–146.
Lockwood, P., Marshall, T. C. and Sadler, P. (2005) Promoting success or preventing failure: Cultural differences in motivation by positive and negative role models. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 31 (3): 379–392. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0146167204271598
Markus, H. R. and Kitayama, S. (1998) The cultural psychology of personality. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 29 (1): 63–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022022198291004
Neuliep, J. W. and McCroskey, J. C. (1997) The development of a US and generalised ethnocentrism scale. Communication Research Reports 14 (4): 385–398. http://dx.doi. org/10.1080/08824099709388682
Noels, K. A. (2003) Learning Spanish as a second language: Learners’ orientations and perceptions of their teachers’ communication style. In Z. Dörnyei (ed.) Attitudes, Orientations, and Motivations in Language Learning, 97–136. Oxford: Blackwell.
Noels, K. A., Pelletier, L. G., Clément, R. and Vallerand, R. J. (2000) Why are you learning a second language? Motivational orientations and self-determination theory. Language Learning 50 (1): 57–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/0023-8333.00111
Richards, L. and Richards, T. (2006) NVivo (Version 7.0) [Computer Program]. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Ryan, S. (2009) Ambivalence and commitment, liberation and challenge: Investigating the attitudes of young Japanese people towards the learning of English. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 30 (5): 405–420. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01434630902928447
Tachibana, Y., Matsukawa, R. and Zhong, Q. X. (1996) Attitudes and motivation for learning English: A cross-national comparison of Japanese and Chinese high school students. Psychological Reports 79: 691–700. http://dx.doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1996.79.2.691
Taguchi, T., Magid, M. and Papi, M. (2009) The L2 motivational self system among Japanese, Chinese and Iranian learners of English: A comparative study. In Z. Dörnyei and E. Ushioda (eds) Motivation, Language Identity and the L2 Self, 66–97. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Ushioda, E. (2001) Language learning at university: Exploring the role of motivational thinking. In Z. Dörnyei and R. Schmidt (eds) Motivation and Second Language Acquisition, 99–125. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press.
Ushioda, E. (2006) Language motivation in a reconfigured Europe: Access, identity, autonomy. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 27 (2): 48–161. http:// dx.doi.org/10.1080/01434630608668545
Ushioda, E. and Dörnyei, Z. (2009) Motivation, language identities and the L2 self: A theoretical overview. In Z. Dörnyei and E. Ushioda (eds) Motivation, Language Identity and the L2 Self, 1–8. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Warden, C. A. and Lin, H. J. (2000) Existence of integrative motivation in an Asian EFL setting. Foreign Language Annals 33 (5): 535–544. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-9720.2000. tb01997.x
Yashima, T. (2000) Orientations and motivations in foreign language learning: A study of Japanese college students. JACET Bulletin 31: 121–133.
Yashima, T., Zenuk-Nishide, L. and Shimizu, K. (2004) The influence of attitudes and affect on willingness to communicate and second language communication. Language Learning 54 (1): 119–152. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2004.00250.x
Published
2015-09-14
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Articles
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Equinox Publishing Ltd.
How to Cite
Magid, M. (2015). The L2 motivational self system from a Chinese perspective: A mixed methods study. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice, 6(1), 69-90. https://doi.org/10.1558/japl.v6i1.69
