Motivational Orientations of Secondary School EFL Learners toward Language Learning

Year 2018, Volume: 4 Issue: 2, 375 - 388, 26.09.2018

Ramazan Yetkin , Semih Ekin

https://doi.org/10.32601/ejal.464202

Cited By: 7

Abstract

This study aimed to examine to what extent Turkish EFL learners’ L2 motivational dispositions which
are ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self and language learning experiences predict their intended effort for
language learning. The study was designed from a quantitative perspective in which the participants
were given a composite instrument. The study was conducted at a state run secondary school in Turkey
and the participants were 254 students including 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th graders. The results indicated that
secondary level Turkish EFL students have high scores on all of the L2 motivation variables. However,
the statistical analyses suggested that the participants’ level of ought-to L2 self was significantly higher
than their level of ideal L2 self. It was also seen that when the participants got older, their levels of
ought-to L2 self appeared to indicate a decreasing trend. Besides, the results asserted that the secondary
school students’ intended effort for learning a language was found to be predicted mostly by language
learning experiences, then ought-to L2 self and lastly ideal L2 self, according to hierarchical multiple
regression analysis. The results were discussed in line with L2 motivational self system studies in the
literature and it was concluded that the results in favor of ought-to L2 self might imply the existence of
peer or community pressure in language learning process of secondary school EFL students in Turkish
context. 

Keywords

L2 motivational self system, ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self, language learning experience, intended effort

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