An Investigation of the Motivational Profile of EAP Learners at a Transnational Education English Medium Instruction University

Abstract

The number of transnational education (TNE) higher education institutions (HEI) around the globe is on the rise. This study attempts to examine the motivational profiles of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) learners at a TNE university in Mainland China that uses English as the medium of instruction (EMI). Participants (N = 300) were primarily first- and second-year students enrolled in EAP classes. The study relied on an adapted version of a motivational questionnaire (Taguchi et al., 2009) to measure some of the most commonly researched motivation constructs. Findings suggest that these students had relatively strong Ideal L2 Selves, were confident in their linguistic abilities, viewed learning EAP as being beneficial for their lives, and desired to integrate with or become like members of their respective academic or professional communities. No meaningful significant differences were found between the motivational profiles of male and female students. This Work-in-Progress study serves as an initial step towards understanding the motivational profiles of EAP learners within the TNE EMI context.