Motivational Orientations of Secondary School EFL Learners toward Language Learning

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 5 th , 6 th , 7 th and 8 th 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.