An exploration of motivation and self-beliefs of first year students of German

From vision to action: Inquiring into the conditions for the motivational capacity of ideal second language selves

“…The data can then be used for determining the strength and relevance of each motive in driving self-motivation to become proficient, which is impossible when learners' motives are conflated by lumping them together in an overall scale score. This also circumvents problems with the internal consistency of ideal L2 self scales that presume the presence of a set of motives in a learner population (e.g., in learner populations where the integrative orientation is missing, as found in Busse, 2013). The flexibility of operationalizing the ideal L2 self as a single self-representation or a set of future selves which represent a range of motives that suit the research context is also highly beneficial in practical terms since L2 learner motivation is often studied as part of more complex inquiries, which impose clear limitations on the depth in which each variable can be considered.…”

“…In line with self-discrepancy theory, D€ ornyei argues that it motivates engagement in L2 learning insofar as "if the person we would like to become speaks an L2 [ …], the ideal L2 self is a powerful motivator to learn the L2 because we would like to reduce the discrepancy between our actual and ideal selves" (in D€ ornyei & Chan, 2013:438). Indeed, the empirical validity of the ideal L2 self and its links with motivated L2 learning behaviour have been evidenced by a substantial body of research, including larger correlational studies (e.g., Al-Shehri, 2009;Csiz er & Kormos, 2009;D€ ornyei & Chan, 2013;Kim and Kim, 2014;Kormos, Kiddle, & Csiz er, 2011;Papi, 2010;Ryan, 2009;Taguchi, Magid, & Papi, 2009), qualitative work (e.g., Hsieh, 2009;Lamb, 2011) and an increasing number of mixed method inquiries (e.g., Busse, 2013;Sampson, 2012).…”

“…The L2 motivational self system framework has also been critiqued on several grounds, most importantly perhaps for neglecting the present L2 self-concept (Mercer, 2011) despite conceptualizing the perceived discrepancy between a learner's present and future self-conceptions as the key source of self-motivation (e.g., Busse, 2013;Taylor, 2010). While the L2 learning experience does refer to the present and is undoubtedly important in shaping a learner's L2 self-concept it is in the first instance external to the self.…”

Directed Motivational Currents: Using vision to create effective motivational pathways

“…e.g. the papers in Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2009, as well as Busse, 2013;Csizér & Lukács, 2010;Henry, 2009Henry, , 2010Henry, , 2011Hiver, 2013;Islam, Lamb, & Chambers, 2013;Kormos, Kiddle, & Csizér, 2011;Lamb, 2012;Magid, 2012;Papi, 2010;Papi & Teimouri, 2012) and the Ideal L2 Self has time and again been found to be a central motivating factor: a focused, personal and realistic vision of a possible future.…”

‘People can be smarter with two languages’: changing anglophone students' attitudes to language learning through teaching linguistics

“…Graham 2003), hampering both effort and achievement (e.g. Busse 2013;Williams et al 2002); even at post compulsory stage, few anglophone school students have good confidence in their language learning ability (Graham 2006).…”