The L2 Motivational Self-System and Perceptual Learning Styles of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Swedish Students

초록

This paper explores the perceptual learning style, ideal L2 self, and motivated L2 behavior of Chinese, Japanese, South Korean, and Swedish high school students. Guided by Dörnyei’s (2005, 2009a) L2 motivational self-system, this quantitative study extends Al-Shehri’s (2009) and Tae-Young Kim’s (2009a) research by reinterpreting the role of perceptual learning styles in the creation of learners’ ideal L2 self and the maintenance of their motivated L2 behavior. The statistical analysis found that learners’ perceptual learning styles (i.e., visual, auditory, and kinesthetic styles) were significantly correlated with their ideal L2 self and motivated L2 behavior. However, the results of the regression analysis indicate that none of three perceptual learning styles were meaningful predictors of motivated L2 behavior. Instead, only ideal L2 self were found to be meaningful predictors of their motivated L2 behavior. The ANOVA results indicate that although the Chinese students were more likely to show motivated L2 behavior than the other students, they showed a significantly lower level of the ideal L2 self than the Swedish students. By focusing on the relationship between learners’ perceptual learning styles and motivated L2 behavior based on the L2 motivational self-system, this study provides evidence that the creation of ideal L2 selves plays a pivotal role in sustaining motivated L2 behavior.

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