Ideal L2 Self and Ought-to L2 Self: A Study in the Thai Context
Ideal L2 Self and Ought-to L2 Self: A Study in the Thai Context
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2016
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eng
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application/pdf
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12 pages
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The European Conference on Language Learning 2016 Official Conference Proceedings
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Abstract
The study of motivation has been one of main interesting areas in second language teaching
and learning. The integrative and instrumental motivation proposed by Gardner and Lambert
(1972) has been challenged by the rise of global English and the changing purposes of
English language teaching, learning, and using worldwide. In this study, the new theory of L2
Motivational Self System (Dornyei, 2005) has been used as the framework. The objectives of
the study were to: 1) explore how students view themselves as L2 users; and 2) explore what
students believe they ought to meet expectations. The participants consisted of 28
undergraduate students from an international university in Thailand. The instruments used in
this study were questionnaires and student’s vision form. Questionnaire data was analyzed by
using descriptive analysis in terms of frequencies and percentages. Student’s vision form data
was analyzed by content analysis. The findings show that: 1) students view themselves as L2
users who have to use English in their work and daily life in the future; 2) students perceive
that they ought to learn English in order to meet social and family expectations. This
indicates that the ideal L2 self is influenced by future careers, whereas the ought-to L2 self is
strongly influenced by society, parents, and peers. Finally, it is suggested that the sense of L2
self and ought-to L2 self should be promoted in English language classrooms. Language
teachers should encourage and guide students to construct their language vision.