Mapping Temporal Changes in L2 Motivation: A Case Study of ESL Learners at Higher Secondary School Level in Pakistan

Abstract

The study attempts to explore the validity of L2 Motivational Self System (Dornyei, 2009) in explaining the temporal changes in motivational orientations of ESL learners at higher secondary level in Pakistan. The sample for the study was drawn by applying random sampling techniques; at the first stage of sampling, three higher secondary schools were selected from the district Gujrat, Pakistan. At the second sampling stage, 360 respondents were chosen from the four educational levels (9th, 10th, 11th& 12th), so 120 respondents were taken from each selected higher secondary school. A 65-item questionnaire was administered to measure the validity of the L2 Motivational Self System and the possible temporal changes in the System. The quantitative findings showed a strong correlation between the socio-psychological factors of Milieu, English Language Experiences, Instrumental Motivation (Promotion), Instrumental Motivation (Prevention), and the criterion measure of Learners’ Intended Learning Effort. However, no significant temporal change in our Intended Learning Effort was observed across the selected educational levels. The qualitative data was based on 24 semi-structured interviews. The interview data supported quantitative findings of the associative relationship between the socio-psychological factors and the Learner’s Intended Effort. However, no qualitative evidence could be amassed to answer the non-linear fluctuations of the Learner’s Intended Effort across 4 selected study levels. The study concludes with a voice of support for the researchers like Ushioda (2009) and Larssen-Freman (2012), who highlight the need for studying L2 motivation from a dynamic perspective.