L2 Motivational Self System Essay

Motivation – the psychological force that enables action – is considered to be an important factor in the process of achieving any kind of goal. It is an abstract concept that can have a different meaning to each person and can be used in several fields. Johnstone (1999) considers motivation as a stimulant for achieving a specific target. Similarly, Ryan and Deci (2000) claimed that to be motivated means to progress or to be in motion to do something. Motivation is closely related to the field of education, since it is an essential factor in the process of learning (Brewer & Burgess, 2005 in Sepora & Moghaddas, 2012). (Study 6, p.4)
Motivation has been widely accepted by both teachers and researchers as one of the key factors that influence

The L2 Motivational Self System represents a major reformation of previous motivational thinking by its explicit utilization of psychological theories of the self. The actual model has grown out of the combined effect of two significant theoretical developments, one taking place in the L2 field, the other in mainstream psychology. Indeed, L2 motivation researchers have always believed that a foreign language is more than a mere communication code that can be learnt similarly to other academic subjects, and have therefore typically adopted paradigms that linked the L2 to the individual’s personal core, forming an important part of one’s identity. Thus, proposing a system that explicitly focuses on aspects of the individual’s self is compatible with the whole-person perspective of past theories (Dörnyei, 2009). (Study 8, p. 1) The L2 motivational self system is based on the idea that learners’ drive to reduce the perceived discrepancy between one’s here-and-now (actual) self and their future L2 selves provides the necessary motivation for language learning behaviors (Mostafa & Papi, 2014). (Study 11, p. 4) This model of motivation contains two self-related components: Ideal L2 self and Ought-to L2 self. In this model, Ideal L2 self is one’s ideal self-image expressing the wish to become a competent L2 speaker. The Ought-to L2 self contains ‘attributes that one believes one ought to possess (i.e. various duties, obligations, or responsibilities) in order to avoid possible negative outcomes’ associated with not being able to speak the L2 in question (Kormos, Kiddle & Czice, 2011). (Study 3, p 3)This study is the most updated one regarding the field of motivation and it’s widely used nowadays; although, you can’t forget all previous