L2 motivational self system and its relationship with gender, proficiency and yea

Abstract

The present study highlights the central role of motivation in the process of foreign language learning.   Drawing on Dörnyei’s  L2 motivational self system,  the study aims to examine the beliefs of pre-service teachers and find out whether there is a meaningful relationship between the  system and gender, proficiency and year. To collect data, a motivation questionnaire of 30 items was administered to 160 students. Data were analyzed using SPSS. The results revealed that the majority of students had the motivation required for language learning in terms of the constructs in the questionnaire. Further, significant relationships were noted between the dimension of ‘ideal L2 self’, and the variables of gender and year. It was shown that motivation had no influence on students’ proficiency levels in Turkish context. Along its context-specific results, the study showed several directions for future research by informing the language learning motivation of pre-service teachers in teacher education.   Keywords: Foreign language, motivation, proficiency, gender, year.