How Motivation as Quality Influence ESL Learners’ Attitudes toward English Pronunciation Learning

Abstract

The current study attempted to examine ESL learners’ attitudes toward L2 pronunciation learning and meanwhile, toinvestigate how these learners’ qualitative motivation explain their attitudes toward pronunciation learning. A total of124 ESL learners participated in the survey in which several questionnaires were included regarding L2 selfrepresentations (Papi et al., 2018), chronic regulatory focus (Higgins et al., 2001) and L2 learners attitudes towardpronunciation learning (Elliot, 1995a; Gardner, 1985). An exploratory factor analysis was performed on allpronunciation items and the results revealed a threefold-factor solution: importance of pronunciation, learningpronunciation for communicative purpose and preference for native accent. The data analysis suggested thatpromotion-focused orientation, ideal L2 self own, ought-to L2 self own and ought-to L2 self other were respectivelycorrelated with ESL learners’ attitudes toward all three factors of pronunciation learning. Particularly, ideal L2 selfown was found to predict more positive attitude toward the importance of pronunciation learning and toward thepreference for native accent than ought-to L2 self own, while the former one also predicted more negative attitudetoward learning pronunciation for communicative purpose. The study has yielded significant implications forresearchers regarding the understanding of motivation from its qualitative perspective which delineates individual’sinclination to different goals and to specific strategies for attaining these goals (Papi, 2018), as well as for ESLinstructors concerning the improvement of L2 pronunciation pedagogy and the selection of motivational approachesfor L2 pronunciation instruction.