Impacto de la experiencia en inmersión en la motivación de aprendientes de español como segunda lengua: Un estudio desde la perspectiva del Sistema Motivacional del Yo

Abstract

The following research is based on one of the most influential theories in the field of motivation in second language acquisition, the L2 Motivational Self System (Dörnyei, 2005, 2009b). Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to fulfil the following objectives: (1) to analyze the role of study abroad in the development of the Ideal L2 Self of Spanish/L2 students and (2) to examine the factors that interact with motivation throughout the learning process of this language. It is a study that uses a mixed methodology with adult university students of diverse geographical contexts (n=93), Spanish learners in Centro Superior de Idiomas, located in the University of Alicante. The data was obtained by means of a questionnaire with a Likert scale (28 items) and two multimodal narratives. The results place the study abroad experience as a relevant factor that boosts in the students the development of future self-images as learners/speakers of the language, as well as the interaction of various factors that modify students’ motivation. Furthermore, this system has proven to be effective in the analyzed context and, in turn, act as a future self-guide of learners’ motivation over time.