An investigation of motivational self system of students learning English as a foreign language at a university context
Tez Türü: Yüksek Lisans
Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Çağ Üniversitesi, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Yabancı Diller Bölümü, Türkiye
Tez Danışmanı: Şehnaz Şahinkarakaş
Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2016
Tezin Dili: İngilizce
Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
Özet:
The primary objective of this study is to understand and analyse the English language
motivation of a sample of Turkish undergraduate students through the lens of L2 Motivational
Self System. In this study, Taguchi et al.’s (2009) Motivational Self System scale was used to
collect data. The scale was composed of two parts. The first part was the background
information about the knowledge of the participants. They were primarily necessitated to
supply their bio-data, such as gender, major, age at which they began to study English. The
second involved a questionnaire. The current research was carried out at the Preparatory
School of Hasan Kalyoncu University in the spring semester of the 2015-2016 academic
years. The quantitative data was collected from 125 learners for the questionnaire, originating
in 81 males and 44 females. The data was exposed to descriptive analyses. Moreover,
independent samples t-test was used to see the differences in the responses of the respondents
with respect to their gender, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to
examine the differences in motivational factors in relation to the sub-groups of the sample
based on the variables of L2 motivational self system. The major results include the
following: First, the students formed an L2 component in their L2 self as responsible for their
efforts to master an L2. With the answers to the statements it is evident that the students
consider themselves as successful L2 learners in the future. Second, the results of quantitative
data ascertained a powerful existence of L2 motivational factors relevant to ought-to L2
selves of the participants. Third, students’ overall attitudes towards learning English are
positive. Fourth, female learners were more positive towards learning English than male
learners. Moreover, according to the t-test result, both Ideal L2 Self and Attitudes towards
learning English have highly significant impact. Fifth, the findings revealed that learners who
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have learned foreign language(s) aside from English enhanced their ideal L2 self which had
the strongest effect on learning English. The t-test represents that there was no statistically
significant difference. Sixth, living abroad for more than six months experience influenced
participants’ motivational selves. The result of independent samples t-test regarding the
learners who had lived abroad and those who had not was significant and meaningful in terms
of Ought-to L2 Self. Finally, even though the result of one-way ANOVA regarding age
showed that learners’ age had no significantly important difference with their L2 Motivational
Self, based on the averages of mean scores, it is evident that motivation decreased with age.