An exploration of the L2 motivation of Korean university students : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Applied Linguistics at Massey University, New Zealand
Loading...
Date
2020
DOI
Open Access Location
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Massey University
Rights
The Author
Abstract
What motivates people to study language is a complex question. This study is an exploration of the motivation to learn English of a group of students at a women’s university in Seoul, South Korea. English is highly valued in Korean society and Korean students devote many hours to studying English. These facts provide a rich backdrop for this study. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. A questionnaire was used to provide background information and to contextualise two rounds of semi-structured interviews. The data was interpreted by applying the L2 Motivational Self System (Dörnyei, 2005, 2009), of which two of its components, the ideal L2 self and the ought-to L2 self, provided a number of insights. The findings suggest that certain characteristics of Korean culture and society have a significant effect on English language learners’ processes of goal formulation, learning behaviours and learning outcomes. For example, it was found that English is a form of cultural and linguistic capital (Bourdieu, 1977, 1984) in Korea, which has several important implications. This study attempts to address a dearth in qualitative research in the domain of L2 motivation in the Korean context and aims to further our understanding in this field.