A Study Of The Relationship Between L2 Motivational Self System And Learner Autonomy Of Japanese Major Undergraduates

The second language motivational self system initiated by Zoltán D?rnyei(2005),has been the proposal of a new L2 motivation construct.The reframing of L2 motivation concept in relation to internalized notions of self and identity has now become mainstreams in this field.The new term has been recognized by many researchers as the most promising framework to move L2 motivation research forward.In effect,with the rise of global English,especially in China,it would seem that most empirical literature on motivation in SLA has focused on the learning of English and other target languages are currently much less well-represented in L2 motivation research.As one of the most significant educational reforms in China in the 21 st century,the education curriculum reform which was implemented in 2001,has clearly proposed the educational goal of cultivating students' active learning attitude,particularly emphasizing that the teaching process should develop learner autonomy and independence.However,students do not automatically become autonomous learners.In order to enhance students' ability to study autonomously,research should be conducted to understand the current situations of learners' autonomous learning and then to foster their autonomous learning ability.Based on the new L2 motivation theory-L2 MSS and learner autonomy,the study investigated the current situation of L2 motivational self system and learner autonomy among Japanese major undergraduates as well as the relationship between these two variables.The study participants were 110 Japanese major undergraduates from two universities in Shanxi province.The students' L2 MSS was measured through a25-item questionnaire that was developed by Liu Zhen(2012).The LA was also measured through a 38-item questionnaire which was established by Lin Lilan(2013).This thesis intends to investigate the following questions:(1)What is the current situation of the Japanese learners' L2MSS?(2)What is the current situation of the Japanese learners' LA?(3)What is the relationship between the L2 MSS and learner autonomy among Japanese major undergraduates? Does the L2 MSS have the predictive power over autonomous learning? There is an expectation that the findingswill encourage teachers and students to work together on aspects that are hindering the development of learner autonomy.Major findings of the research are listed as follows:(1)the current situation of Japanese majors' L2 MSS is at above-average level.Of the all three components(ideal self,ought-to self,L2 learning experience)of L2 MSS,ideal L2 is the strongest;(2)the current situation of Japanese majors' learner autonomy is at above-average level.Speaking of each dimension,these participants' self-managing learning ability is dominant among these three dimensions(self-managing learning ability,psychology of autonomous learning,autonomous learning behavior);(3)the results also demonstrate that these Japanese majors' L2 MSS is significantly and positively correlated with their learner autonomy;(4)the ideal L2 self and L2 learning experience both have the predictive power over learner autonomy,especially the L2 learning experience has the substantial predictive power over learner autonomy.