Is Learning A Second Language A Means To An End?The Role Played By Perceived Autonomy Support In Students' Motivation And Self-regulation In Zimbabwe And China

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between English as a second language learners',perceived autonomy support from students,motivation(intrinsic,extrinsic,amotivation),and self-regulation,using a quantitative approach.The participants of the study were first year students studying English as a major and those studying Psychology as a major from two state universities,one from Zimbabwe(UZ)and one from China(CCNU).This was a cross-cultural study.Six hundred and seventeen first year students responded to three questionnaires on autonomy-support(Learning Climate Scale),motivation(Academic Motivation Scale)and self-regulation(Motivated Strategies for learning Questionnaire).Two ways ANOVA indicated that country and major had a significant effect on autonomy-support,motivation and self-regulation.Showed that self-regulation was higher in Zimbabweans.There were positive correlations on most sub scales for motivation and autonomy-support in both countries.There were also positive correlations between autonomy-support and self-regulation except for a few self-regulation sub scales.Regression analysis also showed that autonomy-support,country and major of the participants had a positive effect on intrinsic motivation.The results are helpful for English language teachers and students who want to support students' motivation to speak English out of interest.