A Study On The Relationship Between L2 Motivational Self System And English Achievements Of Senior High School Students

As an important factor in the field of foreign language learning,motivation of learning English has always received much attention.While traditional research has concentrated on integrative and instrumental motivation(extrinsic motivation)in learners,currently the researchers shift their focus to D?rnyei’s L2 Motivational Self System,focusing on self and the influence on learning motivation.Based on the L2 MSS,this study examines the current situation of English learning motivation in senior high school students through questionnaire and interview,aiming to provide some reference and ideas for English teachers in classroom teaching.The purpose of this study is to give an answer to the following research questions:(1)What are the characteristics of the L2 MSS of senior high school students?(2)Are there any differences between high and low-level English learners in L2MSS?(3)What is the relationship between L2 MSS of senior high school students with English achievement,and which dimension has the greatest impact on English achievement?This study focused on 104 senior high school students from a middle school in Nanchang,Jiangxi Province.The author obtained the data from the questionnaires,a semi-structured interview,and the results of English mid-term test and all data will be analyzed by SPSS 25.0.Through descriptive statistical analysis,independent sample T-test,Pearson correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis,the results are as follows:First,the average scores of students’ overall L2 MSS were relatively low,indicating L2 MSS in senior high school students was generally at the low and below middlelevel.As for its three components,subjects got the highest score in ideal L2 self,followed by L2 learning experience,and the lowest score was for the ought-to L2 self.This indicates that students with positive ideal L2 self and successful L2 learning experience have relatively stronger motivation for English learning.Second,there was no significant difference between students with high and low-level English achievements in L2 MSS from the data.So did the ideal L2 self and ought-to L2 self.Although the average score of the higher group was slightly lower in ought-to L2 self than the lower group,the difference was very small and could be ignored.In terms of L2 learning experience,students with high-level English achievements had a significantly higher motivation than the low-level group.Moreover,the result showed that the correlation between students’ L2 MSS and their English achievements did not reach a significant level.Of the three dimensions of L2 MSS,only L2 learning experience showed a significant positive correlation with academic performance,that is,students with better L2 learning experience were prone to higher English scores.In addition,from the results of regression analysis,it can be seen that students’ L2 learning experience becomes the factor that best predicts their English achievement.Based on the above research results,the author puts forward some suggestions for cultivating the L2 MSS for senior high school students to better stimulate the students’ L2 motivation.