An Empirical Study On The Correlation Between L2 Motivational Self-system, English Learning Engagement And English Proficiency Of Senior High School Students

A vast amount of research has shown that learning motivation and learning engagement are strongly related to English students’ achievement.Since the introduction of the Second Language Motivational Self-System in 2005,the relationship between the Second Language Motivational Self-System and English performance has received increasing attention;meanwhile,a body of studies has pointed out that English learning engagement has an effect on students’ English performance,but few studies have examined whether and how learning engagement,a motivational behavior,is influenced by learners’ Second Language Motivational Self-System.To enhance students’ English performance,this study investigated the interaction between English learning engagement,L2 motivational self-system,and English academic achievement by using an English learning engagement questionnaire and the L2 motivational self-system scale to investigate the correlation among English learning engagement,L2 motivational self-system and English performance in a high school in Kunming.In this study,227 students from an Affiliated High School of Yunnan Normal University were selected as the study subjects for the questionnaire survey,16 of whom were selected for the interview.The study proposed five questions,i.e.(1)What are the types of L2 motivational self-system and English learning engagement of high school students?(2)What is the general situation of high school students’ L2 motivational self-system and learning engagement?(3)Are the participants’ second language motivation self-system and learning engagement related? Are they related to English performance?(4)What are the important predictors of second language motivational self-system and learning engagement that affect the students’ English proficiency?(5)Are there any significant differences in L2 motivational self-system and engagement in learning by gender,grade,ethnicity,and English proficiency?Questionnaire A was adopted to evaluate the English learning engagement of senior high school students.The scale was designed based on the students’ school engagement survey conducted by the National School Participation Center(Finlay,2006)of the United States,combined with the dimensions of foreign language learning engagement proposed by Chinese scholar Guo Jidong(2016),and consists of 36 questions.Based on the studies of Al-Sheri(2009),Dornyei,and Papi(2010)on L2 MSS and motivated L2 behavior,Questionnaire B was used to measure the general status of high school students’ L2 motivational self-system,including 20 questions in total.To help senior high school students understand the questionnaire’s content clearly,the author used the Chinese version.The findings are as follows: 1)the subjects’ English learning engagement and L2 motivational self-system are at the middle level;2)The mean value of female behavior engagement is higher than that of male students;3)The means of English learning engagement and L2 motivational self-system of the senior three grades ranked the top,followed by those of grade one,with grade two students at the bottom;4)emotional engagement,ideal L2 self and learning experience are important predictors of students’ English proficiency;5)There is a positive correlation between students’ English proficiency and their ELE and L2 MSS.This study provides some pedagogical insights for English teachers and points out the limitations of past studies and suggestions for follow-up research.