Multilingual identities and motivation: Their role in foreign language learning pedagogy

L2 motivation research has a longstanding monolingual bias. Recently, however, the motivational systems of a multilingual's different languages have been conceptualized as constituting a multilingual motivational system, and interactions between the ideal selves of different languages as leading to the emergence of an ideal multilingual self (Henry, 2017). While the notion of an ideal multilingual self (IMS) chimes with research on multilinguals' identity experiences, it has not been investigated empirically.

The purpose of this paper is twofold; while the first is to investigate the influence of the IMS on motivation to learn a second foreign language, the second is to consider the implications for foreign language learning. A questionnaire containing items measuring the ideal L2 self and the IMS was administered to a sample of secondary students (N=324) at schools in Sweden with international profiles. Using structural equation modeling, analyses yielded discriminant validity for the IMS construct, and revealed an influence on intended effort mediated via the ideal L2 self. In a globalizing world, and in the shadow of global English, these results indicate that motivation to learn foreign languages can be enhanced when students develop multilingual self-concepts. As part of a holistic multilingual education (Cenoz & Gorter, 2011), efforts need therefore to be made in supporting the construction of multilingual identities.

References

Henry, A. (2017). L2 Motivation and Multilingual Identities. The Modern Language Journal, 101, 3, 548–565.

Cenoz, J., & Gorter, D. (2011). A holistic approach to multilingual education: Introduction. The Modern Language Journal, 95, 339–343.