A Study Of English Learning Motivation Of Junior High School Students From The Perspective Of L2 Motivational Self System

English learning motivation study is becoming increasingly popular home and abroad,with perspectives changing from social psychological period,cognitive-situated period,process-oriented period to L2 motivational self system period.Present studies mainly focus on high level English learners,leaving primary school,junior high school and senior high school learners ignored.Thus,this study mainly studies Chinese junior high school students' English learning motivation from the perspective of the L2 motivational self system.Research questions are:1)What are the differences among junior high school students from different grades in L2 motivational self system(including ideal L2 self,ought-to L2 self,and L2 learning experience)?2)To what extent does L2 motivational self system predict intended effort in different grades?3)What changes in L2 motivational self system have the participants experienced along the process of their English learning in an academic year of the junior high school?This study adopts Dornyei's Three-level Framework and the L2 Motivational Self System theory.Taking 876 junior high school students randomly chosen from Liuyang,Hunan as participants,this study explores the motivation difference and its relationship with intended effort,and the study uses semi-structured interviews to explore 8 students' changes in L2 motivational self system in an academic year.The study found:1)There was no significant difference in ideal L2 self among students from different grades,but Grade 8 students' scores in ought-to L2 self were significantly higher than those of Grade 9 students,and Grade 7 students' scores in L2 learning experience were significantly higher than Grade 9 students'.2)Ideal L2 self,ought-to L2 self and L2 learning experience significantly predicted students' intended effort;for Grade 7 students,ought-to L2 self overweighed ideal L2 self,while for Grade 8 and Grade 9 students,their ideal L2 self counted more.3)Participants' responses in the semi-structured interviews did show:some participants gradually realized their ought-to L2 self and L2 learning experience,which influenced their intended effort in learning English.This study showed that it was necessary to enhance Chinese junior high school students' English learning motivational selves,helping them activate or maintain their motivated behavior and make progress in learning English.