A Study Of L2 Motivation Of Chinese College Students From The Perspective Of Complex Dynamic Systems Theory

China has the largest English learner group in the world.Thus,the study of the factors affecting the success of Chinese college students’ English learning is of great practical significance in such a special social context.Motivation,regarded as one of the critical factors that influence the success of second language(L2)learning,should be highly emphasized.The study on L2 motivation started in the 1950s.The traditional L2 motivation research mainly focuses on exploring the overall motivational disposition of substantial learner samples and answering the "WHAT" question by means of questionnaires.The factors found in the research are always of fixed categories,and single causality/linear relationship is the main theme in the analysis.In recent years,a new approach,the Complex Dynamic System Theory(CDST)was introduced into the field of L2 motivation.CDST provides some new research perspectives such as complex theory,nonlinearity,self-organization to study motivation and answer the "HOW" question,proposing that the motivational system is influenced by the interaction among various complex and ever-changing components.It encourages that researchers should focus on the individuals rather than groups and dig out the underlying and subtle factors in the system.There are several new and valuable findings that are worthy of attention.The present study is an attempt to explore two Chinese college English majors’motivation in English learning at different timescales through a CDST approach.Two Chinese college English majors are selected as the participants,and retrodictive and in-depth interviews are carried out to investigate the development and change of motivational system in their English learning experience.Dornyei’s L2 Motivational Self System,including Ideal L2 Self,Ought-to L2 Self and L2 Learning Experience,is adopted as the analytic framework.This study not only focuses on the "what" but also on the "how".The interaction and cooperation among various components in the systems are highly emphasized in order to see how they form and influence the motivational outcomes.The research findings verify the notion that L2 motivation is a complex and dynamic system.Participants’ English learning motivation has been ever-changing and the factors influencing motivation are multifarious and complex at different timescales.The major findings include:students’ L2 Motivational Self System changes as the time goes by and there is an interaction among students’ Ideal L2 Self,Ought-to L2 Self and L2 Learning Experience;the role of Ought-to L2 Self disappears as students enter college;initial conditions have a far-reaching influence on the future L2 motivation and learning behaviors;intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation are mutually stimulated and intrinsic motivation is more stable and important;Teachers play a vital or sometimes dominating role in stimulating or keeping students’ L2 motivation in the whole history of English learning;social comparison has both positive and negative influences on students’L2 motivation,etc.All these findings demonstrate the complexity and dynamism of students’ L2 motivation system.The present study helps us get a detailed and in-depth understanding of the change of two participants’ English learning motivation over a long period of time and confirms the feasibility and validity of an CDST approach to L2 motivation research in the Chinese context.Such a micro perspective brings many valuable findings.Meanwhile,some implications based on the research findings conduce to help English teachers,families,schools and students themselves enhance and keep students’ motivation in English learning.This study is hoped to be an innovation in domestic motivation study in SLA.