An Empirical Study On The L2 Motivational Self System Of EFL Learners In Senior High School

Learning motivation,as one of the key factors for foreign language learners' successful learning,has been widely studied by more and more Chinese and foreign scholars.As a new and hot topic in the study of L2 motivation theory,the L2 Motivational Self System has been developed and completed through a number of empirical studies by many scholars.The research on the motivation of English learning in senior high schools also shows different results with the influence of many factors.Based on the scholar D?rnyei's theory of second language motivational self system(L2MSS),this article will explore the senior high school English learners' L2 learning motivation.This article took a high school in Datong as an example to explore three issues:1)What is the current situation of the EFL learners' L2 MSS in this high school in Datong ?2)Among the high school EFL learners,are there any differences in the effects of the three components of the L2 MSS between female students and male students.If yes,what are they?3)Is there any correlation relationship between the English achievements and the L2MSS? If yes,which component can best predict the senior high school EFL learners' English achievements?In this study,both quantitative and qualitative research method were used.Based on the questionnaire designed by Liu Fengge on the L2 MSS involved in junior and senior high school students,a questionnaire survey was conducted on the students of a high school in Datong,Shanxi Province.All the data were calculated and analyzed by SPSS 22.0.A descriptive statistical analysis method was adopted for analyzing the current situation of high school students' L2 MSS.The method of independent sample T-test was used to distinguish the influences of three components of L2 MSS between boys and girls.Finally,the multiple regression analysis was taken to explore the most prominent predictor of English achievement of senior high school English learners.In addition,the study randomly selected six students to participate in semi-structured interviews,and the results of the interview were used to supplement the quantitative analysis.The main findings of this thesis are:1)In the L2 MSS of EFL learners in this senior high school,ideal L2 self has thehighest level,second language learning experience next,and ought-to L2 self has the lowest level.2)Female students and male students have significant differences in ideal L2 self and L2 learning experience.Females' ideal L2 self and L2 learning experience are higher than male students',while male students and female students show no notable differences in ought-to L2 self.3)Among the three factors in the L2 MSS,the ideal L2 self and L2 learning experience are significantly correlated with the English achievement of high school English learners.Among them,L2 learning experience has the most prominent predictive effect on grade,followed by ideal L2 self,while ought-to L2 self shows no obvious impact on the students' achievements.In this dissertation,the results of the above three issues were discussed in detail in order to grasp the effect of L2 MSS on students' English achievements,so as to provide more teaching suggestions to help students in this high school learn English better and achieve better English learning proficiency.