Examining L2 Motivational Self-system and Its Relationship with L2 Achievement among Korean EFL Learners

As English has become a global language, the learning of English has become prominent in non-native English-speaking countries. English is considered an essential qualification among college students in South Korea since the mastery of English is necessary for acculturation into a global society; it is especially important for job seeking. To achieve higher English language proficiency, English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in South Korea invest tremendous efforts into learning English including private tutoring and studying abroad. Research shows that language learning motivation is one of the factors that can influence or predict student’s language achievement. In this dissertation, Korean EFL learners’ motivations are measured with a validated questionnaire to confirm the predictive power of factors that could contribute towards L2 proficiency. This dissertation consists of five chapters in a three-journal-article format. In the first chapter, the introduction of this dissertation is provided, including the statement of purpose, definitions of terms, limitations, and the significance of the study. Chapters 2, 3, and 4 are three individual journal–ready articles. More specifically, Chapter 2 is systematic review regarding current second language (L2) motivational instruments and their applications. In Chapter 3 I validate a Korean-language L2 motivation instrument translated into Korean from Dörnyei’s L2 motivational self-system (L2MSS). Data was collected from 500 college students in South Korea who were asked to respond to a survey. The data were analyzed using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) for internal structure. In Chapter 4 I apply the validated instrument from Chapter 3 among Korean EFL college students and examine the relationships among L2 learning motivations, major, age, school year, gender, and language learning experiences. Chapter 5 includes a conclusion and discussion based on the results of Chapters 3 and 4