The investigation into the possible L2 selves to interpret L2 motivation of Vietnamese learners of English as a foreign language in VATC

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY

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NGUYỄN MỘNG HẰNG

THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE POSSIBLE L2 SELVES TO

INTERPRET L2 MOTIVATION OF VIETNAMES LEARNERS OF

ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN VATC

Major: TEACHING ENGLISH TO SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES

Major code: 60140111

MASTER OF ARTS IN TESOL

Supervisor: ĐẶNG TẤN TÍN, Ph.D.

HO CHI MINH City, 2016

i

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

I certify that the thesis entitled “AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE

POSSIBLE L2 SELVES TO INTERPRET L2 MOTIVATION OF

VIETNAMESE LEARNERS OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN

VATC” is my own work.

Except where reference is made in the text of the thesis, this thesis does not

contain material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis by

which I have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma.

No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the main

text of the thesis.

This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma in any

other tertiary institution.

Ho Chi Minh City, October 26

NGUYEN MONG HANG

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

With great respect and humility, I wish to express my sincere thanks to all the

people and the Hochiminh City Open University that, in one or another way, made this

thesis possible.

First of all, my sincere and special appreciation goes to Dr. Dang Tan Tin, my

supervisor, who has walked me all the way through this journey with great passion and

patience. He has always guided me ahead by academic advice and emotional

encouragement. I have benefited massively from his wise prompts, searching

questions, constructive comments and emotional comfort.

Moreover, my appreciation goes to Dr. Pham Vu Phi Ho, who introduced me to

my supervisor and gave a considerable amount of good advice on academic writing by

his seminars and workshops. I would also like to thank Mr. Trinh Thai Van Phuc and

Ms. Ho Thi Bao Uyen, two coordinator assistants for the TESOL master program, for

their willingness and motivation.

I would like to thank my colleagues who were always willing to help and share

experience. Special thanks go to my dear classmates for their best suggestion as well as

their constant and enthusiastic assistance. The thesis has brought us together.

I am also grateful to the informants in the study who have spent their valuable

time participating in interviews, generously sharing their excitement and

disappointment of English learning and other experiences with me. Without their

support, this study could not be carried out.

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ABSTRACT

The thesis aims at investigating the ideal L2 selves and ought-to L2 selves of

Vietnamese learners of English because the L2 selves determine the level of L2

motivation in learners. In order to investigate the perception of learners in terms of

their L2 selves, qualitative data analysis was employed in the study. Four IELTS

learners at Vietnamese-American Training College took part in the interview study, of

which questions adapted from Kim’s (2006) interview questions and a version of Al￾Shehri’s (2009) self-report questions. Based on the themes provided by Unemori et al.

(2004), the responses of the four participants were analyzed. The six themes which are

Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Career, Education, Extracurricular, and Attainment of

material goods, were categorized accordingly.

In terms of the ideal L2 self, their ideal L2 self tends to fall in Career domain. (1)

They would like work for an English-related working environments. (2) They also

expressed the wish to find a well-paid job (Attainment of material goods) because the

English-related jobs would help them find a better income. (3) The most significant

feature of the participants’ L2 self-images in the domain of Extra-curricular activities is

related to English pop-culture. (4) Most of the participants expressed their wish to

communicate in English fluently with foreigners, or Vietnamese people living overseas

(Interpersonal). (5) No participants in the study expressed the wish to study overseas

although they are studying IELTS, a paper test commonly used for applying for

overseas study (Education). (6) They expressed their imagined life in the future as a

positive one thanks to English. Besides that, the ideal L2 self of living overseas is also

found (Intrapersonal).

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In terms of the ought-to L2 self, (1) they learn English because of the fear of

losing opportunities to do business with foreigners or the fear of failing the job

interview (Career), (2) because of the fear of losing better income from business deals

with foreign customers (Material attainment), (3) the fear of failing the university

entrance exam and the fear of being scolded for bad marks are found in Education

domain, (4) the fear of being behind friends who have high English test scores and the

fear of being ashamed in front of their children (Interpersonal).

From the findings, it can be concluded that the perception of their ideal L2 selves

and ought-to L2 selves of the four participants are varied in terms of content in

different domains of life. The results obtained can be used to help those learners sustain

their L2 motivation in both short and long-term L2 learning process in order to reach

L2 attainment.

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Table of Contents

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP ...............................................................................i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.............................................................................................ii

ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................. iii

LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................... viii

LIST OF ABRREVIATIONS ......................................................................................ix

Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................1

1.1 Background of the study ......................................................................................1

1.2 Statement of problem ...........................................................................................3

1.3 Purpose of the study .............................................................................................4

1.4 Research Questions...............................................................................................4

1.5 Significance of the study.......................................................................................4

1.6 Basic assumptions.................................................................................................5

1.7 Organization of the study.....................................................................................5

Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW..........................................................................7

2.1 Theoretical background to the research.............................................................7

2.1.1 Historical overview of theories related to possible L2 selves .....................7

2.1.2 Conceptual framework ................................................................................12

2.1.3 The role of imagination in possible selves..................................................14

2.1.4 Conditions for the motivating capacity of the ideal and ought selves.....16

2.1.5 Importance of researching Ideal L2 Self and Ought-to L2 Self...............21

2.2 Review of related literature ...............................................................................21

2.2.1 Pakistani learners’ L2 selves.......................................................................22

2.2.2 Japanese students’ L2 selves .......................................................................24

2.2.3 Iranian students’ L2 selves..........................................................................25

2.2.4 Taiwanese students’ L2 selves.....................................................................28

2.3 Implications for the present study.....................................................................30

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2.4 Summary of chapter 2 ........................................................................................31

Chapter 3: METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................33

3.1 Research design...................................................................................................33

3.2 Research site........................................................................................................34

3.3 Participants..........................................................................................................36

3.4 Procedure of the study........................................................................................38

3.5 Instrument for data collection ...........................................................................40

3.6 Methods of Data Analysis ..................................................................................45

3.6.1 Coding scheme for students’ responses about their L2 selves .................46

3.6.2 Coders............................................................................................................47

3.6.3 Coding procedure .........................................................................................48

3.7 Summary of chapter 3 ........................................................................................48

Chapter 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ................................................49

4.1 Description of the participants..........................................................................49

4. 2 Findings...............................................................................................................51

4.2.1 Findings for Ideal L2 Selves........................................................................51

4.2.2 Findings for Ought-to L2 Selves .................................................................56

4.2.3 The common characteristics in possible L2 selves of participants..........57

4.3 Discussion ............................................................................................................58

4.3.1 Discussion of the Research Question 1 .......................................................58

4.3.2 Discussion of the Research Question 2 .......................................................59

4.4 Summary of chapter 4 ........................................................................................62

Chapter 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION......................................63

5.1 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................63

5.1.1 Conclusion to Research question 1 .............................................................63

5.1.2 Conclusion to Research question 2 .............................................................64

5.2 Implications.........................................................................................................64

5.2.1 Theoretical implication ................................................................................64

5.2.2 Future research implication ........................................................................65

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5.3 Limitations and suggestions for further research ...........................................65

5.4 Recommendations...............................................................................................66

5.5 Summary of chapter 5 ........................................................................................67

REFERENCES.............................................................................................................68

APPENDIXES ..............................................................................................................78

APPENDIX A............................................................................................................78

The interview questions (English version) ..........................................................78

The interview questions (Vietnamese version) ...................................................80

APPENDIX B............................................................................................................82

THE INTERVIEW WITH KEN..........................................................................82

THE INTERVIEW WITH KEN..........................................................................86

APPENDIX C............................................................................................................90

THE INTERVIEW WITH ANNE.......................................................................90

THE INTERVIEW WITH ANNE.......................................................................93

APPENDIX D............................................................................................................96

THE INTERVIEW WITH DANIEL...................................................................96

THE INTERVIEW WITH DANIEL...................................................................99

APPENDIX E..........................................................................................................102

THE INTERVIEW WITH MARY....................................................................102

THE INTERVIEW WITH MARY....................................................................106

APPENDIX F ..........................................................................................................110

The letter to VATC’s authority (Vietnamese)..................................................110

APPENDIX G..........................................................................................................112

The Consent form of interviewee (Vietnamese) ...............................................112

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 3. 1 Questions of the semi-structured interview adapted from Kim’s (2006)

interview questions and a version of Al-Shehri’s (2009) self-report questions.............44

Table 3. 2: Coding scheme for L2 selves .......................................................................47

Table 4. 1: Description of participants’ background ....................................................50

Table 4. 2: Summary of Participants’ ideal L2 selves...................................................55

Table 4. 3: Summary of Participants’ ought-to L2 selves..............................................56

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LIST OF ABRREVIATIONS

CEFR: The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

EFL: English as a foreign language

ESL: English as a second language

L2: Second/Foreign language

L2 community: target language community

L2 Motivation: Motivation to learn a foreign/second language

IELTS: International English Language Testing System

Possible L2 selves: Possible selves for a foreign/second language

TOEIC: Test of English for International Communication

TOEFL iBT: Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-Based Test

VATC: Vietnamese-American Training Center

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1

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE POSSIBLE L2 SELVES OF

VIETNAMESE LEARNERS OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

IN VATC

Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

According to Bandura (1986), individuals possess a self-system that enables

them to exercise a measure of control over their thoughts, feelings, and actions

(different cognition, different motivation, and different behaviors). Particularly,

the part of one’s self-system which is the most integrated into motivation is

termed ‘the possible selves’ (Markus & Nurius, 1986) or ‘the future self-guides’

(Higgins, 1987). The future self-guides consist of ‘ideal self’ (what they would

ideally become) and ‘ought-to self’ (what they should become to meet

expectations and to avoid negative outcomes). Motivation arises when one wants

to reduce the difference between their current self and either their ideal self or

their ought-to self (Higgins, 1987).

Along with the contribution from the two psychological theories which are

the theory of possible selves and self-discrepancy theory, Dornyei (2005) has re￾conceptualized the motivation to learn second/foreign language (L2 motivation)

within the framework of self/identity as a result of the dissatisfaction towards the

highly influential concept of integrative motivation proposed by Gardner (1959).

Integrative motivation or integrativeness refers to the L2 learners’ desire to be

identified with the members of the target language community (L2 community)

(Gardner, 2001).

The rapid globalization and the rise of Global English, in which English has

widely been used as a lingua franca among speakers of international world

(Crystal, 1997) have provoked criticism on the validity of the traditional

Gardner’s model of motivation. Since the ownership of English language does not