The Impact of Self-Concept on Language Learning

by Kata Csizér (Editor), Michael Magid (Editor)

Overview

This edited volume seeks to highlight the effects of self-concept on L2 learning and teaching by considering a wide range of theories as well as their practical application. The book is divided into four sections and includes: chapters discussing various approaches related to self-concept; empirical studies related to the selves of the learners; research from teachers’ perspectives on students' self-concept; and L2 motivational intervention studies associated with the development of self-concept of language learners. The volume contains a collection of studies from around the world (Central Europe, Canada, Asia and Australia) which were carried out using a variety of research methods and have a range of foci including adult and young learners, public and private education, foreign and second language settings, and teacher and learner motivation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781783092369
Publisher:	Multilingual Matters Ltd.
Publication date:	08/27/2014
Series:	Second Language Acquisition , #79
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	407
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Kata Csizér is a Lecturer in the Department of English Applied Linguistics, Eötvös University, Budapest, Hungary where she teaches various L2 motivation courses. Her main research focuses on the socio-psychological aspects of L2 learning and teaching as well as second and foreign language motivation.

Michael Magid is an English Language Pedagogy Specialist at the English Language Institute of Singapore. As a pedagogy specialist, Michael is involved in the professional development of English teachers and conducts action research on language learning motivation and using drama as a pedagogical tool to teach English. In his work, Michael draws on his experience of teaching English at all levels in Canada, England, China and Japan as well as his background in Applied Linguistics.

Table of Contents

Contributors ix

1 The Self-Concept and Language Learning: An Introduction Kata Csizér Michael Magid 1

Part 1 Theories Related to Self-Concept

2 Future Self-Guides and Vision Zoitán Dörnyei 7

3 At the Interface of the Socio-Educational Model, Self-Determination Theory and the L2 Motivational Self System Models Maya Sugita McEown Kimherly A. Noels Kathryn Everhart Chaffee 19

4 Re-imagining the Self as a Network of Relationships Sarah Mercer 51

Part 2 Self-Concept and Language Learning

5 The Ideal L2 Self, Self-Regulatory Strategies and Autonomous Learning: A Comparison of Different Groups of English Language Learners Kata Csizér Judit Kormos 73

6 EFL Students' L2 Motivational Self System and Self-Regulation: Focusing on Elementary and Junior High School Students in Korea Tae-Young Kim Yoon-Kyoung Kim 87

7 The L2 Self-Concept in Second Language Learning Motivation: A Longitudinal Study of Korean University Students David Lyons 108

8 Culture, Autonomy and the Self in Language Learning Kimberly A. Noels Kathryn Everhart Chaffee Megan Michalyk Maya Sugita McEown 131

9 Investigating Adult Migrant ESL Learners' Language Learning Motivational Profile in Australia: Towards a Bicultural Identity Elke Stracke Jeremy Jones Nicolette Bramley 155

10 Investing in Experiential Capital: Self-Efficacy, Imagination and Development of Ideal L2 Selves Kay Irie Damon R. Brewster 171

11 Self-Constructs in Language Learning: What is their Role in Self-Regulation? Janina Iwaniec 189

12 Emerging Self-Identities of Second Language Learners: Emotions and the Experiential Profile of Identity Construction Masuko Miyahara 206

13 Fear of the True Self: Social Anxiety and the Silent Behaviour of Japanese Learners of English Jim King 232

14 Chinese University Students' Willingness to Communicate in the L2 Classroom: The Complex and Dynamic Interplay of Self-Concept, Future Self-Guides and the Sociocultural Context Zhen Yue 250

15 The Interaction of the L2 Motivational Self System with Socialisation and Identification Fatterns and L2 Accent Attainment Nihat Polat 268

Part 3 Self-Concept and Language Teching

16 The Effect of Motivational Strategies on Self-Related Aspects of Student Motivation and Second Language Learning Gabriella Mezei 289

17 ELT Motivation from a Complex Dynamic Systems Theory Perspective: A Longitudinal Case Study of L2 Teacher Motivation in Beijing Yuzo Kimura 310

Part 4 Intervention Studies

18 A Motivational Programme for Learners of English: An Application of the L2 Motivational Self System Michael Magid 333

19 Effects of an Imagery Training Strategy on Chinese University Students' Possible Second Language Selves and Learning Experiences Letty Chan 357

20 Applications and Implications of the L2 Motivational Self System in a Catalan EFL Context Jessica Mackay 377

Part 5 Future Research Directions

21 The Self-Concept and Language Learning: Future Research Directions Michael Magid Kata Csizér 403

Editorial Reviews

The editors have done a magnificent job in pulling together an excellent resource book that includes all major theories and directions in the field of SLA motivation...

The book turns out to be an essential resource for various reader profiles who are invested in SLA research and, more specifically, in language learning motivation. Researchers doing inquiry in this field will find it an extremely useful resource that undoubtly covers all aspects and perspectives around language learning motivation.

Bellaterra Journal of Teaching & Learning Language & Literature Vol. 9(4), Dec-Nov 2016, 82-86 - Berta Torras-Vila

Csizér and Magid have drawn together the leading thinkers in one of the most important lines of inquiry in the psychology of language learning. Readers will be treated to a diversity of ideas, perspectives, and implications of the self and its role in L2 motivation. No collection of motivation texts in SLA would be complete without this volume.

Peter D. MacIntyre

Overall, this volume deepens the reader’s understanding of the impact of self-concept on language learning in multiple contexts. It would be of great value and interest to L2 acquisition researchers and applied linguists. Learners and teachers of an L2 can benefit equally in accomplishing the task of “motivating the unmotivated”. This book is enlightening, applicable to diverse settings, and flows well. The unique and solid research methods represented throughout the different chapters, the diverse cultural backgrounds of the language learners represented, and the application of multiple theories related to self all make this a worth-reading title for L2 researchers and practitioners.

Muhammad Shahbaz

I recommend this book highly to anyone who is interested in the field of motivation research and selfrelated
constructs, and especially to (post-graduate) researchers. The variety of research methods used along with such a diverse sample of participants should ensure that self-concept remains an intriguing construct for further exploration.

System 55 (2015) 158-171 - James Rock

This exciting volume provides new insights into recent trends in SLA research: why it matters who the language learners are, how they regulate their own learning, and how their emotions, motivation and identity are shaped by their experiences. The chapters explore language learners in different contexts and show how new theoretical paradigms have shaped the way language learning is modelled. These studies document how new ideas can contribute to innovation in classroom practice.

Marianne Nikolov

This volume adds a rich tapestry of theoretical, empirical and pedagogical insights to the growing field of self-concept research in language learning. While current research in this field revolves in particular around issues of motivation, a real strength of this collection is its integration of a diverse range of self-related perspectives (including teacher as well as learner perspectives), and a variety of conceptual frameworks and research methodologies.

Ema Ushioda