عزیزالله میرزایی

Recent years have witnessed extensive research on motivation in second/foreign language (L2) contexts. Attempts have been made to develop motivation-based techniques and methods to boost learners’ learning outcomes in L2 programs. Yet, studies that have targeted L2 learners’ perceptions about the effectiveness of such programs in online classes remain scarce. This study addressed this gap and delved into L2 learners’ perceptions of two motivation-oriented instructions, namely the ARCS-based (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction) and L2MSS vision-inspired (Second Language Motivational Self System) instructions, in an online English course. To this end, 41 learners of English were assigned to two groups. One group was instructed based on the ARCS motivation framework, and the other was instructed based on the L2MSS framework. Then, 10 volunteer participants from each group participated in focus group interviews. Thematic analysis of the data revealed 19 subthemes and 7 main themes, including 4 themes of attention-related pedagogy, relevance-oriented content, confidence-building elements, and sense of contentment/discontentment regarding the ARCS group, and 3 themes of ideal self-orientations, ought-to self-orientations, and situated learning/teaching experiences regarding the L2MSS group. The engaging content and appealing learning environment in the ARCS group and the future perspective enhancement and goal setting in the L2MSS group were motivating factors, creating positive perceptions of the two programs. The findings suggest utilizing attention-catching and vision-building strategies to motivate learners and enhance their L2 learning outcomes in online classes.

Despite the surge of interest in exploring the interface between second/foreign-language (L2) learners’ pragmatics and motivational profiles, empirical research that holistically captures their interrelationship remains in its infancy. The current study explored the interplay between L2 learners’ motivational selves and their sociopragmatic and pragmalinguistic competence using structural equation modeling (SEM). It sought to elucidate the mechanisms within the theoretical framework of the L2 Motivational Self-System that underpin this relationship. A cohort of 260 participants learning English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) from three public universities in Iran was assessed using an online L2 motivation questionnaire and an oral discourse completion test (ODCT) to evaluate their L2 motivational selves as well as sociopragmatic and pragmalinguistic knowledge. The SEM analysis indicated that the learners’ sociopragmatics and pragmalinguistics were associated with some motivational subcomponents. Specifically, the students’ Ideal L2 Self exhibited significant positive predictive power in relation to their sociopragmatics. Their L2 Learning Experience contributed significantly to their pragmalinguistic knowledge. However, the participants’ Ought-to L2 Self appeared to predict their sociopragmatics negatively. Overall, those students who possessed a more robust Ideal L2 Self and an enriched L2 Learning Experience exhibited greater sensitivity to sociopragmatic and pragmalinguistic aspects and demonstrated better pragmatic production. Conversely, their Ought-to L2 Self which is inundated with obligations had a preventative function. These findings underscore the significance of integrating motivational constructs into L2 language pedagogy to enhance the learners’ Ideal L2 Self and their L2 Learning Experience, thereby optimizing their performance pragmatically.

According to Skill Acquisition Theory (SAT), for declarative knowledge to become automatized, it needs to be clearly understood and practiced. Vygotsky (1978) viewed this process as fundamentally collaborative and mediational. Recent L2 research has employed Schemas for Complete Orienting Basis of an Action (SCOBA) as mediational tools to mediate underlying cognitive processes leading to use of targeted lexico-grammatical features. The present study explored EFL learners’ development of automatized grammatical knowledge of English tense-aspect concepts through SCOBA-based mediation. The adopted SCOBAs were essentially informed by Cognitive Grammar (CG) to mediate L2 learners’ conceptual understanding of the intended English features. The study used convenience sampling to recruit and randomly assign a cohort of 63 pre-intermediate EFL learners to an experimental (online/synchronous) and a comparison (offline/asynchronous) group. The experimental group received real-time intervention via Skype, while the comparison group had offline treatment through WhatsApp. The study employed a mixed-methods approach comprising Elicited Imitation Tests (EIT) and semi-structured interviews for data collection. Results of pretest-posttest comparisons indicated that both groups improved significantly after the instruction; however, subsequent ANCOVA results showed that the online group outperformed the offline group in their attainments of automatized grammatical knowledge regarding English tense-aspect application Finally, participants’ retrospective perceptions in the online setting attributed their better performance to real-time characteristics of online learning environments such as timely feedback and enhanced collaborative learning engagement. In conclusion, a synthesis of SCOBAs and online affordances was demonstrated to be useful tools for mediating L2 grammatical automaticity.