Comparative Analysis of the L2 Motivational Behaviour of Spanish and Japanese Teenagers

Abstract

The aim of this study was to conduct a comparative analysis of motivational behaviour of Spanish and Japanese high school students when learning English in order to identify possible differences between Western and Eastern cultures. To gain insights into the learners’ intentions of investing effort in L2 learning, the lens of the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) were used. The instrument of this quantitative research was the Motivational Factors Questionnaire (MFQ) (Brady, 2019), administered to the total sample of 223 Japanese and Spanish students from urban areas. The non-parametric statistic results demonstrated that Spanish learners had a more defined L2 self-guide compared with their Japanese counterparts. The differences were found in two of the L2MSS tenets: an ideal L2 self with a medium effect size and the L2 learning experience with a large effect size. Furthermore, the results of the correlational analysis with intended learning effort in the whole cohort demonstrated high positive correlations in the L2 learning experience, instrumentality prevention, instrumentality promotion, and self-efficacy. When the data were analysed separating the students according to their nationality, the results showed moderate positive correlations for the same factors, except for the L2 learning experience factor. The study calls for further cross-cultural research on teenagers’ L2 motivational behaviour in a global world.