Language Learning Motivation in Pakistan: An Analysis of Social and Psychological Reactance in Pakistan

Abstract

This study examines the motivations behind six academic sojourners in Germany, who are studying a second language (L2) in an effort to explain the discrepancy in the linguistic quality outcome of study abroad (SA) experiences. Using a person-in-context approach, it was discovered that forming close bonds with "native-speakers," giving international students opportunities for L2-mediated engagement, and receiving social acceptance were all important factors in determining how invested SA students were in social practices. These social interactions were discovered to be the result of second language motivation, which is a step in the identity-construction process. Furthermore, given that the majority of participants' motivations were developed in spite of their unfavorable or neutral sentiments towards the English language, the theme analysis of the narrative inquiries reveals that the English language's worldwide standing defies conventional conceptualizations of L2 motivation. The results also support the notion that the other can serve as a strong source of inspiration for students, allowing them to refuel their motivational pipeline and invest in social identities in order to develop their ideological selves. As "native-speakers" are rarely the closest analogues to L2 learners, the paper's conclusion suggests reinterpreting the conceptualization of the Ideal L2 Self system and adding explicit intrinsic orientations. Additionally, language schools in Karachi, Pakistan contexts ought to concentrate on starting discussion groups and organizing social gatherings for South African students in order to offer a secure environment in which their identities can be formed, played out, and rebuilt.