Multilingualism and persistence in multiple language learning

Abstract

For language learners who aspire to become multilingual, commitment involves a personal journey. Defining persistence as a preoccupation with goal-focused action directed to a desired future state and drawing on research from cognitive psychology and the mental time travel paradigm, this article presents an identity-based framework of persistence in multiple language learning. In the framework, persistence is supported through the operation of 3 interconnecting processes: (a) the generation of personally meaningful goals aimed at becoming multilingual, (b) the conjuring of mental images that represent states, events, and values associated with being multilingual, and (c) the integration of representations of multilingualism within an unfolding personal history. To illustrate these processes, data from online sources and research literature exploring language learners' narrative biographies is used. The relevance of the framework is critically assessed in relation to (a) the development of interventions supporting motivation for foreign language learning, (b) the exploration of motivational processes through narrative-based inquiry, and (c) the varying linguistic, social, and societal contexts in which multiple language learning takes place.

The validation crisis in the L2 motivational self system tradition

“…Do multilingual learners have these, and if so in which domains or in reference to what? These and many other important questions remain unanswered (Henry, 2023).…”

Can L2 Motivation Be Modelled as a Self-System? A Critical Assessment

“…Fourth, by modelling motivation for L2 learning as a self-regulatory system, opportunities to encompass varying temporal and situational representations are afforded. Because representations relevant in self-appraisal involve previous and current learning experiences (biographical factuals), and attributes associated with individuals who are relevant in contexts of L2 learning/acquisition (meaningful other factuals), motivation generated through experiences comprising an L2 learner's unfolding biography can be accommodated (Henry, 2023;. Finally, by modelling motivation for L2 learning as a self-regulatory system, opportunities to account for regulatory sources emanating from the contexts in which L2 learning occurs can arise.…”