The complex L2 self: Chinese study abroad students’ EFL motivations through the lens of neoliberalism and Neo-Confucianism

Carolan, Jordan; Devlin, Anne Marie

doi:10.1075/sar.23006.car

Article published In:

Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education
Vol. 9:2 (2024) ► pp.245–281

The complex L2 self

Chinese study abroad students’ EFL motivations through the lens of neoliberalism and Neo-Confucianism

Jordan Carolan | University College Cork

Anne Marie Devlin | University College Cork

Set against a body of research which tends to either overlook ideological differences between Eastern and Western conceptualizations of motivation or which positions Chinese students as ideologically monolithic, this study aims to explore the dynamic interaction between neoliberal and Neo-Confucian paradigms in shaping motivation for English language learning. By incorporating primary concepts from the Neo-Confucian motivational construct and Dörnyei’s (2005) second language (L2) Motivational Self System, this study bridges the gap between Eastern and Western L2 motivational research and investigates how neoliberal/Neo-Confucian ideologies interact to influence Chinese university students’ motivations for learning English. More specifically, it explores how this develops during study abroad in Ireland. It was found that the motivational trajectories of eight participants comprised a complex synthesis of both ideologies during study abroad. Furthermore, their ought-to L2 selves and ideal L2 self imagery underwent dramatic alterations.

Keywords: Neo-Confucianism, neoliberalism, L2 self, L2 motivation, Chinese EFL learners

Article outline

1.Introduction
2.Literature review
- 2.1Neo-Confucian and neoliberal motivational paradigms
  - 2.1.1Neo-Confucianism
  - 2.1.2Neoliberalism
- 2.2Conceptualizing an inclusive motivational framework
- 2.3Chinese students: Motivation and SA
3.Methodology
- 3.1Research aims
- 3.2Research method
- 3.3Participants
- 3.4Data generation and analysis
4.Findings
- 4.1Ideal L2 self: Neo-Confucian and neoliberal motivations
  - 4.1.1Neo-Confucian motivation: Self-Cultivation
  - 4.1.2Self-Improvement
  - 4.1.3Self-Transformation
  - 4.1.4Neoliberal motivation: Competitiveness
- 4.2Ought-to L2 selves: Neo-Confucian and neoliberal perspectives
  - 4.2.1Neo-Confucian motivation: Sense of Responsibility pre-SA
  - 4.2.2Rejection of sense of responsibility before and during SA
  - 4.2.3Neoliberal motivation: English is necessary for survival
5.Discussion
6.Conclusion
References

Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at [email protected].

Published online: 14 May 2024

https://doi.org/10.1075/sar.23006.car

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