Projections of the future: effects of vision on L2 Motivation

Abstract:

This study discusses the influence of learners’ vision on their second language (L2)

motivation utilizing Dörnyei’s (2005) motivational L2 self-system framework and

additionally exploring the role of self-esteem as well as parental and teacher encouragement

in relation to L2 motivation. A semi-structured interview was conducted with two Turkish

students from a secondary school in Turkey, aimed at discovering their perceptions of future

L2 self-images and their main sources of L2 motivation. A phenomenographic approach

focused towards differences in the participants’ views of reality was adopted. Results show

that parental guidance has a direct effect on self-esteem, which in turn affects vision and

ultimately L2 motivation. Findings furthermore imply additional repercussion of vision on the

L2 learning experience with different meaning and experiences for each student interviewed.

The study concludes that teacher’s involvement as motivator although unacknowledged is

important in order to help raise the level of students’ self-esteem to impact their L2

motivation.

1. Introduction

The main purpose of my research-based assignment is to investigate some of the factors that

contribute to the personal vision of foreign language learners and to relate the way they see

themselves to their L2 motivation. This topic is of interest to me because in the past I have

often wondered why some students were more motivated than others in the class and I wished

to gain more insight into the reasons that contributed to these differences, to be able to help

weaker students. As a teacher I have always believed that every pupil has a potential to be

developed and that if we could find the key to unlock that potential, students would have

more faith in themselves and work more willingly towards their goals.

Reading about research in L2 motivation led me to the discovery of the theory of the possible

selves by Markus and Nurius (1986) and then to the more recent theory of the L2

Motivational Self System by Zoltan Dörnyei (2005). Both theories fascinated me, the possible

selves theory inspired me to reflect on the relationship between vision (the way students

imagine themselves in the future) and motivation in L2 learning in this study, while the L2

Motivational Self System developed my knowledge on the concept of possible selves and

sparked my interest to adopt the framework’s parameters to conduct this small scale research.

It occurred to me that the scope of the L2 Motivational Self System’s recent line of research

could be extended by adding some variables to it such as an inquiry into the role played by

teachers, parents or significant others as motivators, and by considering the self-esteem factor

in relation to L2 Motivation. It appears that despite the relevance of self-esteem in

psychological studies, the connection between self-esteem and L2 motivation has so far not

been explored to a great extent (Ushioda, 2009). Likewise recent research seems to focus

more on the role of parental expectations rather than parental guidance in relation to L2

motivation (Xuesong, 2006). I hope that shedding some light on the above mentioned

additional variables might motivate other researchers to explore further the influence of

parents, teachers and self-esteem in relation to L2 motivation.

2. Literature Review

The literature review first explores the theoretical background of the conceptual framework

used for my research (L2 motivational self system) and then moves on to an overview of past

research conducted on the other variables introduced in my study, respectively the

relationship between self-esteem and L2 motivation and the role of parents and teachers as

motivators.

2.1. Origins and development of the L2 Motivational Self System

In order to understand the L2 motivational self system framework it is important to

understand how it originated and which theories it is grounded in. Early research on

motivation in L2 in the psychological field was dominated by the work of Gardner and

Lambert (Gardner, 1985), who classified motivational factors into two categories, integrative

and instrumental. The integrative concept was based on the desire to belong to the L2

community, while the instrumental one referred to the desire of acquiring practical benefits as

an incentive to learn the L2.

In the psychological field Marcus and Nurius (1986) established the concept of possible

selves, which represents individuals’ own ideas of what they might become, what they would

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like to become and what they are afraid of becoming in the future. These personal visions

influence the individuals’ actions in the future and they represent their personal fears, hopes

and expectations.

Higgins (1987) developed the concept of possible selves further and proposed in his self-

discrepancy theory that discrepancies between the individual’s actual state of self (the self-

concept) and his ideal self (how he would like to be) showed positive results with possible

feelings of dissatisfaction. On the other hand the discrepancy between his actual state of self

and his ought-to self (generated by people’s expectations or a sense of duty) produced

negative results and emotions associated with anxiety.

The concepts of ideal self and ought-to self gradually became the centre of interest in the

educational field in relation to learning motivation and were referred to as ‘self-guides’,

highlighting the important relationship between the learner’s personal vision and their

motivation in achieving their goals (Dörnyei, 2005). The L2 Motivational Self System

conceptualized by Dörnyei (2005) assimilated aspects of Gardner’s integrative model (1985),

the theory of possible selves by Marcus and Nurius (1986) and the theory of discrepancy by

Higgins (1987) (Dörnyei & Kubanyiova, 2014). Dörnyei linked the concepts of ideal self and

ought-to self to L2 motivation and added a third component, the L2 Learning Experience. His

conceptualization of the L2 motivational self system is as following:

(1) Ideal L2 Self, the L2-specific aspect of the ‘ideal self’: if the person we aspire to

become speaks an L2, then ‘ideal L2 self’ is a significant motivator to learn the L2 in

order to achieve the idealized image.

(2) Ought-to L2 Self, represents the attributes one believes one ought to possess to satisfy

the expectations of significant others and to avert possible negative results.

(3) L2 Learning Experience, represents motives connected to the relative learning

environment and experience.

Dörnyei’s development of the L2 motivational self-system conceptualized the relationship

between self-guides and L2 motivation and provided a useful model of framework for

educational research in motivation. However some recent research criticizes the

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restrictiveness of facets of L2 motivation and expresses the need of additional affective

variables to explore different possibilities (Papi, 2010).

Hessel (2015) also argued that Dörnyei’s ideal L2 self is restrictive because primarily

concerned with L2 speaking proficiency. She also identified insufficient investigation in the

framework regarding the self-discrepancy of future self and current self, claiming that only

ideal L2 images are captured within this type of analysis.

2.2 Self-esteem and L2 motivation

One of the common definitions of self-esteem is: ‘confidence in one’s own worth or

abilities; self-respect’ (Oxford dictionary). Most research on self-esteem and L2 motivation

so far conducted focused on the relationship between self-esteem and academic performance,

which indicated that self-esteem has an influence on achievement (Harter, 1983; Chapman,

1988) while other research suggested that self-esteem is mostly a result of achievement

(Calysn 1971; Hoge, Smit and Crist 1995).

Rubio (2004) related self-esteem to language learning but concentrated on self-esteem as an

aspect of anxiety resulting from the pressure of achieving competence in the foreign

language. He also claimed that there is very little existing research on self-esteem and foreign

language learning and that it should be explored further. A similar study was undertaken by

Clement, Dörnyei and Noels (1994) on self-confidence and concluded that it influences L2

proficiency through the students' attitude and effort on learning a second language.

Arnold instead (2007) connected self-esteem with the concept of self-image in relation to the

immediate learning environment and suggested that self-esteem has a direct impact on the

learner’s sense of responsibility and commitment to learning. She relates the concept of self-

esteem closely to Dörnyei’s L2 motivational self system and suggests that the way students

feel about themselves will impact their approach to the learning experience, as well as affect

their relationships with others.

Avila (cited in Rubio, 2007) explored different aspects of self-esteem related to various

second language variables including motivation and highlighted the importance of building

self-esteem in relation to foreign language learning, arguing that every decision begins with

an emotion.

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2.3 Role of teachers and parents as motivators

Fleetham (2006) stressed the significance of parental support to enhance learning motivation

based on awareness of the concept of multiple intelligence, arguing that every child is clever

and has different skills and strong potential for success in their area of interest. He saw the

role of teachers and parents as motivators important in raising the pupil’s self-confidence and

self-esteem. Fleetham’s study linked parental guide and the teacher’s motivational role to

self-esteem and learning, however his study concentrated on the learning experience in

general and he did not focus on the L2 learning experience in particular. Xuesong (2006)

researched the role of parental involvement in their children’s L2 learning in China and found

out that their active support in terms of homework and language practice facilitated higher

academic achievements and sparked collaboration with teachers.

Rubio (2007) investigated the significance of parental involvement in self-esteem

development. He concluded that although personal growth and conduct are influenced by a

multitude of factors, parental involvement can be crucial (Coopersmith, 1967 cited in Rubio,

2007). Rubio argued that there is a positive association between children with lower degrees

of self-esteem and parents who were unresponsive towards their children or absent for

various periods of time.

Mruk (2006) noted that support from mothers was associated more with developing a sense

of personal value in children, where support from fathers appeared to be connected more to

the development of competency. Dörnyei and Ushioda (2013) link the teacher’s role as

motivator to the teacher’s own motivation, passion and enthusiasm which then, in turns,

affects the student’s intrinsic motivation.

It would seem that most research related to parental guidance was either conducted in the

psychological field (Mruk, 2006) or related to academic achievements rather than purely

motivation, therefore there is room for more research associating parental guidance to

motivation in L2 learning. It is also interesting to notice that despite the multitude of

teachers’ books on motivational techniques in the classroom, there appears to be little

research carried out on the students’ perspective of teachers as a motivating factor.

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3. Methodology

3.1 Conceptual framework and research questions

The methodology chosen to investigate the relationship between personal vision and L2

motivation is phenomenography and the conceptual framework is Dörnyei’s L2 motivational

self-system. Additionally to Dörnyei’s concepts of L2 ideal self, L2 ought-to self and L2

learning experience the variables of self-esteem, the parents’ role and teacher’s role were

added in order to determine how each of these components affected the student’s motivation

in learning English (see figure 1).

The research questions were: How does the students’ vision of ideal-self and ought-to-self

impact their L2 motivation? How does the L2 learning experience affect L2 motivation?

What role does self-esteem play in the students’ L2 motivation? What role do parents and

teachers play as motivators in their L2 learning?

Figure1: Variables analysed in relation to L2 motivation

3.2 Phenomenography

Phenomenography is a research approach that aims to investigate different perceptions and

ways of experiencing of the same phenomena, without seeking to categorize people or pass

judgements but rather to analyse different conceptualizations of reality which are all

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considered true (Marton and Booth, 2009). It was developed by a research group in the

department of education in Sweden and first appeared in print in 1981. Phenomenography

investigates the relations existing between human beings and the world around them.

Focusing on the student’s mental structure and variation in perceived meaning it attempts to

find patterns and relations between differences. It is associated with qualitative and

interpretative procedures (Polat, 2013). Phenomenography seemed suitable for this study

because it allows to explore differences in students’ perceptions of self-image without

stereotyping but rather simply concentrating on the diversity of experience.

3.3 Context, Participants, Instrument, Data Analysis

The participants of the study are two seventh grade Turkish students chosen according to

their history of individual differences known to the researcher. They were both the

researcher’s previous students in a private secondary school in Turkey and they are now

attending eighth grade. Permission to interview these students was sought from both the

Principal of the school and the parents and the aims of the study were made clear to all parties

involved. The real names of the students and the school are not revealed in the study in order

to protect the privacy of the participants and the institution. Each of the students chose a

pseudonym for the interview and they both freely consented to participate in the research.

None of the contents of the interviews aimed to harm the participants in any way, the data

will be kept confidential in order to protect their privacy as per standard ethical principles in

social research (Cohen, Manion, Morrison, 2007).

The interviews conducted were semi-structured, an interview guide was followed with pre-

determined questions (see appendix A) in line with the research questions but some questions

were adapted, in order to gain an understanding of the students’ views and individual

experiences of the phenomena discussed. According to Dörnyei and Ushioda (2013) these

type of interviews are open-ended and flexible in terms of direction of the conversation.

The interviews (see appendix B, C) were conducted in Turkish on Skype, they lasted from 15

to 25 minutes each and were audio recorded, translated in English and transcribed according

to the Jeffersonian conventions (Rapley, 2008).

The data was coded and categorized according to a number of themes that reflected the

utilized conceptual framework and additional variables, then it was compared and grouped

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with the aim to discover similarities, patterns and differences. Saldana (2006) defined coding

of qualitative data as an interpretative act in order to attribute meaning to data. The analysis

and interpretation of the data was conducted bearing in mind Rubin and Rubin’s (2005)

advice to reflect the interviewees’ answers faithfully and at the same time to draw out shades

of meaning and implications by reading between the lines of what had been said.

4. Results and Discussion4.1 L2 ideal self and L2 ought-to self

The data shows very different levels of strength of L2 ideal self, Ahmet appears to have a

very strong L2 ideal self, while Mustafa has a much weaker L2 ideal self. For example

Ahmet’s answers reflect that he has very precise aspirations about his future profession and

he feels that English is necessary to reach that position. Ahmet’s future vision has gone so far

as to picture himself in the best medical faculty in Turkey:

“Studying English makes me feel very happy, for example I'm thinking of studying

medicine so for this reason if I could go abroad to America and organize programmes

like Mehmet Ozge it would very useful for me I think…I am set on medicine, I want to

be a medical professor…ten years later I picture myself in Ankara going to the

medicine faculty of Hacettepe University… I would study until I would get to that

position, I dream of going to New York and work there…”. (Ahmet)

In contrast Mustafa’s L2 ideal self is much weaker, he has a vague idea of a possible future

profession but he has trouble envisioning his future concretely. Thinking about it almost

becomes a source of anxiety, emerging through his silence or sighing.

Mustafa: Myself, where would I stand (0.7) I would see myself as a computer engineer.

Interviewer: Where, for example?

Mustafa: Could be abroad.

Interviewer: That’s nice, where abroad would you think?Mustafa: ((silence))

Interviewer: Let’s imagine it together.

Mustafa: Um (0.7) ((sighs)).

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Interviewer: In an English speaking country or somewhere like Brazil, or <another place>

Mustafa: In an English speaking country teacher, somewhere like England.

Ahmet’s strong L2 ideal self appears to motivate him to actively pursue the language:

Ahmet: If there weren’t any English lessons at school it wouldn’t be a problem

for me, I would strive to learn it anyway…

Interviewer: Does your dream of becoming a professor encourage you to study English?

Ahmet: Does it motivate me (0.4) um (.) It does, oh yes, it does.

Interviewer: Why?

Ahmet: Because I must realize my dreams, if I didn't realize them I would face

disappointment, for this reason I must work even harder, I must be successful.

On the other hand Mustafa’s study of English seems to be rather motivated by his L2 ought-

to self:

“In Turkey they usually ask for English… to find a job, to carry out a job English plays a

big role… for example on the phone, on the computer now they write everything in

English, they write little in Turkish…if someone knows English and Turkish he can handle

both jobs, that’s better…truly studying English doesn’t come from within me, but if I think

about it, it slowly slowly grows on me”.

In Mustafa’s case it seems that his L2 ought-to self shapes an approximate L2 ideal self

which depends on being reminded of the existence of a need to learn a foreign language, and

in turn motivates him to learn English. In Ahmet’s his L2 ideal self constitutes the main drive

and is directly linked to his L2 motivation while the ought-to self appears to be a secondary

factor that would enable him to achieve his dream of becoming a professor and work in

America:

“…of course I would need English to communicate because nobody would understand

Turkish over there!”.

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4.2 Self-esteem, parental role and teacher’s role

Self-esteem appears to play a major role with both students, and evidence from the data

shows that there is a correlation between the students’ self-esteem and parental role. Ahmet

displays a high level of self-confidence which emerges when he acknowledges that he values

family’s support but he feels in charge of his own decisions:

“… actually they encourage me, that’s good for me because it increases my self-

confidence…when I face a difficult task they tell me I can do it, I can be successful

and that gives me hope…I thought of all this by myself all along …I’m the one who

has got to think about my plans…my own thoughts motivated me…”.

In Mustafa’s case the level of self-esteem seems lower from his answers and the fact that he

has shared his future plans with his sister but not with his parents suggests the family might

have different future plans for him. His expectations of family support are also much

different that Ahmet’s claims of self-sufficiency as if Mustafa needs some kind of reassuring.

Interviewer: Your plans, your dreams, ‘I’ll deal with technology, I’ll become a computer

engineer’, did you share them with your father or mother or a teacher?

Mustafa: ((silence))

No, they don’t know yet.

Interviewer: What kind of support do you expect from your parents?

Mustafa: Practical, spiritual, all kinds of support. Spiritual from my mum and financial

from my dad, I expect these things, really.

Mustafa also mentions that students with different skills are lucky because “…they could

succeed more at doing something they are cut out for, rather than trying to do a job they

don’t’ understand…”. This comment gives an impression Mustafa may feel he cannot

achieve what his family expects of him and that might be the reason he has not yet shared his

plans with his parents.

These findings suggest that there is a chain of reaction between the occurrence of parental

involvement, self-esteem, L2 ideal self and L2 motivation. It also seems that an emerging

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pattern is recognizable, where a strong sense of self-esteem leads to strong interest in L2 and

L2 motivation while a lower degree of self-esteem may lead to lower interest in L2 and lower

L2 motivation. The level of self-esteem appears to be directly linked to the L2 ideal self,

because lower self-confidence indicated less clear aims as in Mustafa’s case:

“…something to do with technology, something like a computer engineer…”.

Self-esteem and L2 ideal self, they would either both strong or both weak (see figures 2, 3).

These results are in line with Arnold’s (1994) claims that increased parental involvement in

language learning generates higher self-esteem while less guidance can lead to a smaller

awareness of the student’s self. Lawrence (2006) described the self-image as a strong

motivator, claiming that when it is strong it gives way to a matching befitting behaviour

while if not developed extensively at home it may contribute to decrease motivation to

achieve.

Figure 2: effects of strong self-esteem Figure 3: effects of weak self-esteem

Another interesting result is the two student’s perception of the teacher’s role in L2

motivation. Both students tend to see the teacher as source of knowledge and not as primary

L2 motivator, Ahmet feels that it is the teacher’s responsibility to teach English effectively

“it’s very important because if a teacher can’t teach properly it becomes a problem, you

don’t understand the lessons and then that affects your life and changes it”.

Similarly Mustafa thinks that teacher’s support should involve primarily homework

“if my teacher showed me more interest I could understand the subject better…I expect a

good kind of support really, right behind me kind of thing…check if I do my homework…

explain the subject to me in a different way so that I’d understand better…”.

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It appears from the students’ comments that none of them thought the language teacher had a

direct involvement in their L2 motivation. That is quite surprising and it contradicts

Dörnyei’s and Ushioda’s (2103) views on the effect of teacher’s own motivation as a trigger

of student’s intrinsic motivation.

4.3 L2 Learning Experience

Both students played a role in an English language skit entitled “Nonsense Restaurant” (see

appendix D for the video and appendix E for the script) in seventh grade. During the course

of the interview some final questions were introduced to find out how they experienced

participating in the play and what it meant for them to take part in it. The data shows that

both students enjoyed the activity and felt that they had benefited from the language practice

skills, however the level of impact on their L2 motivation and the significance of the event

was completely different for the two interviewees.

Mustafa attached great meaning to the event, participation in the role play increased his self-

esteem, when asked what was it like for him to take part in it he answered:

“It was very good, I’d like to do it again, it feels really good to come out on stage, play a

role, it’s a great feeling. I was successful in everybody’s eyes, everyone loved the skit, that

made me happy, that encouraged me, to be able to make other people happy, that made me

happy too. I was the chef…they loved my part, when I entered the stage and started talking

they all clapped, it was a great feeling…”.

On other hand Ahmet enjoyed the skit as well but it seemed to have a completely different

meaning for him, when asked to comment on his personal experience of the play he replied:

“It was a nice experience, it was an opportunity to expand my skills, maybe I could have

become an actor, or a theatre actor but I am not thinking about that. It was just a fun activity

for me…I think they [audience] enjoyed it but people’s taste is different, so some people

might have liked it while some might have not”.

The difference in responses demonstrates the different level of impact the L2 learning

experience had on the students L2 motivation. In Ahmet’s case the participation in the skit

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was not significant although it constituted an opportunity for language practice, while for

Mustafa the role play meant to look successful in front of the audience and family therefore

assumed a much deeper significance. Mustafa’s simple memory of the skit even temporarily

rekindled his L2 motivation and enthusiasm towards English, detected by the tone in his

voice and his words:

“It also motivated me with English and other languages, also Turkish, .to do this kind of

thing again, if given the opportunity I would volunteer to do this again because it makes

things better for me”.

5. Conclusion and Pedagogical Implications

The findings of this study confirmed Dörnyei’s framework’s assumption that the ideal self is

an important motivator in order to achieve the idealized image. It also matched Higgin’s

discrepancy theory because the discrepancy between the actual self and ought-to self in

Mustafa’s case transpired some degree of anxiety.

Furthermore it emerged from the interviews that parental guidance has a strong effect on self-

esteem which in turns impacts vision and consequently L2 motivation (see figure 4),

therefore becoming the source of a chain of reaction. This confirms Coopersmiths’ and

Rubio’s (2007) and Fleetham’s (2006) findings that parental guidance is crucial to the pupil’s

self-esteem development.

Figure 4: Effects of parental involvement

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The findings are also in line with Dörnyei & Kubanyiova’s (2014) views that the ideal self

has a powerful effect on the learner’s effort to pursue his aspirations and hopes, where the

ought-to self may be more relevant in a context where family expectations are high. In

Mustafa’s case family’s outlooks are not openly declared but they transpire from his

comment that students should be able to do what they are interested in or cut out for and from

the fact that he hasn’t shared his aspirations with them.

In connection to Arnold’s (2007) and Fletham’s (2006) significance attributed to the learning

environment as influencing factor of learning motivation, this study concludes that although

not acknowledged through the students’ interviews, the teacher’s role as motivator could

become a powerful tool to enhance the students’ L2 motivation. Although it transpires from

the data analysis that family involvement has a primary effect on the students’ L2 motivation,

the language teacher could help building the students’ self-esteem by lending extra help and

showing extra interest.

Mustafa expressed the wish that the teacher would support his learning further in order to

improve his academic skills, however such an intervention would also enhance his self-

confidence, therefore aiding his lack of self-esteem. An improved academic performance

should help students see themselves in a better light, which would in turn strengthen their L2

ideal self and consequently their L2 motivation.

Limitations of this research could be that the research was restricted to two students while it

might have given more insight if extended to a bigger number of pupils. The interviews might

have been longer or have included more questions to capture the students’ experiences.

Another limitation is that due to limited focus of the study it is not feasible to generalize the

obtained results, it is only possible to capture a spot of light that revealed recurring patterns.

Nevertheless the description of different experiences in relation to the English language skit

gave a short insight into two completely different worlds of the students, one very clearly

defined while the other one still vague at this stage. It was interesting to see how diverse

perceptions shape alternative realities and different future visions.

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6. List of Appendices

Appendix A: Interview guide line

Appendix B: Interview 1 transcript

Appendix C: Interview 2 transcript

Appendix D: Script of the role-play

Appendix E: Video of the role play (if attachment is not too big to be uploaded)

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Appendix A

Interview guide line

What is it like to learn English for you, how does learning English make you feel?What do you imagine yourself doing in ten years’ time?What do you dream of achieving or who would you like to become when you grow up? Why?Did anyone or any event influence your vision about your future? Have you discussed your future plans with your parents, teacher, or anyone else? What did they say? Did they encourage you to pursue your goals or how did they advise you?How important do you think family and teacher support is in your learning of English?Which support or encouragement do you think is more essential?How do you think family or teachers could support you best?Are there any past events or talks that motivated you particularly in your studies?How important do you think it is to be encouraged or supported by your class mates?How important do you think your relationship with your classmates is and the way you are perceived in the class by your friends or by your teacher? Why?How do you think an English teacher should motivate the students to learn?What do you wish you could improve about your learning experience in English?What do you think would motivate a student further to learn English?In what way do you think exams motivate or hinder students in learning English?What would it be like in Turkey or in the world if English was not compulsory at school?What role do you think English will play in your future? How useful do you imagine English will be in achieving your goals or dream job?How important do you think it is to be successful in English for any student?How valuable do you feel it is to have different types of talents as students?What are you great at in school or in other fields?How important do you feel it is to learn English or any other foreign language in Turkey?Do you think your personal vision of the future motivates you to learn English?In what way could your knowledge of English help you in the future?When you grow up and have children, would you advise them to learn English or any other foreign language? Why?If your wishes could come true and you had three magic wishes, what would you like them to be?

What was it like to participate in the ‘Nonsense Restaurant’ short play?How do you feel about the role you played in the activity?How did this experience make you feel afterwards?How did playing your role in the activity affect your learning of English?How did this activity affect your motivation in learning English?How do you think the audience liked the play? How did that make you feel?What was special about the role you played?Do you think drama helps learning a foreign language? Why? How did it help you?What kind of a memory was the ‘Nonsense Restaurant” for you?

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Interview 1: Ahmet 22/11/2015

Well Ahmet thank you very much for accepting to participate in the interview. What kind of an experience was it for you to learn English, and what kind of feeling does it give you to study English?

Studying English makes me feel very happy, for example I'm thinking of studying medicine so for this reason if I could go abroad to America and organize programmes like Mehmet Ozge it would very useful for me I think.

God willing when are you thinking of going to America? When do you do envision yourself doing that in the future?

(0.6) For example after I have started my career or when I have reached the position of professor.

Which occupation do you dream about in particular?

I am set on medicine, I want to be a medical professor. I would study until I would get to that position, then go abroad.

That's a great idea, I hope you will do it, I believe you can. If you become a professor in which way do you think English will help you?

For example I dream of going to New York and work there, if I could achieve that, of course I would need English to communicate because nobody would understand Turkish over there!

You are thinking quite logical! Now you are in the last year of secondary school, where do you picture yourself in about ten years?

Ten years later: um (0.5) ten years later I picture myself in Ankara going to the medicine faculty of Hacettepe University

I really hope you can do that. How did you come to envision these dreams, did you share your ideas with someone or did anyone influence you in any way toward this direction?

I thought of all this all by myself, all along

That's impressive, have you ever shared your future decisions with a teacher, your parents, brother or sister or anyone else?

Yes, I have.

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And what did they tell you? Did they approve of it?

Yes (.) They liked it, they told me it is possible, it could happen.

How important is your family's and your teachers' support to you? With regards to your learning and in particular English learning.

um (.) how important is it (0.5) actually it's very important because if a teacher can't teach properly it becomes a problem, you don't understand the lessons and then that affects your life and changes it.

What kind of support do you expect from them and how important is it to you?

I don't expect that much support because it concerns my own decisions that I must make, I'm the one who has got to think about my plans, decisions.

What kind of encouragement, help, particular attentions do you need or expect from others?

How can I say (0.5) actually they ((my family)) encourage me, that's very good for me because it increases my self-confidence.

How do they encourage you?

How? Well for example when I face a difficult task they tell me I can do it, I can be successful and that gives me hope.

Does just your family encourage you or do your teachers do that too?

Both my family and teachers.

Who do you think should help you or support you the most with your lessons, your teachers or your family?

I expect a lot more help from teachers in terms of homework.

What about in terms of motivation?

From teachers I expect practical support with school work, while from my family I expect encouragement that I can succeed.

Do you expect your family to believe in you?

(( he nods ))

Is there any past event or incident in particular that motivated you to learn English or encouraged your learning in general ?

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Not really my own thoughts motivated me.

Is there anything you would like to improve about your English?

I could go to extra courses to improve my English, I would like to improve my speaking access a wider range of material to expand my knowledge, there are all sorts of materials available to excel, I could apply myself to more practice and learning in the future.

How important is it to be successful in English in your opinion?

It's important because eventually it will become an integrative part of your life. For example if one wanted to get a job with a company they will require him to speak English so his English needs to be very good, it's very important to develop your skills.

Let's imagine there were no compulsory English lessons in turkey, what would it be like?

If there weren't any English lessons at school it wouldn't be a problem for me, I would still strive to learn it anyway, and even other foreign languages.

For example what other languages would you have learned?

For example French (.) After English French is one of the most used languages, I would like to learn French.

How important do you think it is for students to possess different kinds of talents, how valuable is it to be talented as a student or to possess different skills ?

((without hesitating)) It's a good thing to possess different kinds of talents, because you can be different, inventive, unique and if you develop different skills for example you can be an artist, a musician, a sculpturing, a painter, you can change yourself and achieve new goals.

Does your dream of becoming a professor encourage you to study English?

Does it motivate me (0.4) um (.) It does, oh yes, it does.

Why?

Because I must realize my dreams, if I didn't realize them I would face disappointment, for this reason I must work even harder, I must be successful.

One day you will marry, become a father, would you then encourage your own children to learn English?

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Yes of course, actually these things start at birth. For example while their mother will speak Turkish with them I will speak English, so slowly slowly the children can learn English then later I will direct them to learn other languages.

Very nıce. If you could make three magic wishes come true, what would they be?

Um..(.) Have a good career, have a good life, and that all other people would have a good life too.

That's very thoughtful Ahmet. Well do you remember the small role play 'nonsense restaurant'?

Yes

What was it like for you join such an activity?

It was a nice experience, it was an opportunity to expand my skills, maybe I could have become an actor, or a theatre actor, but I am not thinking about that

How did playing a role in the skit impact your learning of English?

Yeah, it was beneficial

Why?

Because if a do a good job at speaking English in my role that helps me enhance my speaking skills and that's an advantage for me

Do you remember which role you played?

The cannibal

Was it fun? What was it like for you?

It was fun

How did the role impact your language learning, did it change anything for you?

It was just a fun activity for me.

How do you think the audience felt about the play?

I think they enjoyed it but people’s taste is different, so some people might have liked it while some might have not.

Of course! Well thank you very much Ahmet, we are finished with the questions.

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Interview 2: Mustafa 24/11/2015

Hello Mustafa how are you?

Fine thanks teacher.

Thank you for accepting to take part in the interview Mustafa. Now I am going to ask you a few questions. What’s it like for you to learn English, what kind of experience is it for you?

It’s a nice feeling teacher, to speak in English, to learn to speak in English, a language from a foreign country, it’s a very nice feeling.

Where do you see yourself in ten years’ time? Where would you be, what you be doing?

Myself, where would I stand (0.7) I would see myself as a computer engineer.

Where, for example?

Could be abroad.

That’s nice, where abroad would you think?

((silence))

Let’s imagine it together.

Um (0.7) ((sighs)).

In an English speaking country or somewhere like Brazil, or <another place>

I an English speaking country teacher, somewhere like England.

What are your big dreams, who or what would you like to become when you grow up?

Teacher when I grow up I’d like to have something to do with technology, something like a computer engineer, how shall I say …

OK computer engineering [technology]

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[Something like] computer engineering.

Are you very talented with computers?

Oh, YES ((laughs))

Have you discussed your dreams with your parents, teacher or anyone else?

What about?

Your plans, your dreams. I’ll deal with technology, I’ll become a computer engineer, did you share them with your father or your mother or a teacher?

((silence))

If so, what did they say?

(.) Well for example my sister says I can do it, deal with computers or phones, that’s a good thing for you she says.

What about your mother and father, do they know too, what do they say?

No, they don’t know yet.

OK, they don’t know ((laugh)) what about your teachers, did you mention it to them?

Pardon me, teacher?

Have you shared your plans with any teacher?

No, I haven’t shared it [yet]

[You didn’t] share, so you shared with your sister, that’s nice. How important to you is your parents, sister or teacher’s support for you in learning English?

It’s very important teacher, my family’s support is an important thing, a good thing.

For example what kind of support do you expect from your parents?

Practical, spiritual, all kinds of support. Spiritual from my mum and financial from my dad, I expect these things, really.

When you study English at home, who helps you the most?

My big sister.

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That’s nice, how old is she?

My sister, (.) now is (.) one minute ((silence, long pause, maybe left to find his sister))

Nineteen, twenty?

((silence))

Hello teacher, my elder sister is twenty-two years old, I’ve learned it exactly, she went to ( ) [she studied English]

[I didn’t understand] pardon me, what school did she go to?

She studied to be a plane hostess.

Oh (.) that’s different, very nice. Did she finish her training?

Yes, she finished, she’s waiting to find a job in Kayseri.

Can she speak English well?

Um, little little ((laughs)).

Little bit ((laughs)) Well what kind of support do you expect from your English teacher?

Excuse me teacher, from the teacher?

Yes, from your English teacher, what kind of support do you expect for your English studies?

Um (0.3) I expect a good kind of support, really, right behind me kind of thing.

What should she do for you? Encourage you, help you, give you extra work, follow up on you, what kind of [support]

[to follow up] on me, help me, that’s a good thing because if she helps me things get better for me.

Which encouragement or support do you feel you need the most, your family or teacher?

My family’s support is important, but actually if my teacher showed me more interest I could understand the subject better, but family’s support is important too.

What about your classmates, do you expect any support from them with English?

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from them.

OK but do you like studying with your classmates or do you prefer studying independently?

I prefer studying with them because when I don’t understand something they can help me, be good friends to me.

What exactly do you expect from your teacher?

She could be right behind me, check if I do my homework, she could explain the subject to me in a different way so that I’d understand better, she could translate the meaning for me, if she did those kind of things it would be good for example.

Um (0.3)

( ) it becomes an excuse at school, learn the translation, learn the pronunciation ( )

Yes, all right, what kind of role do you think English will play for you in the future? Will you use it, how?

In Turkey they usually ask for English, for foreign languages, foreign languages play a big role, to find a job, to carry out a job, English plays a big role.

Will you need English for your computer engineering?

Aha, yes, (.) I will, Yeah I think I will.

So do you need English to realize your dreams?

Yes, it’s needed.

It’s needed yes, God willing. Well do you think it’s important for every student to be successful in English?

Yeah, I think it’s an important thing because in the future when he’ll work he’ll need English, not just Turkish. For example on the phone, on the computer, now they write everything in English, they write little in Turkish. For example if someone knows English and Turkish he can handle both jobs, that’s better.

You’re right. Do you think it is a good thing that everyone has different talents or do you think all students should possess the same skills?

It’s better that people have different skills, for example a child is more interested in drawing pictures, so he can deal with that kind of things, its better that everyone has different talents.

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Why is it better?

Because this way people can find work more easily, because they could succeed more at doing something they are cut out for rather than trying to do a job they don’t understand, so it is better that people do a job they feel interested in.

That’s very good thinking. Do you think it is important for Turkish people to learn English or another foreign language?

Yes it is, because if you learn English well that’s better for you. Actually if one knows other foreign languages as well, he will start speaking Turkish better too.

Why?

For example by understanding this comes here, this goes there one develops a better understanding of grammar.

Mmh (.) interesting. Do your dreams, plans, push you to study harder or in particular to study English?

((laughs)) in all honesty it doesn’t, but if I thought about it, it would.

((laughs)) so it doesn’t inspire you but when you remember it, then it does something for you! ((laughs))

Truly studying English doesn’t come from within me, but if I think about it, it slowly slowly grows on me.

Thinking about it makes it more logical, yeah. Do you imagine one day when married with children, you would encourage your kids to learn English?

Of course I would, for example if I had money I’d send them to a private school. Let’s say they would go to Imam Hatip school, I’d try to sign them up for private tuition, if I could afford it. I would like them to be good in English of course.

What would you advise them to do when it comes to English?

I’d tell them in the future it will be good for them, they will need English, ten or fifteen years later English will be even more important. Who knows technology will be even more advanced, English will be necessary to find work because English will be most required.

OK dear if you had three magic wishes, what would they be?

I didn’t get it.

Let’s imagine there was a magician, and he’d tell he would grant you three wishes which they would become true, what would you choose?

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Three wishes? I am sorry I don’t understand.

If you could wish for three things that would come true, what would you wish for?

Um (.) what could it be (0.5) um (.) what could it be (0.5) to do well in my exams, to become a big businessman in the future like a trader.

And then?

To earn a lot of money in the future, be a good person and be respected by everybody.

To have a good reputation with everyone?

YES

Very nice (0.2) Now do you remember the role play ‘Nonsense restaurant’?

Yes

What was it like for you to take part in it? What kind of experience was it?

It was very good, I’d like to do it again, I’d really like to do it again, it feels really good to come out on stage, play a role, it’s a great feeling.

Why did you enjoy it, what did it mean for you? Did it change anything for you?

I was successful in everybody’s eyes, everyone loved the skit, that made me happy, that encouraged me, to be able to make other people happy, that made me happy too.

How did this experience influence the way you feel about English? Did it enrich you in any way?

I learned new words in English, one minute teacher (0.10) ((clunking noise suggests he is back))

Anything else?

It also helped me to use words better within a sentence, and understand the practical use of the sentences I have learned.

Do you remember which role you played?

Excuse me?

Which part did you play in the skit?

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I was the chef!

How do you think the audience liked your role?

They loved my part, when I entered the stage and started talking they all clapped, it was a great feeling.

I wonder if playing the role increased your self-confidence in English a little bit?

Yes, it increased it a lot. It also motivated me with English and other languages, also Turkish, to do this kind of thing again, if given the opportunity I would volunteer to do this again because it makes things better for me.

I hope you will. It was very nice. Do you think that role playing helps learning languages?

I think it is better to do it in a foreign language rather than Turkish because it improves the speaking.

So it was a good memory.

Yes, a good memory and thanks to technology they could film it, a nice video came out of it, for me that was a very nice memory to keep.

For me too. Thank you so much for participating in the interview.

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Appendix D

NONSENSE Fast Food Restaurant

The waiters rollerskate around to prepare the tables, they sing funny things while doing this.(Two customers come in)WAİTER 1: Welcome to Nonsense Fast FoodWAİTER 2: Would you like a table?CUSTOMERS: Yes pleaseWAİTER 1: (hands them a table)WAİTER 2: You fool, they want to sit down!(The customers sit down)WAİTER 1: (brings a menu)WAİTER 2: What would you like to eat?CUSTOMER 1: I don’t know, let’s have a look at the menuCUSTOMER 2: What a nice place.CUSTOMER 3: Yes, yes it’s really nice.WAİTER 1: (Brings an empty jar and two glasses, fakes pouring)CUSTOMER 1: (picks up a glass, says): ‘What is this, the glass is empty!’WAİTER 1: You didn’t say what you wanted to drink!CUSTOMER 2: Bring us some orange juice, please!WAİTER 2: The orange juice is finished madam!CUSTOMER 3: Brings us some lemonade then!WAİTER 1: The lemonade is finished too, madamCUSTOMER 1: What do you have to drink then?WAİTER 2: 2: Nothing madam!WAİTER 1: But you can eat some food!WAİTER 2: Yes, we have got plenty of food!CUSTOMER 2: What’s the special for today?WAİTER 1: Let’s ask the chef!(Enter the chef)CHEF: Welcome to Nonsense!CUSTOMER 1: Yes, yes, but what’s the special today?CHEF: Grilled meat with vegetables

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CUSTOMER 2: OK, three grilled meat and vegetables thenCHEF: Coming up! (He leaves with waiters)CUSTOMER 1: Uff this restaurant is very slow, where is our food?CUSTOMER 2: Yes, I am very hungry, what a nonsense fast food restaurant!(Enter the cow, the waiters skate around trying to catch the cow but they hit the tables and the cow escapes after going around)(The chef comes out with a gun) CHEF: Where is the meat gone! You fools, I still have to kill it, skin it and grill it for the customers! (Enter the policeman with the cow, holding it by the horns)POLICEMAN: I found this cow parked in front of the restaurant, in a no parking zone, whose cow is it?WAİTER 2: It’s theirs (pointing to the customers)POLICEMAN: You are under arrest! Follow me! (Takes them all away)WAİTER 1: Here comes another customer!CUSTOMER 4: Hello there! (cannibal one)CUSTOMER 5: Hello Sir! (cannibal two)CHEF: Welcome to NonsenseWAİTER 2: Sit down please!WAİTER 1: What would you like to eat?CHEF: Our special today is chicken kebabCUSTOMER 4: Sounds great. We will have it.CHEF: Waiters! Go get the chicken!(Enter the chicken) CHİCKEN: Help, I don’t want to be eaten!WAİTER 2: Nonsense! Come here!CUSTOMER 4: Gets up holding fork and knife, ‘I know what do to! yummy, yummy, I ate a crocodile yesterday! ’CUSTOMER 5: You will not escape me, juicy chicken! No need for grilling we will eat you alive!(The chicken screams and faints, customer 4&5 drag it away laughing and exit)CHEF: What crazy customers! (sits down)CHEF: Now I am really hungry. Waiters, quick, bring me the cat sandwiches!(the waiters bring him the miaowing cat sandwiches)(enter cannibals again)CUSTOMER 5: Chef, the chicken ran away!CUSTOMER 4: Yes, give us the chicken kebab, you fool!CHEF: Take it! (tosses the sandwiches to them, cannibals gobble the sandwiches)

(Chef shoots the customers with a machine gun)CHEF: What maniacs!

Curtain closes

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