Effort and Autonomy in Foreign Language Learning: L2 Motivation and Instructed Second Language Acquisition

L2 motivation research has traditionally been very popular in Hungary and the aim of this presentation is to summarize some recent empirical results in this context (Csizér, 2020; Csizéret al., in preparation). My focus is on a nationwide study that investigated the role of several individual difference variables in concert (Ryan, 2019). The selection of the ID variables was motivated by both their general importance in the learning process (L2 motivation) and their specific importance in the Hungarian educational system (learner autonomy). Moreover, it was aimed to map a range of emotions that students experience in connection with their English classes and shed light on their self-efficacy beliefs. A standardized questionnaire was distributed among secondary school students learning English in Hungary (N = 1,129) and semi-structured interviews were carried out with their teachers (N = 32). Based on the results, students’ and teachers’ views are in synch in terms of the importance of internal motivation and autonomous learning behavior, but data are discrepant when it comes to the roots of low motivation, demotivation, and lack of autonomy. Furthermore, emotions and also self-efficacy beliefs emerged as significant predictors of both motivation and autonomy in the quantitative analyses, and these findings could be confirmed by qualitative data. In addition, there are clear differences in students’ dispositions towards classroom learning and language use outside the classroom, while teachers also underline the importance of learning and using foreign languages outside the classroom. In the final part of my presentation, I will discuss pedagogical and research implications including teaching strategies to increase students’ motivation and autonomy as well as novel ways to investigate the interrelationships of these variables. Finally, concerns for teacher education will also be touched upon.