GRADUATE ENGLISH LEARNERS’ POSSIBLE SELVES: THE CASE OF THE ERSTWHILE FATA REGION
Keywords:
English as a Global Language, Intended Efforts, Possible Selves TheoryAbstract
This paper attempted to pursue the connection amid the conceivable selves of graduate English learners and their English language learning in the previous Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). In particular, it sought to establish the role of possible selves in motivation and interest in language learning, and to identify the advantages of knowing about possible selves in this respect in terms of graduate students. The design of the study was the quantitative research design that was based on the Possible Selves Questionnaire (PSQ) which was a modified version of Markus and Nurius. A convenience sample of 300 graduate level learners of English at FATA University led to the gathering of data. The questionnaire was designed using Likert-scale items and was conducted within the Department of English at FATA University to answer the question on the hoped-to, expected, and feared selves of students with regards to the English proficiency. The analysis was performed with the help of R software, and the descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to examine the trends in motivation, self-efficacy, and perceived barriers. The findings showed that there was a close relationship between the potential selves of students and their dedication to the English language learning. There were high scores on motivation, self-efficacy and optimism about future English proficiency. Outside support of peers, teachers, and family was also important in strengthening positive possible selves. The results also indicated the perceived significance of the English proficiency in career development and personal satisfaction among graduate students. The future research needs to take into account longitudinal designs that will be able to observe how the possible selves and the result of language learning change over the course of time.
Downloads
References
Bargh, J. A., Gollwitzer, P. M., Lee-Chai, A., Barndollar, K., &Trötschel, R. (2001). The automated will: nonconscious activation and pursuit of behavioral goals. Journal of personality and social psychology, 81(6), 1014.
Boldero, J., & Francis, J. (2002). Goals, standards, and the self: Reference values serving different functions. Personality and Social Psychology Review. 6(1). 232- 241.
Carroll, P. J., Shepperd, J. A., &Arkin, R. M. (2009). Downward self-revision. Social Cognition. 27 (3). 523-551.
Dörnyei, Z. (2005). The psychology of the language learner: individual differences in second language acquisition. Published by Routledge.
Dörnyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics: Quantitative, qualitative and mixed methodologies. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Dörnyei, Z. (2009). The L2 Motivational Self System. In: DÖRNYEI, Z. & USHIODA, E. (eds.) Motivation, Language Identity and the L2 Self. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Hadfield, J., & Dörnyei, Z. (2013). Motivating Learning. Routledge.
Higgins, E. T. (1987). Self-Discrepancy: A Theory Relating Self and Affect. Psychological Review. 94 (3). 319-340.
Higgins, E. T., Bond, R. N., Klein, R., &Strauman, T. (1986). Self-discrepancies and emotional vulnerability: How magnitude, accessibility, and type of discrepancy influence affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 51(1). 5-15.
Hoyle, R. H., & Sherrill, M. R. (2006). Future Orientation in the Self-System: Possible Selves, Self-Regulation, and Behavior. Journal of Personality, 74(6), 1673–1696. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2006.00424.x
Markus, H. &Nurius, P. (1986). Possible Selves. American Psychologist. 41. 954-969. Retrieved on October 25, 2020, Retrieved from; https://cmapspublic2.ihmc.us/rid=1LQJK1Z9J-16LFNTG39MK/Possible%20Selves%20ARTICLE.pdf.
Markus, H., &Wurf, E. (1987). The dynamic self-concept: A social psychological Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (pp. 9-42). Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Markus, H., &Wurf, E. (1987). The dynamic self-concept: A social psychological Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (pp. 9-42). Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Oyserman, D., Bybee, D., & Terry, K. (2006). Possible selves and academic outcomes: How and when possible selves impel action. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 91(1).188-204. Personality and Social Psychology.
Oyserman, D., Bybee, D., & Terry, K. (2006). Possible selves and academic outcomes: How and when possible selves impel action. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91(1), 188-204.
Segal, H. G., DeMeis, D. K., Wood, G. A., & Smith, H. L. (2001). Assessing future possible selves by gender and socioeconomic status using the anticipated life history measure. Journal of Personality. 61(1). 57–87.
Ushioda, E., & Dörnyei, Z. (2012). Motivation. In S. Gass & A. Mackey (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition (pp. 396-409). Routledge.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Sheema Dawood , Dr. Muhammad Imran, Dr Bilal khan (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
