Motivational profiles of Chinese university students majoring in Spanish: a comparative study

Motivation to learn languages other than English (LOTEs) has been underrepresented in second language (L2) motivation research. This study investigated and compared the motivational profiles of first-year and second-year students majoring in Spanish, grounded on the proposition of bifurcating ideal and ought selves into Own and Other standpoints, and the importance of learning experience. The data were first collected using Q methodology from 27 freshmen and 20 sophomores at a university in China, followed by interviews with 10 students. The findings showed three motivational profiles in the first-year group (self-imposed with instrumental goals, self-motivated with intrinsic interests, other-informed and malleable to context) and two in the second-year group (self-motivated with embryonic ideal self-images, ought-self oriented with unsatisfactory classroom experience). These different motivational profiles were found to be associated with two main factors: classroom experience and exposure to Spanish use in digital contexts. The current findings underscored the importance of role modelling and positive classroom learning experience for beginning learners in LOTE degree programmes, and the promising potential of exposing learners to LOTE use in digital contexts.