The motivation to learn English as a foreign language held by students of the bachelor´s degree in Commercial Systems.

Abstract

This thesis attempts to explore non-English major students’ motivation to learn English as a foreign language in Mexico through an interpretation guided by the theoretical framework of the L2 Motivational Self System. There were two specific aims guiding this research; firstly, to explain the factors which influence the students’ motivation and to understand the motivational similarities and differences among students from various semesters. This study was carried out in a Southeastern university in Mexico and it followed a qualitative case study design. The data was collected from two sets of semi structured interviews with six students from the Commercial Systems major. The main findings indicate that the learners’ motivation is a reflection of how they see themselves as professionals who speak English in their future occupations, and the participants’ past English learning experiences were found to be a source of motivation and a means of maintaining it. Moreover, the participants’ future L2 self visualizations are likely to not possess a strong motivational force because these visualizations do not meet the established conditions for the motivational power of visions. It was found that their low motivational force may be related to the degree of clarity of their future L2 self visualizations which is dependent on the level of development of their ideal professional self.