Investigating L2 motivation self-system theory for learning English as a foreign language among Saudi cadets

Second language acquisition remains an important issue for students across the globe. Equally, motivation for second language learning remains an essential requirement in acquiring a target language. According to Dörnyei (1998:117): ''Without sufficient motivation, even individuals with the most remarkable abilities cannot accomplish long-term goals, and neither are appropriate curricula and good teaching enough on their own to ensure student achievement”. The vast majority of scholars believe that L2 (Second Language) motivation has a formidable role in supporting second language learners’ achievements in the target language (Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2009; Gardner & Lambert, 1959). Consequently, a substantial amount of research has been conducted in the study of motivation in second or foreign language learning. The purposes of conducting our research is to primarily identify the role of motivation and other factors in foreign language learning within a Saudi Arabian education context. In addition, this study examines the importance of a defined L2 motivation self-system theory in the same environment. A mixed method approach was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data within a Saudi military academic school. The first step was to conduct a pilot study with questionnaires for 30 EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students from this school. The second step was to administer a questionnaire to 210 EFL cadets. The final step of the research involved individual in-depth interviews with five EFL students to further explore issues and factors relating to their L2 motivation. The results of the present study indicate that there are three scales that are important in this research. These are: the Ideal L2 self, the Ought-to L2 self and, finally, the various learning experiences. It was also found that the tool used in the Ideal L2 self is influenced by “prevention” (demotivating factors), and also the scale of the Ought-to L2 self is affected by the “promotion” scale (motivating factors) while learning is itself influenced by prevention and promotion. These are similar to the findings reported by Dörnyei (2009). However, and significantly, we conclude that promotion and prevention cannot be separated from each other, which is contrary to Dörnyei’s (2009) own claims. Our analysis shows that when promotion and prevention are separated from each other, their effect is weak on the Ought-to L2 self. We also explore the question that Saudi military discipline and military affiliation may be two of the most important factors in military students' quest to learn English as a second language. Whilst the three important scales of Ideal L2 self, Ought-to L2 self and learning experiences are investigated, a demonstration of how the tool used in Ideal L2 is influenced by prevention, and how the scale of the Ought-to L2 self is affected by the promotion scale are presented. In addition, we investigate how learning is influenced by both prevention and promotion. The research concludes that promotion and prevention factors cannot be separated from each other and suggests a number of recommendations for further research in this domain.