Department of World Languages Education

This study is an examination of language learning motivation and multilingual status in the Turkish English as a foreign language (EFL) context. Using Dörnyei’s L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) framework, specifically the ideal and ought-to L2 selves, this study examines the relationship between motivation and two operationalizations of multilingualism: (1) any experience with a third language and (2) Perceived Positive Language Interaction (PPLI). Using an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and one-way ANOVAs with the data from 159 EFL learners in Turkey, the results indicate that there is a significant group effect for multilingual status for both operationalizations of multilingualism with the ideal L2 self; however, no significant difference was found between the groups with the ought-to L2 self. There is also a discussion about the importance of performing EFAs with questionnaire data in a variety of contexts, as well as further insights regarding the operationalization of the PPLI construct. As the L2MSS has not yet been investigated in the Turkish context, the results of this study help to further elucidate Turkish EFL students’ language learning motivation to add to the growing body of literature on the multifaceted and dynamic nature of motivation in the field of second language acquisition.

This study offers cross-cultural validity of motivational strategies, as well as reliability and validity measures of an adapted questionnaire in a new context. Foreign/second language (L2) learning motivation has long been demonstrated to have a substantial impact on second language acquisition; L2 teachers play a major role in learner motivation with their use of motivational strategies in classes (

Previous research studies show that there is a negative portrayal of Islam and Muslims in the United States of America among many other countries, some of which approach how the media in the United States contributes to this negative representation and leads to prejudice against Muslims, especially after the attacks of September 11, 2001. Using the COCA corpus, a corpus-assisted analysis is conducted in this study to investigate the portrayal of Muslims in different contexts compared to Christians and Jews in contemporary American English from 1990 to 2017, as well as the role of media in associating negative attributes to Muslims. By examining collocations, the findings demonstrate that Muslims are highly associated with negative portrayals compared to Christians or Jews and that the media contributes considerably to portraying Muslims negatively in various contexts.