Real-time assessment of motivation in second-language acquisition

Vivid mental images of oneself as a competent language speaker are increasingly seen as key in sustaining a person's motivation for learning a second language (Dörnyei & Kubanyiova, 2014). However, empirical evidence of the role of such self-images is based primarily on self-report measures such as questionnaires and interviews. Existing studies rely on participants' recall ability, and are vulnerable to frame-of-reference and social-desirability biases (Beegle, Himelein, & Ravallion, 2012; King & Bruner, 2000).

The current study will, for the first time, use experimental tools to measure the role of self-images in language learning more directly and objectively. In particular, the project will investigate:
1) Which experimental procedures in language-psychology research are best suited to investigate the role of self-images in language-learning motivation?
2) How powerful is the motivational impact of self-images in language learning?