Self-regulated learning (SRL), which follows a cyclical process of forethought, performance, and self-reflection, is activated by self-motivation beliefs (Zimmerman & Schunk, 2008). Of the self-motivation beliefs, the importance of value to self-regulated L2 learning has not been fully examined. No matter how much self-efficacy is present, if no value is found in the targeted learning, SRL strategies will not be activated.
To explore the role of value in self-regulated L2 learning, this study will adopt the framework of expectancy–value theory. According to this theory, motivation is the result of the multiplication of expectations and four values: achievement, interest, utility, and cost. Cost negatively influences learning and may be key to whether self-regulated L2 learning is achieved. However, the relationship between cost and SRL has rarely been examined in language learning research. Furthermore, the proposed study will add the perspectives of task-endogenous (e.g., social desirability) and task-exogenous (e.g., reward and ego) values (Kage, 2013), so as not to exclude aspects of value that have not been accounted for in expectancy–value theory. Through qualitative narrative research, this study will identify learner value forms multifacetedly and clarify their relationships to SRL strategies.
The study will be conducted during the fall semester of 2022. Approximately 15 first- and second-year Japanese undergraduates will be recruited. Semi-structured interviews and role-plays will be used to collect data, with two sessions scheduled for each participant. The first session will collect data on the participant's past language learning autobiography and current English language learning as a university student. It will also focus on expectations and values, asking questions about the following: what expectations the participants have of L2 learning (expectancy); what is important in L2 learning and why they have come to value it (value); and what prevents them from learning L2 and what they do not find meaningful in learning (cost). The second session will consist of role-playing and confirming the researcher's interpretation of the obtained data. The role-plays will involve four English learning situations (i.e., homework, in-class assignment, private exam preparation, and personal growth) in which participants will be asked to demonstrate how they would plan and perform while learning English.
These data will be evaluated using qualitative inductive thematic analysis to explore how the characteristics of positive and negative values in learning converge, and how the relationship between values and expectations influences self-regulated L2 learning. This will allow for a comprehensive understanding of the value of English language learning and provide a new perspective on the antecedents of SRL.
References
Kage, M. (2013). Gakushu iyoku no riron: doukizuke no kyouikushinrigaku [Theory of willingness to learn: Educational psychology of motivation]. Kanekoshobo.
Zimmerman, B. J., & Schunk, D. H. (2008). An essential dimension of self-regulated learning. In D. H. Schunk, & B. J. Zimmerman (Eds.), Motivation and self-regulated learning: Theory, research, and applications, (pp. 1–30). Routledge.
