Motivational dynamics in learning English in Second Life

Abstract In countries in which opportunities to use a foreign language are mostly limited to the language classroom, teachers and students need to seek occasions to practice it. Luckily for them, virtual worlds provide many ways of practicing the language they study and communicate with many target language speakers. This paper reports a study that investigated changes in motivational dynamics and factors contributing to changes in the levels of motivation as reported by two advanced learners of English. They were asked to use the virtual world Second Life after classes and practice English. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data revealed changes in intensity of motivation and several factors responsible for them. On that basis, some guidelines for increasing motivation in the context of virtual worlds are offered.