The L2 Motivational Self System and L2 Achievement: A Study of Saudi EFL Learners

The research reported in this article explores the relationship between Dörnyei's (2005, 2009) Second Language Motivational Self System (L2MSS) and the L2 proficiency level of Saudi learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). Male and female participants ( N = 360) responded to a questionnaire relating to the main components of L2MSS, the ideal L2 self, the ought‐to L2 self, and the L2 learning experience, as well as learners’ intended learning efforts. The participants’ L2 proficiency was then measured with an EFL reading and writing test. Descriptive and inferential analyses of the collected data revealed—as expected—that the components of the L2MSS were a good predictor of the learners’ intended learning efforts. However, the study also established that in this learner population these components were not consistently correlated with L2 achievement. The findings can be treated as evidence that self‐reported motivation does not always have behavioral consequences.