Self-regulatory strategies of foreign language learners

Motivation plays an important role in foreign language (FL) learning outcomes, academic performance, and student persistence in language study. Success depends not only on learners possessing motivation from within; they must also see themselves as agents of processes shaping their motivation. Taking an activity theory perspective, this study traces the development of self-regulatory strategies (Dörnyei 2001), i.e motivation maintenance strategies, goal-setting strategies, and language-learning strategies of three U.S. college students of French over several years, including a six-week sojourn in France. Findings point to the value of reflective narrative data as a tool to support FL learners’ self regulation and to the need for new forms of motivational scaffolding to assist students both in and out of the classroom.