the relationship between l2 motivational self-system and willingness to communicate: the mediating effect of l2 anxiety in the chinese efl context

The current study used structural equation modeling (sem) as a statistical technique to test a hypothesized mediating model to uncover the underlying relationship between the l2 motivational self-system, l2 anxiety, and l2 willingness to communicate (l2 wtc). this study is significant because it considers the unique experiences of english as a foreign language (efl) learner in the era of globalization by incorporating the l2 motivational self-system. the mediating effect of l2 anxiety was also accounted for, providing a deeper understanding of how emotional factors influence l2 wtc. the data were collected through a questionnaire administered to 260 students at six public universities in china. the results showed that (a) two subcomponents of the l2 motivational self-system (ideal l2 self and l2 learning experience) were positive predictors to l2 wtc; (b) the higher the degree to which learners were motivated by their ought-to l2 self, the higher the anxiety of english learning; and (c) l2 anxiety had a suppressing effect between the l2 motivational self-system and l2 wtc. specifically, l2 anxiety weakens the direct positive effect of the l2 motivational self-system on l2 wtc, leading to a decrease in l2 wtc. pedagogical implications and future research directions were also addressed.