Abstract

Multilingual education, which aims at equipping individuals with more than one language, is gaining popularity in China. Yet though multilingual competence seems to be significant in a globalized world, learners’ motivations towards learning a L3 can be complicated, which in turn significantly influence learners’ L3 achievements. Therefore, this study is designed to investigate Chinese undergraduates’ motivations in learning a L3 with the hope to shed both theoretical and pedagogical insights on L3 education. In today’s talk, I will first briefly review existing studies in terms of language learning motivation with the aim to argue that more attention should be paid to the dynamics and complexity of motivation. Subsequently, I will justify the rationale for the adoption of the identity perceptive as a framework for the present study and research questions will be put forward. Lastly, the initial design of this study will be discussed. Questions and suggestions are warmly welcome!