Motivations to Learn Languages Other Than English in an English-Forward and Technologically Advanced Society

With foreign language learning on a decline in the U.S., there is a need for research into the motivations of foreign language learning in order for individuals to have access to the benefits of language learning. Operating under Zoltan Dörnyei’s 2005 L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) framework, an investigation of the relationships between prior contact to the L2, future intentions with the L2, perceptions of English as the global lingua franca and utility of modern language technology was performed to develop a motivation questionnaire to be administered to undergraduate students at an American university. The questionnaire can be used to collect motivational data with the intention of developing more efficient second language programs and courses.