Language-indexed affective-motivational profiles of Japanese major undergraduates: a Q methodology study
Research on emotions in second-language learning has typically treated affect as a global learner trait and has rarely examined how affective experience is systematically shaped by specific structural and sociopragmatic features of the target language. This study addresses that gap by investig...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en |
| Published: |
Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
2025
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/26601/1/Gema%20Online_25_4_9.pdf http://journalarticle.ukm.my/26601/ https://ejournal.ukm.my/gema/issue/view/1866 |
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| Summary: | Research on emotions in second-language learning has typically treated affect as a global learner
trait and has rarely examined how affective experience is systematically shaped by specific
structural and sociopragmatic features of the target language. This study addresses that gap by
investigating how affective-motivational configurations in Japanese learning are indexed to
distinct linguistic loci: orthographic processing, lexical deployment, clause-level comprehension,
and sociopragmatic calibration. Using Q methodology, thirty-three undergraduates majoring in
Japanese rank-ordered 45 self-referential statements about concrete linguistic encounters and
motivational-evaluative appraisals on a forced quasi-normal distribution. Data were analysed
using by-person centroid extraction with varimax rotation and triangulated with post-sort
justifications, whereas follow-up interviews were conducted to corroborate interpretations. The
analysis reconstructed three structurally independent profiles that together explain 39% of the
study-sample variance across three factors. Factor 1 is a Mastery-Oriented Intrinsic Engagement,
characterized by translation-free comprehension and orthographic consolidation with minimal
social anxiety; Factor 2 is an Affective Overload and Motivational Depletion, marked by linguistic
overwhelm under evaluative pressure and depleted persistence; and Factor 3 is a Resilient
Persistence with Sociopragmatic Anxiety, exhibiting sustained motivation despite public speaking
stress. The findings show how appraisals of control and value are configured around learners'
phenomenological encounters with Japanese linguistic features, not only general learning
conditions. Overall, the patterns indicate that emotions and motivation in this sample vary with the
particular linguistic features engaged rather than reflecting a single global disposition. |
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