Resumen de English Majors’ Self-Regulatory Control Strategy Use in Academic Writing and its Relation to L2 Motivation
Apart from L2 motivation, self-regulation is also increasingly seen as a key variable in L2 learning in many foreign language learning contexts because classroom-centered instructive language teaching might not be able to provide sufficient input for students. Therefore, taking responsibility and regulating the learning processes and positive motivational dispositions are needed for successful achievement. The aim of this article is first to describe English majors’ self-regulatory control strategy use by creating students’ profiles concerning these variables. The second aim of the study is to investigate the relationship of control strategy use, motivational dispositions, and anxiety/self-efficacy beliefs in a context where academic writing is being taught. To achieve these aims, a standardized paper and pencil questionnaire was designed to collect data on students’ control strategies and their dispositions toward L2 motivation as well as their writing anxiety and self-efficacy beliefs. Our sample consisted of 222 first-year English majors at a large Hungarian university located in Budapest. Based on descriptive, correlational, and cluster analytical procedures, our main results indicate that despite the fact that English majors are motivated to enhance their abilities in professional writing, only a third of them seem to possess the ability and willingness to control their writing processes despite the fact that self-regulatory strategy use is linked to an increased level of motivation and self-efficacy and to a decreased level of writing anxiety.
