Khusnul Khotimah

Deisyi Anna Batunan

Utami Widiati

ABSTRACT

The massive shift to online learning due to the COVID-19 outbreak has opened wider possibilities of telecollaboration among English learners through global online communities. Responding to the limited empirical evidence on what drives these learners to learn beyond their geographical boundaries, this phenomenological case study intends to delve into the English learners’ motivational self-system in a global-speaking online community (GSOC). Recruiting six learners from different countries, the empirical data were gathered from participant observation, questionnaires, and interviews. Concepts of the L2 motivational self-system and international posture were employed to inspire the thematic analysis. The findings elucidate that the participants tended to disclose their stronger L2 ideal selves compared to their L2 ought-to selves. Further, they experienced multifaceted discrepancies in their English learning trajectories and saw GSOC as one of their motivating endeavors to decrease these discrepancies. They reflected that the outbreak had provided them with a broader opportunity to virtually learn from others mediated by technology. The international posture and instrumental motivation appeared to be a motivational construct in their L2 ideal projected selves. In contrast, the integrative construct was likely unable to exert its explanatory power in this context. To this end, some implications are also discussed accordingly.

 

Key words: global-speaking online community, international posture, motivational self-system, possible selves.

 

DOI: 10.30397/TJTESOL.202404_21(1).0003