Investigating the Motivation of Learning Arabic Language of Shiraz University Students Based on the L2 Motivational Self-System

This study was conducted aimed at investigating the motivation of learning Arabic as a foreign language (L2) among the students of this field at Shiraz University based on the Dörnyei's L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) Theory. Dörnyei's 16 variables were studied to identify motivational factors using a questionnaire developed by Dörnyei (2010) to measure learning the L2. To this end, 96 students of Arabic Language and Literature at Shiraz University, who were admitted to the university between 2015 and 2018, were examined. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, and the structural model of the relationships between variables was designed with AMOS software. According to the findings, criterion measures had the most positive correlation with the variables of instrumentality promotion, attitudes toward L2 community, attitudes toward learning Arabic, and ideal self, respectively. Moreover, parental encouragement had the most negative correlation with this factor. The criterion measures were most directly affected by the attitudes toward learning Arabic and then by the instrumentality promotion. There was often a positive interaction between the factors, and only the parental encouragement had a declining effect on the instrumentality promotion while being affected by the attitudes toward learning Arabic.