Motivation profiles of Chinese rural foreign language learners: link with learning strategy and achievement

Abstract With latent profile analysis (LPA), this study identified motivation profiles of rural English learners in China based on expectancy-value theory (EVT). The construct validity of the extracted latent profiles was verified by their association with learning strategy use and English achievement. A total of 2,433 Chinese rural students completed English achievement test and online questionnaire measuring self-efficacy, intrinsic value, utility value, English learning strategy, and demographic information. The LPA results demonstrated that a model with four latent profiles adequately represented the data, naming rural English learners with “high expectancy and high value”, “low expectancy and medium value”, “medium expectancy and low value”, and “low expectancy and low value”, respectively. Four subgroups showed significant differences in strategy use and English achievement. Rural learners with “high expectancy and high value” used the most cognitive and metacognitive strategies, and scored highest in English test, followed by those with “low expectancy and medium value”, “medium expectancy and low value”, and “low expectancy and low value”. This study is consistent with the situated nature of motivation and provides new insights into English instruction in rural areas.