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Unpacking Vietnamese L2 Students’ Motivation for and Engagement in Intercultural Language Learning

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Abstract

Intercultural language learning (ICLL) has become an important concept that drives English learners’ attention to the understanding and application of cultural elements in their English learning process; however, the learning motivation for and engagement in the proliferation of culture in English language teaching vary from one context to another. This study aimed to unpack L2 students’ motivation for and engagement in ICLL, and the correlation between the two research variables. A group of 198 L2 students, who were learning at a high school in Vietnam, were recruited based on a convenience sampling technique. A closed-ended questionnaire was employed for data collection. The sociolinguistic perspective was adopted for data analysis using the SPSS software. The findings unraveled that Vietnamese L2 students had a high level of motivation for ICLL, and they tended to get engaged in ICLL actively; however, their level of emotional engagement in ICLL seemed higher than their behavioral and cognitive engagement in ICLL. Additionally, a positive correlation between Vietnamese L2 students’ motivation for and engagement in ICLL was significantly found. This study recommends pedagogical implications in an attempt to enhance the quality of intercultural language teaching and learning in the research context and other similar ones.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their gratitude to all anonymous participants for their unconditional willingness to partake in this study. Additionally, sincere thanks should go to other pertinent stakeholders (e.g., administrators, colleagues, reviewers,) for their great support and invaluable comments to finish this study.

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This study was not funded by any institution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. HUTECH University, 475A Dien Bien Phu Street, Ward 25, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, 72308, Vietnam

    Thao Quoc Tran

  2. Ho Thi Ky High School, 48 Ly Bon Street, Ward 2, Ca Mau, Vietnam

    Dung M. T. Nguyen

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  1. Thao Quoc Tran
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  2. Dung M. T. Nguyen
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Correspondence to Thao Quoc Tran.

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Tran, T.Q., Nguyen, D.M.T. Unpacking Vietnamese L2 Students’ Motivation for and Engagement in Intercultural Language Learning. J Psycholinguist Res 52, 2357–2371 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936-023-09991-y

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