Background: College and university science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students in Japan, who hope for careers in science and technology fields, lack the motivation to learn English as a second language (L2), impairing their current capacities to learn the L2 and their future abilities to communicate globally once employed. Literature review: Although these students’ motivation to learn English seems strongly linked to the external pressure to do well on a standardized English test, gain employment, and progress up the career ladder, this extrinsic motivation may not be as beneficial for their L2 learning as positive images of themselves using English in future situations. Three types of future career-related self images—an Ideal L2 Self, a Probable L2 Self, and an Ought-to L2 Self—are hypothesized to promote L2 achievement. Research methodology: Data from questionnaires examining psycholinguistic variables for 1013 Japanese STEM students of English were subjected to ANOVA and multiple regression analysis with three L2 Self variables as predictor variables and scores from the TOEIC standardized English exam as the outcome variable. Results/discussion: ANOVA results showed that students had a strong image of themselves as needing English for future career goals, as measured by the Ought-to L2 Self, but had lower levels of Ideal L2 Self, the variable measuring a future image as a fluent user of English. In the regression analysis, the Ought-to L2 Self predicted lower TOEIC exam scores; conversely, the Ideal L2 Self predicted greater TOEIC scores. These paradoxical results indicate that Japanese STEM students struggle motivationally to improve English skills needed for future STEM job-related communication, despite feeling pressured to do so. Conclusions: To encourage the formation of students’ images of Ideal L2 selves or stronger Probable L2 selves, STEM teachers and language teachers of Japanese STEM students could introduce motivational interventions. For example, positive role models of English language learners could visit classes and demonstrate how they have applied their English as a foreign language (EFL) learning experiences to future careers.

中文翻译：

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日本 STEM 学生未来职业自我形象与英语成绩测试成绩之间的关系


背景：日本学院和大学的科学、技术、工程和数学 (STEM) 学生希望在科学技术领域从事职业，但缺乏学习英语作为第二语言 (L2) 的动力，削弱了他们目前的学习能力L2 及其未来一旦受聘后进行全球通信的能力。文献综述：虽然这些学生学习英语的动机似乎与在标准化英语考试中取得好成绩、获得就业和职业阶梯进步的外部压力密切相关，但这种外在动机可能不像第二语言学习那样有益于他们的第二语言学习。在未来的情境中使用英语的积极形象。三种类型的未来职业相关自我形象——理想的 L2 自我、可能的 L2 自我和应该的 L2 自我——被假设可以促进 L2 成就。研究方法：对 1013 名日本 STEM 英语学生的心理语言变量调查问卷数据进行方差分析和多元回归分析，以三个 L2 自我变量作为预测变量，以 TOEIC 标准化英语考试成绩作为结果变量。结果/讨论：方差分析结果显示，学生对自己的未来职业目标需要英语有强烈的印象（通过应有的 L2 自我来衡量），但理想的 L2 自我（衡量未来形象的变量）水平较低。英语流利。在回归分析中，“Oought-to L2 Self”预测托业考试成绩较低；相反，理想的 L2 自我预测托业分数会更高。这些矛盾的结果表明，日本 STEM 学生尽管感到有压力，但仍积极努力提高未来 STEM 工作相关沟通所需的英语技能。 结论：为了鼓励学生形成理想的 L2 自我或更强的可能的 L2 自我形象，STEM 教师和日本 STEM 学生的语言教师可以引入动机干预措施。例如，英语学习者的积极榜样可以参观课堂并展示他们如何将英语作为外语 (EFL) 的学习经验应用到未来的职业生涯中。