Abstract
In order to resolve some of the issues about the relation between Deci and Ryan's (1985) self-determination theory and L2 motivation, the present study deals with a program of research to examine Japanese EFL learners' L2 motivation in light of the self-determination theory, which suggests that motivation can be divided into three categories: amotivation, extrinsic motivation, and intrinsic motivation. The present research is conducted in an attempt to incorporate Noels and her associates' (1999, 2000) empirical studies of the self-determination theory in L2 contexts into the motivational orientations traditionally identified by such researchers in social psychology as Clement and Kruidenier (1983) and Gardner (1985). One of the most significant findings in this study is that the intrinsic/extrinsic paradigm of the self-determination theory might be useful for describing L2 orientations in Japanese EFL learners. But future research must more deliberately determine how this framework interacts in various Japanese EFL learners.
