The effects of social networks on L2 experiences and motivation in home-country settings

The recent development of online media and communication technologies has significantly expanded what L2 learners can do outside of class. Language learning beyond the classroom (LBC) is thus a relatively new emerging area of interest in the field of language learning research that has dominantly focused on classroom settings. As Reinders & Benson (2017) suggest, how learners structure and feel about their experiences of LBC is particularly important because it is both reflective of, and a cause of learners’ motivation and their sense of identity as language learners or users. One of the most important sources of LBC experiences is the authentic interactions that occur in the learners’ personal social networks. However, the impact of these interactions on learners’ motivation and their identities has not been adequately examined to date. This paper explores how a university student of Japanese in Australia structures her L2 experiences in her social networks and how these experiences are related to her L2 motivation. It particularly focuses on the changes in her social networks, as well as those in her identity as an L2 user and learner over three and half years of her Japanese learning. Data were generated through a series of interviews over this period. Several weeks’ worth of diaries written by the student on her L2 use and learning were also collected. The analysis of her L2 learning trajectory in her social networks indicated that the development of her multifaceted motivation and that of her L2-related social networks were closely intertwined. Moreover, it highlights the necessity for educators to be aware of the complex processes of the development of their students’ L2-related social networks. Some more pedagogical implications, including how teachers could better utilize their students’ out-of-class learning experiences in their social networks, will be discussed.