L2 motivational self system and learning emotions as predictors of syntactic complexity

The study examined the contributions of Second Language Motivational Self System (L2MSS) constructs and Writing Enjoyment (WE) and Writing Anxiety (WA) subcomponents to the syntactic complexity productions based on the participants (N = 90) of English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners in Chinese tertiary EFL writing educational context. Regression analysis has been conducted to reveal that L2MSS constructs and learning emotions can be the significant predictors of syntactic complexity dimensions: Ideal L2 Self (IS), Ought-to L2 Self (OS), Behavioral Engagement L2 Learning experience (BEL2LE), and Interactional L2 Learning Experience (IL2LE) are all significant predictors of Mean Length per Sentence (MLS), Mean Length per Clause (MLC), Coordinate Phrases per T-Unit (CP/T), and Coordinate Phrases per Clause (CP/C), Avoidance Behavior Anxiety (AA) can negatively predict MLS, MLC, and CP/C, Cognitive Anxiety (CA) can positively predict Clauses per T-Unit (C/T), WE can positively predict CP/T and CP/C, and WE and WA subcomponents can significantly mediate the relationship between L2MSS constructs and syntactic complexity dimensions. By integrating WE and WA, the results not only broadened the scope of the L2MSS but also offered pedagogical recommendations for EFL writing instruction within China's socio-educational context.