The Role of Self-Regulation Strategies in Predicting L2 Identity: Evidence from Iranian EFL Learners’ Perceptions

Articles in Press
Authors
F. Zavari
A. A. Zarei
Imam Khomeini International University
Abstract
Idendity development in L2 learning has recently attracted substabtial attention. Employing self-regulated strategies is also considered as a feature of successful L2 learning. Much research has been done on both self-regulation strategies and identity. However, few (if any) have explored learners’ perceptions toward the power of self-regulation strategies in predicting L2 identity. To address this gap, this study attempted to analyze the perceptions of 300 Iranian EFL learners regarding the potential role of seven types of self-regulation strategies in predicting L2 identity. To this end, quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques were employed. Quantitative data were collected through the Multidimensional L2 Identity Questionnaire (MLIQ), the Self-Regulated Foreign Language Learning Strategy Questionnaire (SRFLLSQ), Motivational Self-Regulation Questionnaire, and Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). Qualitative data were collected through an open-ended questionnaire and a semi-structred interview. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach was used to address the research questions. Content and thematic analyses of the qualitative data, conducted in MAXQDA (version 2022), were done both deductively and inductively. The qualitative findings unveiled that from Iranian EFL learners’ perspective, the seven types of self-regulation strategies could predict their L2 identity. The quantitative results, obtained through conducting multiple regression analysis, showed that the motivational and socio-cultural types of self-regulation strategies were significant positive predictors of L2 identity. This study has implications for theoreticians to further develop theories on the correlation of self-regulation and identity and for practitioners to use these findings to enhance the way learners’ identity is treated and developed.

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Available Online from 16 September 2025