Effects of using the WhatsApp application on language learners motivation: a controlled investigation using structural equation modelling

The study of language learners’ motivation has long been considered a key, determining factor of success in second/foreign language acquisition. Based on self-determination theory (SDT), the more autonomously motivated learners are, the better they engage in an activity. To sustain autonomous motivation, the learners’ basic psychological needs (BPN) of autonomy, competence, and relatedness should be satisfied. Nevertheless, the role of these three components and their relation to autonomous motivation in the mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) context has not yet been addressed in the literature. Therefore, a social networking mobile application (WhatsApp) has been used to explore how teachers’ informal use of such an application relates to an increase in students’ motivation. A quasi-experimental design was adopted for two groups of…