Lingua-Franca Future Self-Guides: How Do They Predict Shame?

Second-language (L2) future self-guides have been studied in relation to emotions. What remains unclear relates to the norms of L2 selves. Future selves with a lingua-franca (LF) ideology, which emphasizes shared responsibility, might make a difference in emotions. By developing questionnaire items to measure LF future selves, the current study investigated how LF selves predicted shame. Two hundred and fifty-seven undergraduates learning English in Japan participated by completing the questionnaire consisting of 38 items to measure LF selves, L2 selves, and L2 shame. Exploratory factor analysis (n = 257) conducted on the LF self items and subsequent confirmatory factor analysis performed on another sample of representation (n = 123) revealed three factors: ideal LF self/own, ideal LF self/others, and ought-to LF self. Partial correlation analyses between each two L2 or LF selves did not reveal a significant unique correlation between ideal L2 self and ought-to L2 self/own (r = .09). Rather, the seeming association between the two L2 selves was mediated by the LF selves. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that ideal LF self/own changed the prediction of shame in the direction of relieving L2 shame. The results suggest that cultivating an LF ideology may support the well-being of English learners. The data uploaded are the raw data of the survey consisting of one used for exploratory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis (n = 257) and one used for confirmatory factor analysis (n = 123).