EXPLORING THE LONG-TERM MOTIVATION OF POST-TERTIARY MULTILINGUAL ADULT LEARNERS OF CHINESE AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

This thesis explores how adults in Australia stay motivated to learn Chinese after finishing formal education. Drawing on the stories of 14 learners, it shows that motivation often begins with personal goals and future visions of becoming multilingual. Learners stay motivated by using practical study habits, managing their emotions and connecting with supportive people and communities. The study identifies four common long-term motivational patterns and introduces a model showing how self-regulation, emotion, identity and context work together to support long-term language learning.